Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

So, you know how to get started in stock photography and where to market your photos. Now you need to know how to take photos that will get noticed and make those all important sells. Stock photography, and especially microstock photography (less expensive, sold mainly to online users), are very competitive fields. Because of this, you need to make sure you have the basic tools to get the job done satisfactorily.

One of the bare essentials that you will need is a good quality camera (digital is fine) with zoom capabilities. A tripod is also something you need to have, as it will assure the best and most steady shots. The tripod is also helpful when taking many pictures in succession, as the more photos you capture, the better your chances of getting those few stunning shots that will sell. A high capacity memory card is a must as well.

Photo editing software is also an important tool of the stock photography trade, but is not necessarily a costly expense, as we explore a little later.

Now that you know the tools you must have to get started, let's explore the subjects of what types of photos to take, and how to take them.

Have a Theme or Convey a Message

Before you conduct a photo shoot, decide on a theme, or an underlying message you would like to convey. For example, if you are doing a photo shoot featuring fresh produce, you will need to add some extra touches to make the viewer get the feel of what you are trying to say. Drops of water can emphasize freshness. A basket can convey a just picked from the garden feeling. Sunshine streaming in on the produce can give it an inviting feel, etc. Seemingly small details matter a great deal in stock photography.

When you aren't working with a theme, you will often be conveying a message. A family picnicking, a couple of older men playing a board game, people relaxing on the beach, folks volunteering at a local soup kitchen... these all convey different, yet worthy messages. When working with models in photos, you must always have the models sign a model release form, and provide a copy of it to the stock photography agency you are working with. It can be a good idea to get the owner of any building that you photograph to sign a model release, as well.

Famous stock photographer John Lund has so elequently labeled his conveying a photographic message as "creating new photographical realities to illustrate concepts." And that is exactly what you want to do, in a nutshell.

Make Your Photos Interesting and Give Them Perspective

With stock photography, you can really let your creative juices flow. Playing with light and textures can really pay off. For example, shining light through a template when working indoors can give a picture a desired look. Or, when taking nature pictures, plants and trees blowing in the wind, as well as rain fall can make the photos look more interesting.

Perspective creates interesting photos as well. For instance, showing an image from the ground up gives a far different effect from an aerial shot, but they are each highly interesting and speak volumes.

Popular stock photographer Lund also states that a good way to make your photos stand out is to do a twist on the obvious. This can of course be done with the actual photography, but many times it will have to be accomplished by working with the picture in a photo editing software. For example, he has a photo of a man riding a bike with square wheels. This, of course, had to be altered after the fact.

Basically, Lund says, in order to make your own work better, you should look at photos you find interesting... really look at them with a critical eye.... and figure out what exactly makes them pop out at you. Then try to incorporate that into your own work. He also says to aim high, and don't settle for mediocre.

Stock photo website 123rf.com offers free photo editing tutorials to help you make very interesting photos by creating various effects with photo editing tools. These tutorials explore subjects such as creating cloud words, making a snowglobe effect, sci fi effects, and much more.

Explore What Sells the Best

It is generally reported that food shots, photos that convey an understood message, and pictures of people doing various everyday activities are the best sellers.

However, what is popular is subject to change at any time. For that reason, you should have a varied collection of pictures available for purchase. And don't be shy about perusing stock photo websites to see what others have available. While you shouldn't copy anyone's work, you may get inspiration and get a feel for current trends.

Make Sure Photos are in Correct Format with Minimal Noise

Stock photography agencies usually require that you upload photos to them in JPEG format. They usually require normal resolution as well, which means your photo should not be resized prior to sharing it with them.

Stock photo websites frown upon photos which contain noise and grain. As stated earlier, this is a pretty competitive field, and clear photographs are expected. Two noise reduction softwares that you can purchase to prepare your photos for sale are Noise Ninja and Neat Image.

A free photo imaging software that provides noise reduction and infinitely more is Gimp. This software has often been compared to PhotoShop. Gimp is not only a quality photo editing tool, but it provides a free in depth tutorial as well. However, which photo imaging you choose is a personal choice, and there are many good options available.

What you get from this endeavor will depend mainly on what you put into it. Reread this article, and study the tutorials and resources available. Then, get started.

Sources

123rf.com/blog, "Tutorials", 2-7-11

Steves-digicams.com, "How To Take Great Food and Drink Stock Photos", 2-7-11

all-things-photography.com, "Stock Photography is highly competetive, your photos have to REALLY stand out", 2-7-11

photopreneur.com, "The Beginner's Guide to Stock Photography", 2-7-11

steves-digicams.com, "How To Take Great Nature Stock Photos", 2-7-11

YouTube.com, "Stock Photography Tips from John Lund: How to Take Great Stock Photos", 2-7-11

diyphotography.net, "How to make money from stock photography", 2-7-11