I have now sent in my submission to iStock. It one of the larger stock agencies, but also one of the more stressful to submit to, because they judge you based solely on three photos! However, I noticed that they did not require a model release for the submissions, so I went ahead and sent in a photo of a person that I don’t have a release for (though I am trying to track the model down now to get a release).

I went with my philosophy that you want a variety of photos, and at least one needs to be of a person. Here’s what I submitted:

Sioux

My people shot. Interesting, stylish, and with good space for ad copy. Also tattoo is a surprisingly highly searched keyword, which I’m hoping will score bonus points. The downside is this photo isn’t really tack sharp. In the end I decided that the photo was striking enough to compensate (I hope).

 Bumble Bee

I do a lot of nature photography, and decided that this would be my nature-type photography submission, because it’s more stock worthy than your typical pretty landscape. Also tack sharp and, I’m hoping, the kind of photo that’s not easy to get and thus there aren’t a lot like it out there. This bee attacked me shortly after taking this photo.

 Apple Lineup

I went with this for a couple of reasons. It’s a classic studio shot with white background, and I wanted something that showed I could do that too. It’s also a “concept shot,” which is something marketing types love. Is it about being unique? Being hungry? I dunno. Also, of course, tack sharp!

So there they are. It can take months to hear back from a stock agency, so wish me luck!