Thirty keys to stock photography
Although this was originally written ten years ago little has changed, many of my pictures from 15 years ago or more still sell, including scans from beauty headshots and tourist destination views taken as long ago as the 1980s on rollfilm. You would think they would be totally outdated – back in 1985 I would never have thought of buying a picture from 1950 to use in a magazine, brochure or book. The right pictures, however, simply don’t date in the same way and I think many digital images made today will still be marketable in half a century if anyone is out there to use them.
As if to make this point, one week after I revised this article Alamy sold the shot above. It was taken in late summer 1985 on film (of course) during a Minolta workshop hosted by Hans Wiesenhofer (left) in Pollau, Styria – an evening in warm sun with good beer! It was scanned a few years ago as I liked the feel of the scene and it has the anonymity and generic timeless feel which a good editorial stock shot needs. But back then I never thought it might buy me a pint or three 35 years later.
– David Kilpatrick
All photographs © Icon Publications Ltd from Alamy’s downloadable previews.
It all makes sense. Many thanks for such a helpful post, David.
As usual great advice David.
Much of it is not new to me but I have not always (or even often) paid proper attention or had forgotten it. Fortunately your pointing out this piece is timely as I am actually working to raise my photographic game now I can work at it as full time as I wish.
Thank you, these comments and other ideas will play a major part in my business plan for 2014.
About time I read this and follwoed the advice!! All makes perfect sense now!
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Fantastic advice David, and thank you so much for offering so much advice to others on Alamy’s forum. This must consume a great deal of your time – most generous.
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Very good and interesting piece of work excellent for all who want to tread down the Stock Highway.
Excellent post! Thanks for sharing. You have provided many useful and helpful tips for all stock shooters to consider.
Clarence
Thanks, David. Will put all your fabulous advice on my 2011 resolutions list.
Bettina
This is Brilliant David, the best stockphotography advice i’ve ever read….A Stockphotographers Bible…Amen to that!
Thank You
Parm Bhandol
Interesting reading David. Hope to make at least some of that into one of my new years resolutions!
Thanks
Phil Crean
David – I adopted your cropping advice from another posting you made about a year ago… cropping a good percentage of my 2:3 format Nikon images down (or up?) to the 4:3 format because a) they do look larger and more impressive as Alamy thumbnails, and b) the 4:3 format crops-off softer image corners.
You certainly set yourself a big task David! There is so much in there to debate but I think I’d make the general comment that ‘rules’ can often be broken effectively to make an image that stands out from the crowd of generic stock. Of course a photographer has to have first learnt and mastered the rules to then reliably consider breaking them! An interesting read, thanks.
Alex
Thanks for the solid 30 keys to stock photography, David.
“The most important lesson I ever learned in photography was the simplest – you can not take a picture without being there”…. with a camera
Best piece of writing on stock photography I’ve seen. Common sense based on long experience. Unbeatable combination.