Alamy submissions failed

[Gordon Chew]

Good day to all reading my message here.

 

I'm a new contributor to Alamy, and my most recent submission was once again failed by the Alamy QC team for a second running time.

 

Reasons given were; (1) Noise, and (2) Out-of-focus.

 

My photos are all taken by drone shots by setting to 48mp, featuring pictures mostly of:

1) changing landscapes

2) environmental impacts of deforestation

3) global warming;

since these are what Alamy are seeking based on their current requirements.

 

Before my submissions, I ensure these pictures are filtered for noise reduction and with no other touch-ups since the quality itself is excellent enough to hopefully pass QC. I do, however, acknowledge that the pics include the whole landscape covering a wide area since they are taken above ground level at bird's eye view. Is that why Alamy says my submissions are "out-of-focus"?

 

So, my questions are:

1) does filtering for noise reduction contributes for further noisy-grainy results as mentioned by QC?

2) how do I reduce the out-of-focus issue, being these pictures are and will be taken by my drones each time?

3) how do I get pass the QC, as at the time of this writing, I'm still caught at the "waiting / holding period" for 3 basic picture submissions to be passed before my work can be up-on-sale-stage?

 

Awaiting for all your kind advice and comments after this.

 

My thanks in advance.

[wiskerke]

This search on this forum has most of the answers, even when some are a bit older.

 

wim

[Gordon Chew]

16 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

If there is a drone which has a 1" sensor it should produce usable images suitable for Alamy.

 

Allan

 

Hi Allan,

 

I can't verify but am sure that only the DJI Inspire 1 may have this sensor, since Alamy seems to approve of ONLY this particular model.

[Gordon Chew]

10 hours ago, wiskerke said:

This search on this forum has most of the answers, even when some are a bit older.

 

wim

Alamy contributors with the Inspire V1 model will be delighted to know this. Hopefully Alamy accepts the Mavic Air Pro V1 & V2 ones too.

[MizBrown]

8 hours ago, Gordon Chew said:

Alamy contributors with the Inspire V1 model will be delighted to know this. Hopefully Alamy accepts the Mavic Air Pro V1 & V2 ones too.

 

The Mavic Air Pro V2 has a 1/2" CMOS sensor and is under $1K US from a major retailer.  The Inspire V1, version 2, has a camera with a Micro 4/3rds sensor.  That model has been superseded by the DJ Inspire 2, which is $2599 US and which doesn't have a camera, gimble, recharger, and controller as part of that price package.  Camera and gimble is another $2,899.00.

 

Alamy said that the minimum cameras for drones are Micro 4/3rds.   This gives relative sizes of the various sensors.  1/2" sensor are inferior.   I've shot MFT and Sony APSC at the same time, and gave the MFT system away.  One inch sensors in good hands can produce photos that Alamy accepts, but not all of them.

This shows the relative sizes of the different formats:   http://photoseek.com/2013/compare-digital-camera-sensor-sizes-full-frame-35mm-aps-c-micro-four-thirds-1-inch-type/

[MizBrown]

I wonder what the actually native resolution is of a half inch sensor.  I think there’s a older thread on buying a drone for stock that suggested it was a bad investment.  Shooting through a lot of air degrades images, so I can see that MFT would be the minimum requirement for Alamy.  

[Gordon Chew]

14 hours ago, MizBrown said:

 

The Mavic Air Pro V2 has a 1/2" CMOS sensor and is under $1K US from a major retailer.  The Inspire V1, version 2, has a camera with a Micro 4/3rds sensor.  That model has been superseded by the DJ Inspire 2, which is $2599 US and which doesn't have a camera, gimble, recharger, and controller as part of that price package.  Camera and gimble is another $2,899.00.

 

Alamy said that the minimum cameras for drones are Micro 4/3rds.   This gives relative sizes of the various sensors.  1/2" sensor are inferior.   I've shot MFT and Sony APSC at the same time, and gave the MFT system away.  One inch sensors in good hands can produce photos that Alamy accepts, but not all of them.

This shows the relative sizes of the different formats:   http://photoseek.com/2013/compare-digital-camera-sensor-sizes-full-frame-35mm-aps-c-micro-four-thirds-1-inch-type/

Hi MizBrown,

 

Great sharing knowledge here by you!

 

I for one will definitely keep in mind when getting myself a new camera sometime in the future. Micro 4/3rds sensor it shall be.

 

Many thanks, MizBrown.

[Gordon Chew]

10 hours ago, MizBrown said:

I wonder what the actually native resolution is of a half inch sensor.  I think there’s a older thread on buying a drone for stock that suggested it was a bad investment.  Shooting through a lot of air degrades images, so I can see that MFT would be the minimum requirement for Alamy.  

Forget all the other stock images including Alamy if it's drone stocks from any version lower than the DJI Inspire V1 or the Air Pro 2. Everyone is still welcome to try coz who knows, 'pass one pass all' still stands. It's a long shot, though.

[Cal]

On 13/09/2020 at 22:30, MizBrown said:

I wonder what the actually native resolution is of a half inch sensor.  I think there’s a older thread on buying a drone for stock that suggested it was a bad investment.  Shooting through a lot of air degrades images, so I can see that MFT would be the minimum requirement for Alamy.  

 

I think buying anything for stock is a bad investment if you see it that way, unless you live, breath, eat and sleep stock. I know there are some on here who do a fair bit of live news and get a good whack from it but they have to put the hours in and I respect that. For most of us who do day jobs or otherwise don't have the time to "have the jump" on what's going on I suspect it is at best a passive trickle but a hobby's a hobby and any return I get from that is welcome.

[MizBrown]

4 hours ago, Cal said:

 

I think buying anything for stock is a bad investment if you see it that way, unless you live, breath, eat and sleep stock. I know there are some on here who do a fair bit of live news and get a good whack from it but they have to put the hours in and I respect that. For most of us who do day jobs or otherwise don't have the time to "have the jump" on what's going on I suspect it is at best a passive trickle but a hobby's a hobby and any return I get from that is welcome.

 

Had to debate with myself over whether submitting to Alamy would ruin my nice hobby.  Actually, this has enriched it, but I'm not sure how I'd feel if I were trying to submit 100 new photos a week.   As is, this keeps me mentally active in my seventies. 

[Gordon Chew]

On 15/09/2020 at 21:57, Cal said:

 

I think buying anything for stock is a bad investment if you see it that way, unless you live, breath, eat and sleep stock. I know there are some on here who do a fair bit of live news and get a good whack from it but they have to put the hours in and I respect that. For most of us who do day jobs or otherwise don't have the time to "have the jump" on what's going on I suspect it is at best a passive trickle but a hobby's a hobby and any return I get from that is welcome.

Hi Cal,

 

It's more of a challenge for me if I seriously invest in my equipments just to comply for stocks' requirements. It'll be a day job for me the moment I embark on this

 

[Gordon Chew]

20 hours ago, MizBrown said:

 

Had to debate with myself over whether submitting to Alamy would ruin my nice hobby.  Actually, this has enriched it, but I'm not sure how I'd feel if I were trying to submit 100 new photos a week.   As is, this keeps me mentally active in my seventies. 

Hi MizBrown,

 

I'd be amazed with people who submit that many images on weekly basis, as there's alot of work in touching-up to do prior to submissions. It's commendable that you're actively keeping your hobby active, kudos!

[Patrick Cooper]

Indeed, the cameras in many drones have tiny sensors which is unfortunate. Of course there are exceptions like the DJI Inspire as mentioned above but they are extremely expensive. Another alternative within the aerial photography realm is the use of kites to lift cameras high up into the air. People have been doing kite aerial photography for many decades. There is certainly good potential here. A large kite combined with a good amount of wind can lift a lot of weight - much more than what a consumer drone can lift. This would mean you could lift larger cameras with larger sensors. Even so, you would still have to increase the iso a fair bit in order to use very fast shutter speeds to combat the inevitable shakiness from the kite in the air. Another thing kite aerial photographers do to reduce vibrations is attach the camera about half way along the kite line and use a suspension system like a picavet. 

 

KAP (kite aerial photography) has been something Ive been considering taking up for quite a while. Though the general advice is to start off with just flying the kite on it's own without any payload and build up your kite flying skills. Then later on, attach a payload like a water bottle to the kite line and practise with that. Then after that, buy a very cheap and old second hand little digital compact camera and do some KAP with that while still refining your kite flying skills. Then when you think your ready, you can attach a more expensive and serious camera with a larger sensor to the picavet. Though even so, you may be reluctant to send an overly expensive camera into the air with a kite. No matter how good your kite flying skills get, I guess there's always the chance of the kite and camera impacting the ground. So it might be worth getting a second hand camera with a decently sized sensor that's not going to break the bank. I notice some people add padding to their cameras just in case. 

Edited October 4, 2020 by Patrick Cooper

[Gordon Chew]

5 hours ago, Patrick Cooper said:

Indeed, the cameras in many drones have tiny sensors which is unfortunate. Of course there are exceptions like the DJI Inspire as mentioned above but they are extremely expensive. Another alternative within the aerial photography realm is the use of kites to lift cameras high up into the air. People have been doing kite aerial photography for many decades. There is certainly good potential here. A large kite combined with a good amount of wind can lift a lot of weight - much more than what a consumer drone can lift. This would mean you could lift larger cameras with larger sensors. Even so, you would still have to increase the iso a fair bit in order to use very fast shutter speeds to combat the inevitable shakiness from the kite in the air. Another thing kite aerial photographers do to reduce vibrations is attach the camera about half way along the kite line and use a suspension system like a picavet. 

 

KAP (kite aerial photography) has been something Ive been considering taking up for quite a while. Though the general advice is to start off with just flying the kite on it's own without any payload and build up your kite flying skills. Then later on, attach a payload like a water bottle to the kite line and practise with that. Then after that, buy a very cheap and old second hand little digital compact camera and do some KAP with that while still refining your kite flying skills. Then when you think your ready, you can attach a more expensive and serious camera with a larger sensor to the picavet. Though even so, you may be reluctant to send an overly expensive camera into the air with a kite. No matter how good your kite flying skills get, I guess there's always the chance of the kite and camera impacting the ground. So it might be worth getting a second hand camera with a decently sized sensor that's not going to break the bank. I notice some people add padding to their cameras just in case. 

Hi Patrick Cooper,

 

Appreciate your insights regarding KAP kite photography. There's certainly alot more going on while the kite is up in the air as compared to a drone. Although I haven't tried KAP before to do my aerials, piloting a drone itself requires full focus. I've crashed my drones before due to distracting surroundings especially if you're in a crowded place for your aerial shoots, so utmost focus is so imperative while manning them mid-flight, especially for video shootages. I believe kite flying should require more skills and experience, while working on unexpected variables like wind direction, wind speed, and so much more. My apologies as I'm unaware of what a picavet is, but a larger sensor camera will definitely add extra weight, so the lift-off and landing for the gears will be a challenge. Kudos to you for your adventurous KAP pursuits in order to get the job done! 

[Patrick Cooper]

35 minutes ago, Gordon Chew said:

My apologies as I'm unaware of what a picavet is, but a larger sensor camera will definitely add extra weight, so the lift-off and landing for the gears will be a challenge. 

 

That's a great thing about a kite. A large kite can lift a lot of weight as long as there is enough wind to support it. Actually, a camera was lifted up into the air by a kite to photograph the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. And you could imagine how large and heavy cameras were back then.

 

http://robroy.dyndns.info/lawrence/kitelines94.html

 

A picavet is basically a cross with a length of rope or line running through a series of rings. And the camera is attached to it. As mentioned before, it's a kind of suspension system which is meant to reduce the vibrations from the kite to the camera.

 

Actually, another nice thing about a kite is that the line can be tied to a post or a stake in the ground, leaving your hands free if you want to. That's also something you do when attaching the camera and picavet to the line. So the first step is to get the kite into the air, then attach the line to a post or similar structure, then attach the camera and picavet to the line and then let more line out until the camera is at the desired height in the sky. 

 

There's also another bonus of a kite. Unlike a drone, there are no batteries to keep it up in the air so you could keep a kite up there for hours if the wind remains steady. Though of course the camera requires batteries so that's a limiting factor. 

 

I do fly rc quadcopters myself and yea they are a lot of fun. I did buy a delta shaped kite some time back specifically for KAP but the middle spar broke on it's very first flight. Unbelievable. I could see it bending when it was in the air and then it snapped. 

 

Here's a nice video of a demonstration of KAP.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2020 by Patrick Cooper

[Gordon Chew]

On 04/10/2020 at 22:09, Patrick Cooper said:

 

That's a great thing about a kite. A large kite can lift a lot of weight as long as there is enough wind to support it. Actually, a camera was lifted up into the air by a kite to photograph the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. And you could imagine how large and heavy cameras were back then.

 

http://robroy.dyndns.info/lawrence/kitelines94.html

 

A picavet is basically a cross with a length of rope or line running through a series of rings. And the camera is attached to it. As mentioned before, it's a kind of suspension system which is meant to reduce the vibrations from the kite to the camera.

 

Actually, another nice thing about a kite is that the line can be tied to a post or a stake in the ground, leaving your hands free if you want to. That's also something you do when attaching the camera and picavet to the line. So the first step is to get the kite into the air, then attach the line to a post or similar structure, then attach the camera and picavet to the line and then let more line out until the camera is at the desired height in the sky. 

 

There's also another bonus of a kite. Unlike a drone, there are no batteries to keep it up in the air so you could keep a kite up there for hours if the wind remains steady. Though of course the camera requires batteries so that's a limiting factor. 

 

I do fly rc quadcopters myself and yea they are a lot of fun. I did buy a delta shaped kite some time back specifically for KAP but the middle spar broke on it's very first flight. Unbelievable. I could see it bending when it was in the air and then it snapped. 

 

Here's a nice video of a demonstration of KAP.

 

 

Hi Patrick Cooper,

 

That's truly awesome on KAP photography knowledge you shared here. I like how people have various skills & methods just to present amazing shots from up in the air. It would be quite a feat, however, just to consider using KAP here in Malaysia coz I'm unaware where we could possibly get the type of kite & all the gears required. What you're doing is just cool