Thought I would pile on here since I just got accepted myself.

So far, Istock has been the hardest for me to get accepted to (I finally made it a couple of days ago with my last of 3 acceptances).

The "variety of pictures" is the key as everybody else has stated.

Try also not to over-filter or apply too much correction/modification...this seems to have been my downfall and the cause of my 3 rejections.

Ultimately, however, I agree with rhoffart above..."in the end, it will push you to be better"...

Although I am also fairly new to Stock Photography, one thing I am realizing very quickly is that this is a Marathon, not a Sprint. There really are no shortcuts to getting better...you just have to take the time to look a what other people have done...keep reading the boards....and figure stuff out a little at a time.

So, by all means, keep pounding away on Istock....it will be worth it...just don't be in a big hurry...

Best of luck to you.