Thirty keys to stock photography
My mistake on the Alamy forum in 2010 was to say that I could probably rustle up 30 separate points which a stock photographer would bear in mind when taking pictures, that any other photographer would not. I can be generous with estimates. Several photographers immediately wanted my list. Between then and updating this in 2020 I passed over $114,000 in sales even though the payments had fallen off the cliff in the years between. Those who try harder and shoot more will do better!
Well, it’s a challenge. So here it is. Bear in mind that this applies mainly to MY kind of stock – editorial and illustrative. It is the kind of stock which is used for newspaper, magazine, website, intranet, business flyer, postcard, calendar, book, textbook, CD cover, travel guide, point of sale display, product labels, AV presentations and the like.
Generally, it is not the kind of stock which is used to illustrate business meetings, financial services or desirable lifestyle consumer purchases. This is not because I fail to recognise that such stock accounts for the bulk of all photo uses. It’s because so much of that is microstock at micropayments, mass produced, generic, fully released – and anyway, I don’t like those market sectors.
Nor is it the kind of stock which involves breaking radical new ground, or important old bones. It’s not extreme adventure, exotic environment, war zone, unexplored territory, impenetrable tribal societies, rare wildlife – or anything which involves press calls, passes, access to celebrities or admission to exclusive properties. Though wait to see my conclusion!
What we (my late wife Shirley and I, and sometimes our family) have shot for stock is what anyone anywhere can see every day in their daily life, work and travels. My thirty points can not, and must not, include various reasons for taking certain pictures. That would be giving too much away. But they can all be about how those pictures differ from the ones taken by the next camera to click in the same place.
So, here goes. Thirty points which distinguish the stock shooter from the creative amateur, hobbyist, artistically-aware camera user and even from the working professional.
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.