get started
Has anyone ever told you, "Great Shot!"? If so, we'd like to invite you to our Pro Shots Program.
Pro Shots submissions
We're looking for amazing photographers to feature in Pro Shots, the professional section of Webshots. With 7.2 million monthly visitors, Webshots is one of the largest photo-and-video-sharing sites in the world.
Think you have what it takes? Then submit your photos to our Pro Shots Program now!
- Gain exposure to millions
- Sell your work in the webshots store
- Receive feedback and comments from the Webshots community
Licensing my images with Pro Shots was a clear turning point in my photography business. As Webshots is probably the world's most-popular photography site, my images have had great worldwide exposure. This has made all the difference. In addition to the monthly royalty payments from Webshots, I get far more inquiries and sales than before—most of which originate from Webshots. Thank you for helping me make my photography business a success."—Don Paulson
Check out Don's work in Pro Shots and the /user/donpaulson">Community.
Benefits
Exposure to Millions
With millions of people visiting Webshots each day, being featured in Pro Shots can increase your visibility on both Webshots and worldwide. Members can enjoy Pro Shots in the /page/apps">Webshots Desktop client as screensavers and desktop wallpaper, and also download high-resolution and widescreen versions. On the web, your photos will surface at the top of searches as Webshots is optimized for search engines like Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask.
A Marketplace for Your Work
Being featured in Pro Shots means you can sell prints and gifts of your work. Now all your fans can
hang a framed photo of yours on their wall or send a greeting card featuring your work. Plus, you'll receive a part of the profit on all sales!
Ego Boost
Many people have already complimented your work, and you'll get even more feedback at Webshots. If you're already a Webshots member, you can let other members know that you're also featured in Pro Shots. If you're new to Webshots, we recommend /signup">Signing up for a membership so you can interact with the Community.
Information
Q - What type of images are you looking for?
A - We're looking for images commonly found in calendars, postcards and coffee table books, but please note that due to the horizontal nature of computer screens, vertical images are generally not used.
Please take a moment to review what's popular in the categories in which you wish to submit and evaluate whether or not your work would be a good fit. To view what's most popular, click on the respective subcategory in /g/">Pro Shots and sort by "top downloads" by clicking on the link located near the upper right-hand side of the page.
Our popular categories include:
- 3D Art
- Beaches
- Cities
- Coastlines
- Dramatic Skies
- Exotic or Classic Cars
- Flowers
- Gardens
- Landscapes
- Motorcycles
- Mountains
- Nautical
- Pets
- Seasonal Themes
- Storms
- Sunsets
- Travel
- Tropical
- Underwater
- Wildlife
Q - I have thousands of photos. Should I send them all and let the editors decide?
A - We would suggest sending a minimum of 60 horizontal images but no more than 300. Our editors prefer to receive tightly edited submissions over a volume of similar images and subjects.
Variety is best, so try not to send a bulk of images of the same subject, national park or town. For example, don't send only 60 images of spring flowers. The most successful professional photographers on Webshots tend to capture and submit a variety of subjects.
While our members enjoy classic American landscapes, Pro Shots is fairly saturated with some popular photographic locations. If possible, please refrain from sending many images of Washington, Oregon, Mount Rainier, Yellowstone, California (Sierras), Grand Canyon Arches, Bryce Canyon and The Great Smoky Mountains.
Q - I have images published in the Webshots Community. If my images are selected for Pro Shots, should I remove them?
A - Yes. This way, we can avoid duplicate images on the site.
Q - Do you accept digital images or film?
A - We accept both. Slides and transparencies are accepted up to 4'x 5' in size. However, we do not accept negatives from print film. We accept digital images from cameras with a minimum rating of 10 megapixels or higher.
Q - Why does Webshots require such a high resolution for digital cameras?
A - All Pro Shots images are available as large poster prints, so the resolution requirements help us maintain a consistent standard of quality.
Q - How should I prepare my digital submission?
A: Please submit your digital images as JPGS (saved at high quality) with a resolution of 1600x1200 at 72 dpi. Please do not save images as TIFF or PSD.
Please include one image at 5150x3433 at 300 dpi so we may better evaluate your image quality—this image should be the best representation of your work.
Save all your files into one directory on a CD or DVD and mail it to our office. (If you're sending a CD, please use a standard burning format, such as ISO 9660.) Please include a self-addressed envelope with return postage if you would like your CD or DVD returned.
Webshots Photo Department
c/o American Greetings
One American Road
Cleveland, Ohio 44144
Email: photoeditor@webshots.com
Please allow 2-5 weeks for your photo submission to be reviewed. Packages will be returned within approximately one month. If your images are selected, our photo editor will contact you directly with final licensing details.
Important Business Details
The photographer accepts all liability for any Model or Property-Release issues that may arise from a recognizable individual or trademarked property in the image. Please do not submit slides for which you do not have a current Model or Property Release in your files.
Webshots will take steps to prevent the unauthorized use of the images that are displayed within Webshots websites and/or within the software, however, Webshots is not liable for any misuse of the images that may result from use of the images. The photographer is fully aware that the digital images can be easily transferred and manipulated, and any liability related to the digital theft of the images is removed from Webshots.
Q - Can you accept my digital files via email or through an FTP connection?
A - Email is not the best method to send a large batch of image files because our mailboxes cannot handle the massive amount of data necessary for a typical photo submission. If you are interested in submitting your work via FTP, please contact the photo editor directly at photoeditor@webshots.com.
Q - What are the basic terms of the Pro Shots program?
A - The contract is for two years with nonexclusive rights, and we accept both royalty-free and rights-protected images. No basic license fee is provided, but you will receive a 35-percent revenue share of the net purchase price from the sales of prints and gifts of your accepted images. Sales reports are provided monthly, and payments are sent out monthly provided that you have accrued a minimum of $50 in royalties.
Q - If my images are selected, would I still be able to maintain copyright ownership of my work?
A - Yes, you will retain copyright privileges for your images, and you are free to market your images outside of Webshots.
Q - I also have a website where I market my work. Would I be able to link to it from Webshots?
A - Yes, we can publish a link to your website under your images in Pro Shots.
Examples
| Please don't send these photos with these issues: | No | Yes |
|---|---|---|
| Crooked horizons—please straighten in photo-editing software beforehand. |
Crooked horizon 
|
Horizon straigtened 
|
| Dirty photos—images should be clean and free of any dust or spots. |
Dirty with dust and spots 
|
Clean 
|
| Non-color correct images—please correct the color in photo-editing software beforehand. |
Not color corrected 
|
Color corrected 
|
| Oversharpened or blurry images—images will be evaluated while viewed at 100 percent, so therefore any sharpening should be applied at 100 percent. |
Oversharpened 
|
Correct sharpness 
|
| Overprocessed colors—be careful not to go overboard with adjusting the contrast and saturation. |
Over saturated colors 
|
Correct colors 
|
| Adding text borders or visual watermarks to the images— just the photo, please! |
No text, border or watermarks 
|
Keep images clean 
|
Top 5 Tips
- Use a Tripod.
- Use a "polarizer" to reduce reflections and increase vibrancy of colors.
- For landscapes, use a "graduated neutral density filter" to reduce the brightness difference between the sky and ground.
- To avoid digital noise, use a lower ISO setting (100, 200, 400).
- Always include a caption and credit information with the slides, or embed the information in the digital-photo EXIF/metadata.