R. Dodge Woodson asked:


What is Stock Photography?

R. Dodge Woodson

What is stock photography? To many photographers it is a path to profits. Other photographers find it to be a hole of frustration. Realistically, stock photography is somewhere between these two extremes.

There are three ways to look at stock photography. The first is the view that photographers have of it. Stock agencies will see stock photography differently.  Buyers of stock photos are sure to have their own impression of what stock photography is.

I am assuming that most readers here will be looking at stock agencies through the viewfinder of a photographer. Still, to be successful at stock photography you will need to understand all three angles of the business.

All three views share some common elements. We will start with these shared views as stock photography secrets are revealed.

Is Stock Photography A True Business?

Is stock photography a real business? Many people involved in it will agree that it is very much a business. Some photographers see it as a place to warehouse their mediocre photos. For them, the business element is unlikely to come into play.

Stock photography consists of existing photographs that can be used for various purposes ranging from advertising to educational uses. The concept for buyers is that it is much less expensive to buy a stock photo than it is to commission a photographer for a specific assignment to create similar photos.

Stock Photography As Seen By Buyers

Stock photography is very appealing to buyers. This has never been more true. The creation and growth of micro stock agencies have changed the face of stock photography for everyone involved.

I entered the stock photo arena back in the old days. You know, back when photos were taken with the use of film. Now we have digital cameras, electronic photo manipulators, and micro stock agencies. Old grey beards, like me, can feel very intimidated by all of the changes in the business.

Back in the film days it was common for stock agencies to send out original slides for potential buyers to review. Now photos are uploaded and emailed and shown in online galleries. The selling process is very different. Stock photography today is instant gratification.

It used to be important to choose an agency that was well known and that had strong connections in the buying world. This is still true, but it is not nearly as important as it used to be. Now if you can get your photos to come up in searches on the Internet, sales can be made. Hell, you don’t even need an agent these days.

Buyers are looking for specific types of photos. They don’t care if they come from a photographer or a stock agency. If you have the picture that the buyer wants, you have the power.

We will talk more about agencies in a later chapter. This chapter is meant as an overview, not a detailed description of what your options are and how to take advantage of them.

In short, buyers are looking for high-quality photos of specific subject matter that can be licensed for a reasonable fee. It boils down to the picture and the money. There is no loyalty between buyers and stock agencies. Yes, times have changed.

I just finished writing a new e-book that is a Book Buster entitled: Sensible Stock Photography: Secrets Revealed. I have been a stock photographer for about 30 years, so I have a bit of experience to share with people new to the business.

What Are The Basic Goals Of Stock Agencies?

Stock agencies exist to make money. Few agency owners do what they do as a hobby. It is all about the cash. If you can make money for an agency, they will be interested in you and your work.

There are many differences between agencies which we will discuss later. For now, it is enough to simplify the issue by saying that agencies what to represent photos that will sell often and for high prices. You can bet your best lens that agencies see what they do as a business.

Stock Photographers

Stock photographers come in many forms. Some are more serious than others. Photographers often look at stock sales as beer and peanut money. Other photographers make their entire living shooting and selling stock photos.

What type of stock photographer do you want to be? How much money do you want to make from your photos? Will you be happy to see your photos published even if you don’t make a lot of money? Since this book is expected to be of the most interest to photographers we will spend more time on this topic.

What do you want?

What do you want from your stock photography? Is your main goal to see your work in print? How important is the income from stock sales to you? Only you can answer these questions, and they must be answered.

If you are looking to make a lot of money, you should look at other means of income. It is surely possible to make big bucks with stock sales, but far more photographers make less rather than more.

Stock photography can provide many things to photographers. The list below identifies some of them:

A goal to shoot for Something worthwhile to do with your photos A source of unknown and unlimited income Critical assessments to make you a better photographer A chance to see more of your work published Legitimacy for your camera business tax deductions The excitement of being notified of a sale that you didn’t know about The hope of  using stock photography income as part of your retirement The thrill of competition

There are, of course, other benefits to be had from stock photography. You will know what is right for you when you try it.

An Opportunity

Stock photography is an open opportunity for all photographers. Your existing credentials don’t count. It doesn’t matter if your name is famous in the industry, although this never hurts. As long as you can produce high-quality photos on a consistent basis, you can be a stock photographer.

It used to be common to be an exclusive photographer for one agency. This type of arrangement still exists, but it is now common for photographers to be represented by multiple agencies at the same time. This can increase sales considerably. Most photographers in the digital age choose non-exclusive representation.

Themes

Some themes sell better than others for stock photographers. I love to shoot macro photos, nature, and wildlife subjects. These types of photos are sometimes purchased from stock agencies, but they are far from the best-selling categories.

Weddings are usually the main moneymaker for local photographers. People photos are the key producers in the stock market. Models have to sign releases, but the work can be simple, easy to plan, and you can produce a high volume of photos in a short time.

Photos that can be used as backgrounds for advertisements are another popular seller through agencies. These can be anything from photos of clouds in the sky to colored pebbles. Creative photographers excel at these pictures.

Food is a very popular seller with most agencies. Shooting a bowl of fruit in a studio might not be your idea of glamorous photography, but it can pay the bills quite handsomely.

Objects are another fairly popular category. This could be a jar of candy, a hammer, or a toaster. Avoid trademarks in this type of photography. If it exists, there may be a request for a picture of it at some time.

It’s What You Make of It.

Stock photography is what you make it. Some photographers consider it a waste of time. A lot of photographers use it for supplemental income. Photographers occasionally make great livings shooting stock. What will you make of it? Well, your feelings now may change considerably by the time you finish this rare, unveiled look at what stock photography really is and what it means to photographers.

Nicholas Normandy asked:


Stock Photo Portfolio Sites

A stock photography portfolio site is a site where people are able to buy as well as sell digital photos. To dedicate your time to such a site, you have to be truly interested in digital photography, enough to want to go out and take hundreds of photos everyday. Stock photography sites are useful not only to you, but also to a plethora of others as well. Buyers need stock photos in order to make their web pages, advertisements, art mediums, and anything else that requires visual aid. Those that benefit from buying your photos range from independent companies, personal businesses, and any other business that don’t want or don’t have the resources or funding to hire a professional photographer. Also, stock photography sites are a big help to freelance photographers. This is a way for digital photographers, like you, to make money or earn a living selling the pictures that they take. It depends on the work put into the site, but you can make anywhere from $1 to $500 per month, per site with payouts around 25 cents to dollars per photograph. How much you make really depends on your effort and the time you take shooting photos. To make around $500 dollars per month, however, you’re going to need a good digital stock photo portfolio that will show the quality of your work.

As a freelance photographer, you are going to need to know exactly how to set up a stock portfolio. The first step is to take hundreds, and eventually thousands of pictures. For how many photos you’re going to end up taking you had better love to take photographs. You will have to go through the process of eliminating photos based on lighting and angles and any other nit picky stipulations that make a great picture. You’ll end up taking many photos, with over half of them turning out badly. When you realize that you’re happy with the process of taking your pictures then you can begin to build your freelance portfolio.

How many pictures you need for your portfolio

One of the best ways of accomplishing this feat is to set a goal for you. This way, you won’t be discouraged when you first start out and you don’t just snap your fingers and produce hundreds of photos after only one session. You need to be able to get up everyday and complete a freelance photography session of at least 20 to 40 pictures. However, out of those photos you need to pick out 10 to 20 from the bunch that are of better quality than the others. Eventually, you’ll be able to better identify angles, lighting, and concepts for your freelance photography.

Once you reach a quota of about 100 pictures that you have taken, with no more than 3-5 repeated ones, you should be able to compare some of the more recent photos with the pictures at the beginning and notice some improvement. If you are consistent with your photography sessions, you will become a lot better and have a lot of work and original freelance photos to show for it. Eventually, through hard work and dedication, you’ll have the ability to shoot a hundred photos in one sitting and only throw out a few.



What to take pictures of

What you want to accomplish with your freelance photography is a collection of quality pictures. Like the saying goes, “quality over quantity.” Businesses that are going to be looking at your photography and perhaps purchasing some of them will want to be able to depend on your originality and quality. To ensure that you produce pictures of a good quality, you should shoot subjects that you’re passionate about. If you take pictures of sea otters and you don’t particularly like taking pictures of sea otters, then you will be less likely to make sure that the picture looks good.

However, if you take pictures of things that interest you then you are more likely to take your time and produce quality work. Finding a subject that you’re passionate about and expanding on that topic then you’ll make sure and find your photography niche. It’s recommended that for your first set of pictures you should choose one or two niches for your collection. This will narrow down the competition because if you take random pictures they’ll be white noise against the other photographers.

You need to be able to narrow down your subject matter in different ways than you are used to. Instead of just thinking about subjects like macro, portrait, geometric, or cityscape you need to be able to think in subjects such as decadent, noble, sensual, blue (colors), or futuristic. This will bring those businesses that are looking for a particular niche right to you.

Other things to know

Don’t include any signatures, marks, or logos on your picture to confine ownership

Make sure for modeling pictures, that the model signs off on submitting the photos be sold

Always have enough space on your digital camera; don’t be caught off guard

Keep researching and learning from those that are already more experienced in digital photography or, invest in and Ebook to help get started