iStockphoto - Stock Photography Training Manual

4.0 Quality Standards

4.12 Image Hygiene

Whether you're doing fashion photography or macro shots of isolated tabletop objects, your subjects should be presentable, neat, and good-looking. We call this "image hygiene." Take some time before your session to look over small details and make sure that everything is clean and in order. Designers do not want to spend time removing bits of hair and spots of dust and dirt.

Cracked wall and visible foot prints on the floor

Dusty old toy car

Dirty electronic calculator keypad

Tips:

• Clean all objects before doing macro-shots. Watch for dust and finger prints.
• Check your background / backdrop for footprints, cracked or torn areas, patches of dirt, etc.
• Examine clothing before and during the session for dust, falling hair, etc.
• Keep an eye on fingernail hygiene in any close-ups of hands: handshakes, typing, writing, etc.
• While editing, carefully review the image at 100% from corner to corner for small bits and pieces that you may have missed. Watch for sensor dust spots as well.

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Contents

1.0 iStockphoto's Standards

2.0 Account Information

3.0 Image Requirements

4.0 Quality Standards

• What We're Looking For
• Suitability
• Focus
• Lighting
• Isolation & Cropping
• Noise
• Compression
• Overfiltering
• Chromatic Aberration
• Sensor Spots
• Lens Flares
• Image Hygiene
• Borders & Rotation
• Duplicates & Series
• Nudity

5.0 Film Scans

• Film Speed
• Scan Size

6.0 Title, Description & Keywords

• Image Titles
• Descriptions
• Keywords

7.0 Legal Requirements

• Products & Objects
• Logos, Trademarks & Intellectual Property
• Art, Architecture & Performances
• Places, Locations & Venues
• Problematic Subjects & Practices

8.0 Model & Property Releases

• Model Releases
• Property Releases

9.0 Editorial Use Only Images

• What We Accept
• Different Standards & Expectations

10.0 Prohibited Uses

FAQs