It's really up to you to make sure your image is top quality. These 10 rules will help guide you:

1. Idea - What are you trying to say in your image?
2. Simplicity - Don’t over complicate the idea or the aesthetics.
3. Light - Keep images bathed in natural light and avoid hard shadows.
4. Focus - Images must be in focus. The Subject should be sharp.
5. Composition - Avoid awkward angles, poor crops and being too far away or too close that your idea becomes unclear.
6. Color - Clients love colourful images. Make yours stand out above the rest.
7. Don't over treat - Filters and apps are great for making the best of your images, but don’t over use them. Images should still look natural and subjects as they really are.
8. No logos or branding - For legal reasons any logos, branding, trademark and copyright items cannot be in the shot.
9. Balance.

• Although some of the legal restrictions do not apply to Street (Editorial) RM images the same creative criteria applies for Street (Editorial) RM images as with the Creative RM and RF images.
• There is unlimited potential for the variety of subject matter covered by Street (Editorial) RM images, but it’s worth noting that we are not looking for editorial news content.
• Editorial images of current events or celebrities will not be accepted as part of Street (Editorial) RM.

To make sure your images that do have releases are selected as Creative RM or Creative RF, you need to make sure you indicate that you have the corresponding releases for your images at the time of upload.

You don’t need to add your releases when you upload but unless we know they are available, we will have to assume that they are not and we will edit accordingly.

• Model releases are required for every recognizable person in every image. If a Model Release cannot be obtained for every image we consider it necessary, the image will be rejected.
• There are a number of factors when assessing if a shot needs MR, this includes shots of people looking away from the camera and silhouettes.
• Crowd scenes: Naturally occurring crowds, where no one person is the focus or subject of the shot may be allowed without a model release. If one person is the focus of subject, or could be digitally isolated, within a crowd shot, we would require a model release for that person.
• For your convenience RooM has approved a number of model release apps that you can use. Only the app version approved by RooM can be used. Please go to our Legal section model_releases.html to download approved model release apps.

• Interiors: If we see an image featuring an interior location where there is no possibility that the photographer will have acquired a property release, for example the interior of a McDonalds or the Vatican, then we will reject that image on legal grounds.
• Exteriors:For legal reasons many iconic, famous, corporate and historically important locations cannot be featured in clear stock photography, even if they are shot from public land.
• For your convenience RooM has approved a number of property release apps that you can use. Only the app version approved by RooM can be used. Please go to our Legal section property_releases.html to download approved property release apps.

Images with prominent branding will be rejected. This includes: logos, business names, product names, any visuals used in advertising and so on. Prominence is key here but even if it is very small, a logo that is clearly visible when the image is viewed at 100% will mean rejection.

• Images that prominently feature trademarked products, copyrighted designs and works of art are also not suitable for sale.

• If you had to buy a ticket, you probably can't shoot stock there.
• Olympics and sports events – We cannot accept images featuring the Olympics. This includes the name, logos and symbols. We can also not accept images featuring sports club crests, logos and branding.

Please see our Intellectual Property and Restrictions document for a comprehensive guide.(Intellectual Property and Restrictions document)

Unlike the Creative RM and Creative RF images, Street (Editorial) RM images are sold for editorial purposes only, specifically in a newspaper or magazine articles, on blogs or websites for descriptive purposes and in a noncommercial presentation. They are not used for the purposes of advertising, promotional, merchandising or endorsement use.

This means that Street (Editorial) RM images are available for fewer types of usage than the Creative RM & RF images and also, their usage tends to command a lower price than most creative sales.

In addition, although subject to the same creative and technical checks at the edit stage, Street (Editorial) RM images do not require model or property releases. There is also more scope for Street (Editorial) RM images to feature branding or logos that would not be accepted for the Creative collections but it is worth noting that this does not mean we accept offensive or indecent subject matter.

We curate all images, however, we do expect you to take charge and use these self-editing tips to limit your uploads to appropriate content.

• What message does your image convey? Is there a clear concept?
• We curate all images, however, we do expect you to take charge and use these self-editing tips to limit your uploads to appropriate content.
• Every shot should work as a stand-alone image with a clear message.
• Which image is the most emotive? If it engages an image buyer, it will engage their audience
• Keep the visual design simple with clean composition.
• Do not select multiple images that convey the same idea or message
• Which shot has the best composition, lighting, body language and expression?
• Cropping – only crop if it enhances the subject and/or removes unnecessary elements. In general customers do not want tight crops.
• Copy space - can be advantageous. Use tidy or blurred backgrounds
• Retouching – must be complete before uploading your images. Remove logos and branding any superfluous and distracting elements.
• Don’t forget to ‘dust bust’ - Dust and other dirt can build up on the camera sensor. You may not notice these marks on your images until viewed at full size. The best way to check if your sensor needs to be cleaned is to take a shot of white piece of paper at the largest depth of field possible. Any dirt should be clearly visible in the image when viewed at full size. Ideally, it’s best to have a clean sensor in the first place but it is a relatively simple job to remove dirt and dust spots post-production. Either way, if an image has visible dirt or dust it will be rejected.
• Balance colour and adjust the contrast where necessary.

Images from a sequence are considered similar if when compared they are visually and conceptually the same. Potential customers don’t want to choose between 2 or 3 of the same shot with only slight differences. Consider the following to determine if images are similar:

• What links the images? People, the clothing, the objects?
• Composition – does it create a sequence?
• Locations – does the location or the view of the location place an image as part of a sequence?
• Lighting and technique – Does the lighting and technique offer something new?
• Concepts and ideas – Are there a variety or the same ones running through each image?
• Choosing the Best Shot from a Sequence - This can be subjective, but generally one of the shots in a series will always be the best.
• Offer the potential customer something different every time!

When you agree to submit your images to RooM, they are exclusive. Similar images not accepted by us, or similar images you chose not to upload, cannot be submitted and sold at any other agency or as private sales by yourself.

Colorful images sell. Clients want eye-catching images that will promote their product of service. We live in a world of HD and Blu-ray, where we expect the best, brightest and most colorful picture from our TV and movies. So give your still imagery the same consideration. Thinking about the color palate in your images will give them an advantage and make them stand out from the crowd. Does the color support the subject? Is the color too distracting?

Here are a few examples where color and the color palate is important to the success of a shot.

Nature Shots

We want images of nature at her finest, with excellent natural colors that evoke the subject, season and even time of day.

The Good

The Bad