Smartphones for Stock Photography

[madscica]

It occurs to me that a large percentage of the photos posted here as rejected for "technical reasons" were taken with cell phones.

Would Adobe be better off requiring intact EXIF info in uploaded photos, and automatically rejecting those taken with cell phones and other small sensor devices? I know of at least one other agency that will not even consider photos unless they were taken with a "camera suitable for stock photography".

Yes, I know it is possible to get acceptable photos with a cell phone under ideal conditions, and rejecting cell phone photos would reject some suitable images, but overall the reviewers would have to wade through fewer unacceptable images (reducing their workload and Adobe's overhead expenses), and a higher percentage of uploaded photos would be acceptable.

Just a thought...

[Abambo · Accepted solution]

There are many persons successfully uploading phone pictures to their contributor account. The problem is not that phone pictures are bad, but that people don't understand why their pictures are bad. If that was a workload issue, Adobe would probably do something against. Moreover, in my experience, most users let their EXIF data intact.

I don't know, exactly, how the moderation process works, but bad pictures are mostly easy catches.

[ricky336]

A lot of people use their smartphones as point and shot - a modern version of the compact camera - but better as you can keep it in your pocket. However, to get a good picture from a smartphone, one needs to know the conditions it is capable of. Stock photography is not a 'point and shoot' moment' (as some people may think) or in the days of film when Kodak was popular - 'A Kodak moment'. 

(These days 'Kodak moments' are on smartphones!) So, I think smartphones can be used. One just needs to know its limitations.

[Jill_C]

It IS possible to acquire acceptable images with a late model cell phone camera under the right lighting conditions, so it wouldn't make sense for Adobe to automatically screen those out.

[joych@art]

https://www.makeuseof.com/iphone-14-pro-max-vs-crop-sensor-dslr/

I am going to respond here for Jacqueline because I didn't have possibility to respond to her recent statement. 

This is a fragment of the message, I apologize that I didn't respond promptly. The reason is I didn't receive any email of your responses to my email account.  

"Also, you'll benefit from these additional tips.  No matter the formal training you get, it's never complete. Experience will always add to your education, and that's an ongoing process that makes you more rounded when you are willing to accept new ideas, suggestions, and requirements from multiple institutions, sources and people. This takes humility."

Yes guys, that is why I asked here about Smartphone photography because I was just starting, and I hope you will take Jacqueline advice into consideration and learn something new from the link I just provide.

Happy reading and peace to you all.

If you don't agree with this expert conclusions, contact him not me, I apparently have no idea what you are talking about.

This link is from December 2022, 

Peace & Love

[joych@art]

@madscica @ricky336 @Abambo 

[joych@art]

@jacquelingphoto2017

Thank you for all help and advice, 

[Nancy OShea]

The topic of this 1 year old discussion was Smartphones for Stock Photography.

How to Make Money Taking Stock Photos on your Mobile Phone

"There are some minimum requirements that stock photos must meet to be accepted. Besides being pleasing to look at aesthetically, the photograph needs to be of perfect technical quality regardless of equipment.  

• Minimum of 6.3 Megapixels images, delivered as high res RGB jpeg files.
• A pleasing photo composition. You can achieve this almost always by applying the rule of the thirds (see tips section) to your compositions while framing the pictures as you shoot them or as you process and crop them afterward.
• Maintain sharp focus.  Avoid motion blur. Use a tripod or brace the camera against a solid object. Always check the sharpness of the image at 100% zoom.
• Do not use too many filters. Clients that buy the stock image need to be able to apply their own filters to the image as they see fit. Using filters for corrections is fine, but do not overdo it.
• Ensure that the white balance and color are correct.
• Noise-free and grain-free.
• Make sure that the images you submit are copyright-free. This means that there cannot be any brand names or logos on the image. Also, avoid shooting landmarks (for instance, the Empire State Building) or singling out modern architecture buildings. When photographing identifiable people or locations, you need to have a release form signed by the people in the picture or the owner of the location.