I submitted a second batch of photos this week, and my first batch came back with results: 27 approved, 18 rejected. This gave me a much better sense of what the review team is actually looking for.

For example, I discovered that even if photos appear to be of good quality at first glance, small details, like a dirty lens, can ruin them. This taught me to be more careful with my photos.

Adjusting for that, I re-edited a couple of images and resubmitted them. It’s a good reminder that “good enough for Instagram” isn’t automatically “good enough for a stock directory” — the technical bar is stricter than I expected.

Progress so far: 57 photos submitted, 27 approved, 3 pending review.