As one of the curators for this community I felt it was time to go over some important points for photographers and artists who share their work for usage.
Before submitting your images there are some key factors one should check to make sure they are keeping in line with the guidelines posted for you to view in our About Stock Images and Important Information post.
It would be great if you read that post in it’s entirety before submitting any of your work.
There are several things we have noticed that could contribute to your images not being used by other Hivers.
Not only that but these things could also lead to your art, graphics or photos being looked over and not included in the Main Index.
Let’s jump right in with the ✔️ list…
I Would Use My Own Art/ Images
This may sound pretty simple and obvious but from some of the submissions we have received it is evident that some do not consider this.
If you can honestly look at your images and know that you would never use them yourself then they shouldn’t be submitted. It’s always a good start to consider whether you would even use your own contribution.
Remember, you are in control of the reputation you set with your work. It’s always better to have quality over quantity and not just submitting for the sake of submitting.
My Images are Relevant and a Good Use Case
One tip that I like to give is to take some time to do some browsing on the platform. Look at the source images being used in publications to see what Hivers are looking for and need for their posts.
Another way to find out what’s needed is to visit our discord server and check in the images-idea channel where we have listed several ideas on what is lacking or could use more of for the index.
Please make sure your images are recognizable and make sense. If a reader has to work hard to figure out what your art, graphic or image is then it will be easily skipped over.
Making sure your contributions are clear and relevant would make a huge difference on the chances for them to be authored.
My Contribution Adheres to the Legal Restrictions
As stated above it is important to know and understand the legal restrictions of posting in the Stock Images Community (see link above).
Please read over and make sure you’re familiar with the restrictions on posting recognizable people, brands and logos.
You’ll need to know when to make it clear that permission has been obtained and when a model release must be submitted.
When Sharing Multiple Images My Post is Categorized into One Theme
When your contribution posts are placed in the main index @minismallholding categorizes them based off their theme.
We ask that when you compile your images to please post one theme at a time instead of making an eclectic one. This makes it easier to index as well as makes it easier for authors who are searching specific topics.
While it’s okay to submit just one image or graphic you can always wait to post them after you have build up several images in order to post them altogether under the same theme.
My Usage Requirements are Listed
I am seeing this less and less but think this is an important step that should not be omitted.
Somewhere in your post (usually at the end) it would be a good idea to state the author requirements for your images.
Do you want them to credit you by mention?
Would you prefer and like to request to be rewarded with a tip or added as a beneficiary in their post?
Are authors allowed to use your work outside of Hive? If not, can they contact you for special requests?
You can find some examples of how these are written in some of our contributors’ posts. You can also reach out to us in the comment section here, in any of the Stock Image account’s publications or in our discord server (link listed above) to ask any questions.
I Have Included the #hivestockimages Tag
You do not have to post directly from the community in order for your images to be indexed. Hivers can easily find your images by looking up the #hivestockimages tag.
Please be sure to include this tag on your post especially if you are posting from another community. It makes it easier for us to find your contributions to make sure they are included in our curation compilation picks as well.
I hope this checklist with tips and reminders serves you well as you continue to submit your contributions to the Stock Images Community.
We’d love to see more use cases for your work and more Hivers being able to source your images right here from our platform rather than sourcing outside images.
I hope you take the time to see the need and challenge yourself to make those graphics and images available for use.
Thanks to @vannour for providing these awesome photos for usage. He along with @minismallholding (the founder of this community) have been added as beneficiaries to this post!