Contributor Guidelines
Bantu photos is an online photo marketplace specifically for photographers, developers and artists who want to earn money while doing what they love. They earn when individuals or companies pay to use those images for editorials, marketing campaigns and other creative needs.
As contributors and creators you will always retain the ownership of the copyright. We will only LICENSE the rights to the customer to use your image. Ownership of the images will not change and a licensing fee will be paid for the use of those images based on our very simple pricing model.
We accept all kinds of images as long as they are decent and meet our technical standards.
Our payment is straight forward and simple. Basic subscriptions plans and one off payments for images. No contracts.
Do please take a few minutes to read through the information below before loading materials on Bantu Photos :-
Getting started is simple and less complex at Bantu Photos.
- Read through our terms and conditions thoroughly
- Agree to our RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, you can then proceed to submitting a portfolio of up to 50 images.
- Register and log-in as a photographer. Once logged in, you will get automatic access to the image upload function via your account and select the “Upload new Photos” link.
- Please, DO NOT close this tab or navigate off this page during the upload as it will automatically cause the upload to stop.
- Once the upload is complete, you can access the “My Photo Status” link. Unsuccessful uploaded images will have the status “Pending” which indicates that they have not yet been considered by Bantu Photos experts. We will evaluate all uploaded images and swiftly provide you feedback within 7 working days. Upon validation that your materials meet the norms of our marketplace, we will then certify you. Please study the technical specifications carefully below before uploading images to Bantu Photos.
- In the event that your images are not appropriate, your status will remain “Applicant”. We will provide you feedback on the images you submitted under the “My Photo Status”. Declined or Rejected images will show for a period of approximately thirty days after which they will be permanently deleted. Once the images are removed, you are at liberty to load more images for review should you desire.
The images uploaded on Bantu Photos are intended to be used in corporate communications and/or in the mediarelated industry. Bantu photos contributors are therefore expected to upload the most professional looking, topquality images free from any intellectual property issue or technical problem.
Image Size and Quality
All photographic images uploaded on Bantu Photos must adhere strictly to the following guidelines
- Images must be in JPEG format
- JPEGs should be at least 2400 x 1600 pixels or 3.84 Megapixels in size; MP not Megabytes (MB).
- Photos must have standard aspect ratios
- Images must have the standard resolution of 300 dpi.
- Processed files should be saved at the maximum JPEG quality setting.
As a Bantu photo contributor, you stand a better chance of having your images accepted when they are up to 10 Megapixelsin size. Higher resolution images have a much wider range of applications and therefore offer better chances of thecontributor selling more images. The recommended output resolution for stock images is 300 dpi. To the very least, Bantuphoto contributors must ensure their images are good enough for corporate/commercial use. Images must be in focus,properly balanced in colour and free from flaws such as noise, lens flare, colour fringing, sensor dust etc.
NB: Megapixels are calculated by multiplying height and width in pixels, then dividing by a million. For example, theminimum required Bantu Photos image size as dimensions of 2400 x 1600 pixels has a total of 3840000 pixels (or 3.84 Megapixels (MP) not Megabytes (MB).
JPEG compression
We recommend Bantu Photos contributors shoot in RAW format. However, If you are shooting JPEG images (rather thanRAW) we recommend the use of the highest quality selection (least compression) because the more compressed an imageis, the more of the data captured by the sensor is being lost when the file is processed and saved to the memory card. Anyimage that has been degraded by reason of excessive JPEG compression will be rejected.
Interpolated/Up sampled Images
Images that have been interpolated or scaled up to a higher resolution that the original capture resolution because of lack ofexpected detail of image quality and resolution will be rejected. We recommend that every Bantu Photos contributor submitsimages at the highest resolution possible.
Image Retouching
Any image which displays visible retouching or unsuccessful manipulation will be rejected. We will however accept anystrong, creative image of good technical quality that may have been creatively post-processed and retouched as long as ithas resulted into a stronger image or even different image altogether.
Image Rotation
Bantu Photo contributors are expected to submit all images with accurate rotation. Please ensure you preview the imagesafter they have been uploaded to make sure the images have the right side up.
Watermarks Captions & Imprints
Images with embedded watermark, imprints or signature (except journalistic photos) will be rejected. Titled or captionedimages will also be rejected unless the words are an integral part of your photo/illustration/design.
Image Scanning
Although we accept scans at the highest physical (optical) resolution available, Bantu Photos does not accept scannedimages lower than the quality guidelines of digital camera images. Use of higher 'software interpolated' resolutions that arebeyond the actual detail that a scanner is capable of capturing will result in outright rejection of such photos.
While today’s smartphones have the flair for producing stunning, high-end pictures, guaranteed to make heads spin, we do not at present accept photos taken from cellphones. We are only inclined to accepting digital images shot by professional quality cameras. Our least standard sensor size is 12 megapixels and this aforementioned megapixel is subject to review as digital cameras and sensors advance overtime. The success of any photography commerce online is hinged on the quality of digital images, so we will always use quality as the benchmark for acceptance and rejection on images we choose to take on.
Please note points below:
- Photos must be pin-sharp and blemish-free
- Clean and dust-busted -print-ready
- Images should be fully processed and saved as Standard JPEGs
- A minimum of 3600 pixels on the longest side
- Save image as 8 Bit RGB .jpg file of Maximum Quality JPG files -Also better in Photoshop.
- Maintain images at 100% actual pixels for sharpness
- Always shoot pictures in RAW format so as to allow for maximum image quality.
- Make necessary modifications to your images, from gamma corrections, to contrast, colour balance and saturation, preferably in 16 bit colour depth.
- Calibrate your screen and ensure you embed the colour profile when you save the file. Adobe 1998 colour space (as opposed to RGB) is preferred.
Accredited photographers will be permitted to upload images to Bantu Photos site using the same upload facility as well-defined, prior to, but without a limitation on how many images that may be loaded. Please note: only properly key-worded and captioned images will be permitted to go on sale. Also, note that certain metadata in the IPTC sidecar files will be uploaded automatically.
The “My photo status” tab provides a shortcut to your images and shows you which images require additional information to go on sale. The following minimum metadata are required for images to go on sale:
- Caption: A concise, descriptive caption of what the image shows
- Keywords: Please note: it is pointless to repeat words already in the caption in the keywords
- Country: The country in which the image was taken
Images with a caption, keywords and a country will be reflected as “Awaiting final approval” in the My Photo Status tab. These images will be reviewed by the Bantu Photos studio, and if the above information has been properly entered will then go on sale. Should further information be required we will communicate with you via email. Please ensure that model released images are indicated as such by checking the “Model released” checkbox. Please email copies of relevant model releases to us.
For more Guidelines o good metadata and other technical support, you can talk with our technical support team: techsupport@bantuphotos.com
Model Release
Owing to the ever increasing demand for royalty free and licensed images of African People traversing different works of life, at different stages and scenarios, especially for editorial purposes by various users, we recommend binding model releases as our standard criteria for sales of photo images of people.
Model releases are very important and you often times need one. It is important that if your images are for commercial use then you might need a model or property release. This is a signed permission from an individual, or owner of a property, giving permission for a photograph or footage (in which they or the property appear) to be used commercially. You can create yours or use our simple form which we have prepared for you. But it is your responsibility to ensure that you protect your images.

We can still sell images that don’t have releases but these images can only be used for editorial uses (newspapers, magazines, books) which limits you. So your images are not going to be sold they are only used as references or illustrations in books, magazines or newspapers. With model releases you can sell your images to commercial and editorial customers- this is when your images are used to advertise or promote something else or a product. For this purpose you need a model release.
BANTU MODEL RELEASE AND WAIVER FORM