I would appreciate honest constructive critique

[Deb C]

Hello All from Pensacola Florida. I have been with Alamy numerous years but have not participated in any discussions - time to change that so here I am I would really appreciate some honest constructive opinions on my images. 

https://www.alamy.com/portfolio/debcolombo

Thank you to all !

Edited July 14, 2019 by Deb C
wrong link

[Robert Convery]

I think your people images are the most saleable, but you need thousands of pictures to compete.

 

With your flowers you sometimes just put Rose, Clematis or Fuchsia without knowing the variety, which will reduce the chance of a sale.

 

 

[John Morrison]

A colourful collection... but take care with tags and captions. Be more literal (ie less poetic) in captions. On the pictures I looked at there's no 'America' or 'United States' or 'USA' or 'American', etc. Birds and plants need Latin names too. The colours certainly 'pop', though some of your more extreme graphics (B7AF2A, R093EM, for example) may be pushed too far for stock. Good luck... 

[John Mitchell]

Very pleasing, well-composed images. However, I'd consider adding more editorial style images. They are still the ones that do the best on Alamy.

 

Also, as someone mentioned in another thread, it's not a good idea to crop too tightly. Editors often like to have some space to play with.

 

Good luck.

[Chris Burrows]

Regarding your plant images you do need to improve the captions and keywords.  
Not just to add more detail - scientific name, cultivar name etc but also to remove the "poetic" bits. 

Also some are named wrongly.  eg.

White Peace Lily Perfection - Image ID: R2R1X3  This is a Zantedeschia common name Arum lily

Amaryllis Love - Image ID: TAR72N  This is actually a Hippeastrum but would also include Amaryllis as a common name.

PUre white bulb flower open close up stamen - Image ID: R20MG7  Probably Hymenocallis × festalis

BOLD COLOR FUSCHIA BLOOMING WITH GREENERY HANGING  - Image ID: C52DPW  Wrong spelling for Fuchsia

Impatiens, flowers bright colors, pink, purple, etc - Image ID: B89JF4  No idea what you have done to the colours but does not look like  Impatiens to me.

wild purple flower fresh in spring time with greenery  - Image ID: B636Y8  Looks like a Tradescantia to me

Pure white lily flowers in full bloom spring time   - Image ID: K9DXPR  Has keywords  blooming tree flower,lace leaf tree,pink white bloom,southern tree,thistle

 

 

[Ed Rooney]

I like what I see, Deb. Expand your subject matter and pay attention to the tagging advice. 

[Bryan]

Yes some good looking photos, you do seem to have the eye for it!

 

However, as others have said, this is a very small collection and maybe you need to diversify a little, e.g. include the built environment and more day to day subject matter. It doesn't have to be a work of art to sell, provided it tells or illustrates a story.

Edited July 19, 2019 by Bryan

[Ed Rooney]

If the light, shape, and color are good . . . and the subject suggests a caption . . . I consider it STOCK. Don't look for beauty. Find beauty in what you see. 

[Mark Baigent]

You asked for honest, the collection is full of pretty pictures similar to a billion others on sale online.

The most saleable image is the young lady with the flag, it tells a story. Assuming that the child is yours she is your best asset, photograph her a lot with flags, mobile phones, tablets, reading, playing, if she can act.. sad etc. 

[Ed Rooney]

Deb, the biggest critical point that could be made about your portfolio is this: you have been a contributor to Alamy for over a decade, yet you have contributed just 297 images. That's not gonna cut it. To get regular sales on Alamy, you must shoot and submit images regularly. 

[John Mitchell]

8 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

If the light, shape, and color are good . . . and the subject suggests a caption . . . I consider it STOCK. Don't look for beauty. Find beauty in what you see. 

 

That's a good philosophy alright, especially for Alamy. However, there is some room for "beauty" here. The Personal Use licensing option, for all its shortcomings, has helped matters a bit in that department. Then there are occasional calendar sales and the like.

 

 

[Colin Woods]

Avoid too much repetition. You have about a dozen shots of those lovely cirrus clouds (you need the scientific names of the cloud formations in your keywords). All you need really is a horizontal and a vertical shot. And definitely ditch the whimsical titles - editors will search on keywords rather than humourous captions. 

[Deb C]

THANK YOU TO ALL FOR YOUR MUCH NEEDED INSIGHT ! I see more now the direction, changes etc that need to be made. Yes, due to "life" time hasnt allowed me to shoot much in the past - that, my friends, is about to change ! I love photography so much & its time to kick it in high gear. THANK YOU AGAIN !