Take Best Selling Stock PhotosBefore you start selling stock photos you need to know what kind of stock images are most popular. How to find out which images are best sellers on a stock photo site.
Photographic Print I wandered over to Allposters and found a couple of examples of what I'm talking about but I want you to go to the stock photo sites and take a look at their best selling images. I am telling you to do this just as market research. I am NOT suggesting that you copy the photos on these websites in any way. The stock photography agencies DO NOT WANT hundreds of the same image in their libraries. You will have to snoop a little to find out what kind of images are currently selling the best on any site. Read the submission terms carefully. Hang around in the forums. Talk to other photographers about what they have been successful with. All the information you need is available, it just takes time to find it.
Selling Stock Photos with People in ThemStock images of people and buildings sell very well but there are special rules that apply to photographs of people and buildings.Before you can sell a photo of a person you need their written permission (this rule only applies if the person is identifiable in the picture). Have them sign a model release. If you take pictures of children, have their parents sign. For buildings, you need the owners permission. They can also sign a model release; you do not need to carry 2 different forms. Most of the stock photo sites will not allow you to upload such photographs without the necessary releases. Print some of these releases up and carry them with you just as you do your camera equipment. How Do I Obtain Permission A lot of people will be happy enough to let you photograph them. They may not want to sign a document for a perfect stranger. The easiest way around this is to use your most attractive friends and relatives as models. Another solution is to be creative and take pictures in which the people are not identifiable like the one at the top of this page. If the building you wish to photograph is a private home, knock on the door. If you are professional and polite, most homeowners will be flattered that you want to take pictures of their house. As for buildings where the owner is not resident, I don't know about other countries but in the U.S., real estate ownership is a matter of public record. You can get this information free of charge by doing a search of the public records online. Go to the website of the city in which the property is located and look for a link to the "assessor's department" or "recorded documents". Photographing public buildings is another option. The stock photo website may not always require releases for buildings but it protects you to have one anyway. Keep all your signed releases on file where you can easily find them in case anyone ever challenges your right to sell an image. Food Stock PhotographyArt Print Be creative. Take shots of single food items on a plain white background, yes. But also compose shots like the one just above. Notice the props used and how they enhance the natural colors and textures in the breads. Look at how the light is used. To set up your own shots, you will have to make a small investment in the food items you plan to photograph but the good thing about food stock photography is that you can eat your subjects. You can probably borrow the props either from your own kitchen or from a relative's.
Flower Stock PhotographyPoster Be sure to identify the plant properly! I can not tell you how many times I have gone looking through microstock photos of plants (I also own a gardening website) and have come across mislabeled pictures. You are never going to sell a stock photo of a palm tree if you have it labeled as a fern. People looking for ferns will not want the image because they will know it is not of a fern. People searching for palms will never see it. People search for plants by both their common and botanical names so tag the image with all of these. Most plants have several common names but only one botanical name.
is a PDF you can download if you want to sell stock photography in a big way. There is a lot of money to be made in the stock photography industry but you need to educate yourself on just how to access it. This PDF was written by a photographer who is getting paid by the stock photo sites each and every month. Check it out.
Guide to Selling Stock Photography for Amateurs
How Keywords Sell Your Stock Photos
Freelance Photography Opportunities
Freelance Photography Work
That's why I interviewed longtime freelance photographer (and excellent friend of mine) John Saade: to see what insights he could share. Go from Take Best Selling Stock Photos to Work form Home Opportunities |
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