Stock Photography Tips
This general guideline has been created to help you get started in taking, and uploading, microstock photos.
Introduction So, you’ve decided to try to sell photos as Microstock to earn some extra income. Now you’re wondering, “What do I do?” Do you just upload your photos to a microstock site and sit back and wait for them to sell? Actually, it takes a bit more effort than that – if you want to be really successful!. As with anything else, the amount of time and effort you are willing to put into your photography will directly influence how much money you will be able to earn as a microstock photographer. Taking photos is just the start. To catch a buyer’s eye, they must be the ‘right’ photos, and taken properly. In other words, your photos should be unique, of high technical quality, and most of all ‘useable’ to the advertisers and designers who will be purchasing them. In addition to quality, keep in mind that quantity also matters. The number of photos you submit will also affect the amount of money you can earn. Be patient, and continue shooting and adding to your portfolio of photos. This tutorial will give you the basic tips you need to get started the microstock photography field. Good photos sell - bad ones do not To be successful in having your photos sell as microstock, you must make every effort to ensure that each of your photos is the most appealing representation of your subject possible. Let’s use the example of a photo of a banana. Most microstock sites have lot of banana photos. Some photos are of single bananas, and some are of an entire bunch of bananas. Some are shot from the side, others from above, etc. Let’s say a designer needs a photo of a banana. First, he’s going to look at all the photos of bananas, and select those that depict a banana at the angle he wants. Then he’s going to select several photos that he likes the most and look at each one carefully. Does the banana have blemishes that he’ll have to remove? Is the banana slightly blurred? Is the photo slightly underexposed, or overexposed. If the answer is ‘yes’ to any of the above, he probably won’t purchase the photo. Tip: Save yourself from unnecessary effort. If your photo is out of focus, has dull/washed-out colors, is under-exposed or over-exposed, has poor composition (someone’s head is cut off)…. Don’t even bother submitting it. It will be rejected. When necessary, and possible, use a post-processing program to enhance your photos so they look substantially than the subject does in real life! What to shoot Think like a designer and decide what you will shoot based on what a designer might want. Think in terms of a photo that has a clear subject and/or concept. And remember…. Leave space for the designer to insert ‘copy’! People Shots Photos depicting people, in a variety of situations and settings, is a category that steadily sells well. Conceptual Shots Photos that illustrate emotions or ideas enjoy repeat sales. Designers often need an image that illustrates an emotion or an idea. Try taking photos that represent emotions like happiness or sadness, or images that are symbolic of events such as weddings, graduations, or birthdays. For example, a photo of a couple on the beach jumping in the air would illustrate ‘happiness’. Or, a photo of a businessman slumped in this chair holding his head in his hands could depict ‘sadness’ or ‘defeat’. Tip: Make sure to include words describing your photo’s emotions and ideas in your list of keywords. Scenes and settings, such as people in the workplace or students working together on homework, are also good stock photography images. Spend time thinking about your concepts. Study photos in magazines, newspapers, advertisements, websites etc., to get an idea of what types of photos are used. Isolated Objects Stock photos of isolated objects are very useful to designers. Take simple photos of objects by themselves, preferably with a plain, highly contrasting background. Almost anything shot in isolation can be a useful addition to your microstock portfolio – pieces of fruit, movie tickets, computers, soccer balls, and so on. General It’s impossible to list every category of photo that sells, as every purchaser has different needs for each and every job at hand. Today he needs a photo of a banana, tomorrow he needs a photo of businessmen shaking hands, next week he needs a photo of a cityscape, and the following week he needs a photo of a dog jumping in the air to catch a ball… the list is endless. In addition, with the image editing software available today, most designers often blend several elements from different photos together (the dog in one photo will be ‘cut out’ and inserted into a photo of a grass lawn, which will have its blue sky replaced with the dark stormy sky of yet another photo, etc). This is all good news for microstock photographers as it means the list of subjects to take photos of is endless! Unique Textures Photos of textures are very useful to digital artists who often use them as backgrounds. Look for, and shoot, interesting textures such as a rusting steel plate, the peeling paint on an old wooden building, or the creases in a crumpled piece of paper. The ‘Technical’ Goal Sharp (i.e. sharp focus), well-composed, clean photos are a must. You should also pay attention to composition, cropping, depth of field, white balance, and colors – i.e. pay attention to the details! Focus While there are times when soft focus photos are needed, in general the overall focus of your photos should be ‘sharp’. Images are regularly rejected by microstock sites because they lack ‘overall sharpness’. If the subjects in your photo are far apart, use a larger depth of field. This doesn’t mean you have to give up on creativity! Photos where the subject is in focus, and the background out of focus, can be very attractive. However, the level of attractiveness is subjective. So, be aware that microstock sites often reject these types of photos. Tip: When shooting people (or animals) make sure you focus on their eyes. Sharp focus on eyes are a must. Lighting Always make sure the lighting is right before you start shooting. When shooting in natural light, wait for the right lighting conditions. Try different times of day, and see what gives you the best results. Keep in mind that ‘even lighting’ is usually the most useful for designers. Colors and look Colorful and attractive images sell better than dull images. Aesthetics are important. Remember that stock photos are used in ads, brochures, posters, websites not to show how things are, but to show how things ideally should be. So your images should portray your subject better than reality! Composition Learn the rules before you break them; read about the basics of composition, there are plenty of articles online about this particular subject. Tip: Photos are normally more interesting when you shoot them from unusual viewpoints. Cropping Cropping is an important aspect of microstock photography. For your photos to sell, they need to stand out when they are displayed at thumbnail size on our website. Easy-to-see thumbnails get more clicks, and sales. Here is a simple example of how cropping can make your photo stand out as a thumbnail. The burger on the left has been cropped more heavily and stands out more as a thumbnail to potential buyers. Depth of Field To get better control of depth of field, always shoot with the smallest aperture that you can and focus on the center subject of a group, which extends from front to rear. Especially at close range, wide-open apertures and macro photography, you’ll need to be critically aware of what is or is not in focus in your digital images. Avoid Clutter Clutter in your photo can kill its sales potential. If a designer likes your photo, but there is too much ‘clutter’ in it, he won’t use it. Imagine you are shooting someone walking in a grassy field. Is it just him, the grass, a flat horizon and the sky? Or, is there a couple in the background picnicking on the grass, a truck parked on the horizon, and a bird flying in the sky? All these elements can make a photo interesting, but for stock photography, it would be better if they were not in the photo. Always try to have an area around the subject of your photo that is free from any distracting ‘clutter’. When Shooting People Shoot Different Poses Try to evoke as many different emotions, expressions and poses from your model as possible. Happy, sad, introspective, thoughtful, stressed, confident. These are some of the concepts that photo buyers look for and if you can give them as many options as possible, you can increase your chance of making the sale. If you’re focusing on activities instead of expressions, think running, walking, jumping, cycling, exercising, reading, talking, sitting, standing, anything to vary the look of the shot. Shoot Different Clothing This is the best way to make each image look distinct. Photo buyers not only like variation, they also want shots that have a unique look. Shoot some expressions with the model wearing one outfit and a few different expressions with a different outfit. Try to shoot your subject with in two or three different outfits. Shoot Different Backgrounds Combine this with clothing and expressions and you can really start to vary the look of your images. Try to go simple and uncluttered with your backgrounds, and look for settings or camera angles that don’t make every shot look like they were taken in the exact same place. Variation is key. Shoot Different Vantage Points Shoot some photos from far away, some close-up, some with the model looking at the camera, some with them looking away. Shoot side views, front views, back views, whatever you can think of. After You’ve Shot Your Image Editing/Post-processing your photos Most photos will benefit from some post-processing work after you take them. Almost every photo you take can be made even slightly better by touching it up in Photoshop or another imaging program. Increase the contrast of your images, adjust the color balance, remove any noise, clean up any unnecessary areas, and crop the images to when necessary. Tip: Taking the time to learn how to use an image-editing program that will fine tune your photos will have a positive influence on their sales. Use all your editing skills to enhance your photos in the best possible way. But remember, any post-processing has to be very well done; otherwise your image will not pass the inspection process, and will not be accepted. Keywords are VERY important Keywords (i.e. words that describe your photo) are how potential buyers find your photo. So, take the time to choose the most accurate keywords that describe your photos. No matter how good your photo is, if the keywords aren’t accurate, potential buyers won’t find your photo. That means your photo won’t be purchased. Some Submission Do’s and Don’ts Before submitting your photos, enlarge them to 100% size on your computer screen, and check each one carefully to make sure that the focus is sharp, and that the photos are free of noise. Upload full-sized images. Images that have been up-sampled will be rejected, and result in your account being closed. Submitting just a color version of your image is usually enough. You don’t need to send the same image in color, black and white, sepia, and blue tone. However, if a variation on color greatly enhances the image, then you may submit it separately. But, in general, a batch of the same photo - where each is submitted in a different color - won’t be accepted. Keyword your images carefully. This is how people find your work. Make sure all keywords relate directly to the image. Think like a designer who is looking for your image. What keywords would he/she search for? For example: most would search for "happy girl", not "mirthful female". Keyword your images in one language only (either English, Japanese, Korean, or Chinese-simplified). We have a language algorithm that automatically translates the image's keywords into every language in which we offer search. Don't send flower pictures with just the keyword "Flower". Photos of flowers should also contain their scientific and common name as keywords. This will increase your possible sales. The same is true for photos of animals, birds, and fish. Be sure to attach Model and/or Property Releases to photos that require them. Photos that require them will not be accepted without them. If you don’t want your photo to be automatically rejected:
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