Getting Started in Microstock Photography
If you want to earn an income from Microstock photography, you'll have to follow some basic guidelines, whether you shoot with a point-and-shoot compact camera or with a DSLR.
Shoot photos that are ‘usable’: This is the most important thing to remember. Always ask yourself, “could I imagine this photo being used in an ad/billboard/poster/brochure/website?” A photo might look great, but that doesn’t mean that it will sell well. Success in Microstock photography is all about creating images that can be used. Professional photo buyers look for photos that illustrate concepts, such as career, relationship or retirement. Photos of a young couple holding hands on the beach sell well because holding hands is a universal, widely understood idea that can be used to illustrate romance, happiness, unity, and even security. Such a photo can be used by the travel industry, the insurance industry, the health industry, etc. It is very ‘usable’. In general, business, lifestyle, health and food photos are consistently popular subjects. On the other hand, photos of flowers and pets will sell, but are not in as high demand as the previous examples. Seasonal photographs (snowflakes during winter for example) will be popular during those seasons. And remember to take photographs that relate to holidays — and upload them before those holidays. The above has nothing to do with the quality of the photographs (which of course, should be excellent). Buyers of Microstock photos are looking for photos with clear ideas and concepts that their clients can use. In order to get started in Microstock Photography, you need some basic knowledge about what to do, and what not to do. The following are some simple steps that should save you some time, and help you on your way to earning some money from uploading your images to a stock photography site CAMERA Make sure the camera you’re using is suitable (i.e; check that the images your camera takes – the size/resolution – meet the minimum requirements stated in good stock photography sites' Submission Guidelines). DSLR: A DSLR camera will give you the best results. However, you can use a point-and-shoot compact camera if the resulting file quality is high enough to meet our minimum requirements. Most serious Microstock contributors shoot with a DSLR, but if you don't own one, and your camera will take photos that meet our minimum standards, you shouldn’t have any problem. 6 Megapixels or More: Typically, you will need a digital camera that will take images at sizes of at least 2816 pixels x 2112 pixels, which is a total of 5.94 million pixels. Never increase the file size of a photo in an image processing program (this is commonly called ‘up-sampling’). Up-sampling always results in a degradation of the photo’s quality. So, don’t try to up-sample your photo (ie. make the photo larger) in an image editing program like Photoshop to make the photo pass inspection. It won’t work. Our inspectors will catch it, and reject it. You should always shoot at the highest resolution your camera allows. Having more megapixels gives you the ability to crop your photos after you’ve taken them, thus allowing you more control over the finished image. FILE SIZES To determine the size of an image, multiply (in pixels) the length by the height. If an image is 1600 x 1200 pixels = 1,920,000 pixels, that means it is 2MP (2 megapixels). WHAT TO SHOOT/SUBMIT What types of photos should you shoot? That’s the magic question. Based on experience, most people in the Microstock industry can agree on some generalities: lifestyle (i.e. people), business, food, and health photos consistently sell well. People shots sell better than food shots, food shots sell better than pet shots, pet shots sell better than insect shots, insect shots sell better than a shot of your big toe! However, you might take a great shot of a dog jumping into a lake and it could sell thousands of times. So, unfortunately, there’s no magic answer to, “what should I shoot”. However, you can start by using your common sense. Look around you. What types of photos are being used in magazine and newspaper ads? How about on billboards and posters? On websites? Do a little research by looking around you. Once you’ve discovered what types of photos are being used, think about what concepts or ideas they convey. Test your answers by asking yourself if a certain photo could also be used to convey that concept for a different industry or product. Now, start thinking about how you could take photos that convey some of those same concepts but in a new, and unique manner. Then start shooting! BEFORE YOU SHOOT Look Around Before Pressing the Shutter: Before you press the shutter button, make a habit of looking around the edges of what you see in your viewfinder. Sometimes you’ll find something in the edge of your photo that you didn’t notice at first because you were concentrating on your main subject. You might find something that distracts from your photo (someone’s elbow, or a garbage can, for example) is visible in the edge of your viewfinder. If so, move the object, or recompose your shot. Pre Post-Processing: Before you shoot your photo, accept the fact that you will have to do some post-processing on it. However, the better your original photo is, the less work you’ll have to do in the post-processing process. So take the time to make sure your shot is composed properly before you press the shutter button. (Remember, as wonderful as the newest image processing software are, you won’t be able to save a bad photo by post-processing it)! Get Releases Filled-out And Signed: If the shot you are taking required a Model and/or Property Release, get them completely filled-out and signed before you begin shooting. It would be extremely frustrating (and a waste of your time) to take the time and effort to shoot a great photo, only to find out afterwards that you can’t get the necessary releases signed. WHEN YOU SHOOT Shoot in Raw Mode: RAW gives you a huge advantage, allowing you to modify your images’ color balance and exposure without degrading its quality. All modern DSLRs support RAW mode, as do many of the recent high-end compact cameras. Keep ISO/Noise Low: Always shoot with your camera set to the lowest ISO possible. Depending on your camera model, this will probably be ISO 100 or 200. High ISO settings introduce noise (i.e. grain) into the photo, which will cause it to be rejected by Photokore’s image inspectors who won't tolerate any noise in uploaded images. A DSLR on its lowest ISOi setting should have no problems. Sharp Focus: Make sure the focus of your photo is sharp. Tripod: Always shoot with a tripod. If you can’t, be sure to rest your camera on a firm surface to get the steadiest, sharpest shot possible. Remote shutter release: Don’t press the shutter release on the camera (even this simple action will make the camera ‘vibrate’ causing blur. Either use a remote-control to release the shutter, or use the camera’s built-in delayed shutter release. Mirror lock-up Mode: Most DSLR’s include a mirror lock-up mode. Releasing the shutter two or so seconds after the mirror has flipped will stop any mirror shake. Use Suitable Aperture: Most lenses have a ‘sweet spot’ where sharpness is optimal. Find out what the sweet spot of your lens is and use it! White Balance: Even if there’s nothing white in the photo you’re taking, you will get truer, richer colors by setting the white balance setting on your camera for each specific shooting condition. MODEL RELEASES If you are shooting photos of people, have a stack of Model Releases ready. Photokore’s Model Release can be downloaded here. Every recognizable face (including your own) in a photo submitted to a Photokore must be accompanied by a model release appropriately signed by the person or persons in the photo. (You should even attach a release for a photo of the back of someone’ head, and/or a silhouette of a person, if they are recognizable). If a minor/child appears in the image, the model release must have information about the minor/child and be signed by a parent or a legal guardian. Think of it this way… if a person can recognize themselves in an image, you need to have a Model Release signed by them. This includes group scenes, sports teams, and even photos when the face is not visible but parts of the body are. For example, for a photo of two people shaking hands (where only the hands are visible in the photo), you will need two model releases. You don’t need a separate release for each photo taken, but you do need a release for each shooting session. So, if you take 10 shots of your aunt today, you only need one model release. However, if you take another 10 shots of your aunt next week, you will need another model release signed by her. Always keep originals of any releases that you obtain. The release is your best protection if a model or property owner disputes your right to license the image commercially. * When you store your photos and releases, remember to somehow link the releases (in some way) with the photos to which they relate – so you can find them later! PROPERTY RELEASE When you’re shooting private property (a building or pet for example), always have Property Releases ready. A Property Release indicates that the owner of a certain property, such as a building or animal, has given you consent to take and use photos of the property. You don’t need one for public property, such as government buildings (although you may run into problems just from photographing them, for security reasons). However, for photos of private property — and particularly of objects that are closely identified with specific people — it is always recommended that you get a release. In general, if the building is the focus of your photo, you need a property release. If however, the building is one of many in a photo (in a ‘skyline’ for example), then a property release is not needed. Even though there are no buildings appearing in your photo, you may still need a property release if a work of art, trademarked goods, or an animal appears in your photo. Works of art and trademarked goods are protected by copyright and require a property release from the copyright owner; usually this is the creator. AFTER YOU SHOOT Remove Copyrighted materials: Business names and logos are afforded protection under trade mark and related laws, so they cannot be present in an image that is licensed commercially. Your photos must not have any copyright material or trade marks. This includes bottle labels, T-shirts with a logo, or any other product that has a trademark. Ideally, don’t take any photos that contain copyrighted materials. However, if you do happen to take a photo that contains copyrighted material, make sure you remove all the copyrighted material from your photos prior to submission to stock photography site. This means all logos, trademarks, license plates, copyrighted designs, drawings or photos (if not yours or if you don’t own rights to them), and so on must be removed by using an image processing software (such as Photoshop). Check your photos carefully. Sometimes it is difficult spot some of the logos and trademarks. They could be as small as a little text on a pocket label on your model’s shirt. Pay close attention to find and remove any copyrighted material from your photos. Any images containing copyrighted materials will automatically be rejected by Photokore’s inspectors. Remove Personal information: Besides removing copyrighted material, it’s a good idea to remove visible phone numbers, license plates, etc. Better yet, avoiding having these things in your photos in the first place! Clean-up Your Models: You should remove noticeable blemishes and pimples from photos of people. Sure, the purchaser could do it himself, but he’ll probably pass over your photo and choose a photo where the model doesn’t have any blemishes and/or pimples. (If you’re really good with your post-processing software, you should also remove any distracting elements from the background of your photo). POST-PROCESSING YOUR PHOTOS Always Post-Process Your Photos: Unprocessed digital photos generally look a bit dull, or lack contrast. All the successful pros in Microstock post-process their images. Post-Processing/Photo Preparation: This is a tedious part of Microstock. But contributors who take to time to do it correctly, enjoy much higher rates of photo acceptance. In either Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Apple’s Aperture (or other third-party RAW converter), open your RAW images, and make any corrections necessary: Remove Noise: After each change you make to your photo, zoom in on it at full resolution (100%), and check for any degradation of quality. Pay special attention to darker areas and areas with fine detail. These are areas where noise is most easily noticed and the first places an image inspector will look. Adjust White Balance: Different types of light, have different color temperatures. Even if you don’t know anything about how light is measured, you might notice that some of your shots have a blue or orange hue, that wasn’t there when you were taking the photo. This could be the result of the white balance setting on your camera. If you shot the photo in RAW, you can adjust the balance of the photo on your computer. Save as JPEG. After you’ve made all your adjustments to your original RAW file, convert the RAW image by saving it as a maximum quality JPEG. Keywording: Good, relevant keywords are vital for good sales of your images. Carefully choose the keywords that most accurately describe your images. Take special care to make sure the keywords you choose are relevant (to the people who will be searching by typing in keywords). |