Portfolio critique: just started but hope to get some comments for improvement

[leesaliens]

Hi everyone, hope you all are having a wonderful day!

 

I just started this less a month ago and have uploded about 1000 photos, my portfolio only shows 700+ for now as I need to finish adding captions and tags. So far 0 sales and 0 zoom, which is totally fine, as I wanna take this slow and make it right. That's why hope to get some comments and critique from you, and make any adjustment and improvement for future uploads.

 

Here's the link: https://www.alamy.com/portfolio/leesaliens

 

As you might have noticed most of photos are from local area (different places I visited in China), as I started uploading photos from latest shots, then traced back to earlier ones (2020 and 2019...). Due to the pandemic I cannot travel abroad since last year. However when I get even more older ones, my portfolio will include other regions (UK, US, Canada, South Africa...).

 

Thanks for your time and great help!

 

Yang Li

[Steve F]

Hi Yang Li, welcome! 🙂

 

Your captions are sometimes too short. Try to include the country more.

https://www.alamy.com/contributor/how-to-sell-images/captions-and-keywords-for-images/?section=8

 

"Before you start, think about the potential use of the image and what it’s likely to be sold for, the more accurately you describe your image, the more visibility it will have in customer searches, which will significantly increase your chance of making a sale."

 

 

 

Just a minor one on composition here. You're doing a silhouette, but the photo is too messy. You have the silhouette of the reeds at the front, silhouette of a wooden jetty behind, and the silhouette of the green land behind that, all overlapping. It needs to be simpler.

 

 

You have some really nice shots, but also a few too many with nothing really happening in the picture:

These could sell, but I think it is highly unlikely.

 

 

Sunrise in Beijing City with smoke coming out of tall chimneys. - Image ID: 2F7XT0R

 

You're missing the keyword 'smog'

 

 

Finally, keep a look out in magazines, books, newspapers (if you have an online newspaper on your phone, or go on the newspaper website, every article has a photo at the head, normally a stock picture), websites etc. for stock photos. The image credits will say if the photo is from a stock agency. These are the ones that sell. Compare with the pictures that you are producing.

 

Good luck!

Stephen

Edited April 21, 2021 by Steve F

[leesaliens]

2 hours ago, Steve F said:

Hi Yang Li, welcome! 🙂

 

Your captions are sometimes too short. Try to include the country more.

https://www.alamy.com/contributor/how-to-sell-images/captions-and-keywords-for-images/?section=8

 

"Before you start, think about the potential use of the image and what it’s likely to be sold for, the more accurately you describe your image, the more visibility it will have in customer searches, which will significantly increase your chance of making a sale."

 

 

 

Just a minor one on composition here. You're doing a silhouette, but the photo is too messy. You have the silhouette of the reeds at the front, silhouette of a wooden jetty behind, and the silhouette of the green land behind that, all overlapping. It needs to be simpler.

 

 

You have some really nice shots, but also a few too many with nothing really happening in the picture:

These could sell, but I think it is highly unlikely.

 

 

Sunrise in Beijing City with smoke coming out of tall chimneys. - Image ID: 2F7XT0R

 

You're missing the keyword 'smog'

 

 

Finally, keep a look out in magazines, books, newspapers (if you have an online newspaper on your phone, or go on the newspaper website, every article has a photo at the head, normally a stock picture), websites etc. for stock photos. The image credits will say if the photo is from a stock agency. These are the ones that sell. Compare with the pictures that you are producing.

 

Good luck!

Stephen

 

Hi Stephen,

 

Wow, lots of very good comments here, really appreciate your help!

 

Captions and tags are really something I need to work on. Upload a photo might just take few seconds but add those for each photo might take 1 to 5 mins, which is something I did not realise at the beginning.

I only shot what I liked before which might be a problem. You're totally correct on composition and how photo could be picked by and sold.

I will work on those.

 

Once again thanks a lot! All the best to you!

 

Yang Li