Stock libraries judge images by commercial usability, not just artistic intent. Intentional background blur is fine, but the main subject still needs to be clearly and extensively sharp. In your image, only a very small portion of the subject appears critically in focus, which makes it less flexible for buyers who may want to crop, retouch, or apply their own styling.

That’s also why reviewers may mention noise: if the sharp area is limited and the image has visible grain/noise or heavy processing, it further reduces its usefulness for stock.

In general, stock agencies prefer files with:

• a clearly sharp main subject
• enough of the subject in focus for practical reuse
• low visible noise
• minimal baked-in artistic effects

If you want better acceptance odds, try using more depth of field, ensure focus lands on the key subject area, avoid overprocessing, and aim for a cleaner, more neutral file that gives the buyer room to edit. Artistic images can be good photographs, but they may still be poor fits for commercial stock standards.