Nothing Less than Sharp from Foreground to Background Will Do

If you're going to be a stock/microstock photographer taking a picture without a tripod is likely to get an image rejected.

Stock/Microstock agencies usually want sharp photos from foreground to background. If you submit a landscape photo with blur in the foreground or background, you'll get a messages such as this: "The composition of a successful commercial image needs to be clear and supportive of the image's main concept and primary subject. A good composition is one which does not limit the potential use of the image by designers (by being tightly cropped, for example)."

To be sure, you can submit photos of human subjects with a soft background, but the subject must be sharp from head to toe (or from neck to above the top of the head).

Taking a sharp photo means developing some technical skills. You can learn about them here.