Life as an Image Inspector
July 22nd, 2008 | Published in Photography | 8 Comments
Inspectors are rewarded in fishheads, so the myth goes...
For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s a brief introduction to what an inspector does: Basically, we inspect every photo submitted to iStockphoto and are charged with making the call, on whether or not it lives up to the required standards. In other words, if it is to be accepted into the collection, declined or passed back for some fixing by the contributing photographer.
What I can’t tell you about, are the details of how we work. These are trade secrets. Suffice to say that there is a system in place, which offers everyone on the team continuous training and all the technical tools needed to do the work. Furthermore, the team members constantly communicate and help each other, thus ensuring the highest possible consistency and the least number of mistakes.
One very important tool is a calibration unit. Every inspector works on a calibrated monitor. As every photographer should, too. If you get a lot of rejections for noise, isolation or pixel discoloration, it’s probably a sign that your monitor needs some TLC. These gadgets are well worth their cost for anyone working in color, whether as a photographer, designer og illustrator.
But in spite of all the cool tools and the secrecy, the job as an image inspector is really not that glamorous, though the hours are great and I am not complaining about the compensation, either. At the end of the day though, it’s countless of hours of looking at the details of other people’s photos. Thousands of them. It is largely my experience of having done this for a few years, that inspired me to start working on the guide.
When I first open someone’s image for inspection, the first place I look is at any visible blue sky. Then, I move on to darker areas - not the black parts, but the gradients between light and shadow. These two areas are the most common spots for noise. Next, I look for high contrast edges, where there might be chromatic aberration or large areas of solid color, which could contain banding or noise. If you get a lot of rejections for the reasons mentioned here, you will want to pay special attention to those particular areas. Typically, this type of noise comes from either too much tweaking or low quality cameras. Shooting in RAW at the lowest possible ISO will help reduce noise and banding.
So there’s a little taste of what it means to be an image inspector. And before you ask, this is not a job you can apply for. Those who have it, were all asked directly. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a batch of photos to sort through.
The photo used for this post, was shot by Wikkie.
July 22nd, 2008at 11:42 am(#)
Thanks for sharing a glimpse into the top-secret world of an inspector, Rasmus
July 23rd, 2008at 6:04 am(#)
Just out of curiosity and I guess this could be a secret but how long does the photographer have to impress you (or get the boot)? How many pictures can you crunch through in an hour?
July 23rd, 2008at 11:45 am(#)
Michael: That’s one of the things, I can’t give you specifics on. But it varies greatly, from a few seconds (it doesn’t take long to spot direct flash, for instance) and up.
July 23rd, 2008at 12:40 pm(#)
Ok yeah I figured. Must be a cool job tho -tho look at all these great photos.
July 25th, 2008at 1:39 pm(#)
What? Inspecting isn’t glamorous? heh… There’s so much to inspecting images that I really, really LOVE. I’ve told a few other inspectors that my favorite part is that I get to see the entire world through the eyes of countless other people. One moment I’m looking at shots of an adventurer in the Amazon and in the next moment, I’m looking at the Smith’s family vacation snapshots in the Grand Canyon. No matter the image, though, I’ve been giving the opportunity to take a peek at the world in the way someone else has seen it — and that is totally priceless to me.
July 25th, 2008at 1:47 pm(#)
Very nice article, although if I wrote it I would have added that caffeine, cigarettes & loud music are essential in order to inspect but then again, that’s only me.
July 25th, 2008at 3:13 pm(#)
Inspecting is such a cool thing to do. You virtually travel around the world with the contributors and get to see the world through their eyes. People will shoot things in a way I never thought possible, it really has broadened my visual horizon. I love it!
July 25th, 2008at 3:18 pm(#)
Dan : You are absolutely right. I’ve seen so many exciting and cool places through inspecting (though I’ll be perfectly happy to never see another shot of that blue-domed church in Santorini). As inspectors, we really do get to see everything and every place.
Saint : Oh, you know there is no inspections without coffee. Goes without saying! Music too. But I did give up smoking tobacco a few years back.