Stock Photography - What Works

[Taylor]

Hey all, the other thread I had going for this (accepted) didnt have a good title.. and I wanted somewhere with no posts to start out for my stock tips, what Ive learned so far, what to do and not to do, etc etc.

So, the other day I brought the ATV out of the barn (Keep listening this has to do with photography lol) filled up the tank, and started off down the road. At the end of our neighborhood there is a stream, anyone who lives in maryland will know it by name (Winters run), and I always thought it was pretty beautiful. So, I finally talked my parents into letting me drive down there! Let me tell you I had a field day. When I got back home I uploaded 300 pictures! It felt good to hit two thousand pictures in all in my library. Havent gotten word back yet on if they were chosen from the stock site.. more on this later.

What Ive found in the past few days is what works in stock photograhy and what doesnt. I have a favorite thing to take photos of, and, call me girly, but its flowers. I have half my library with beautiful close ups of every kind of flower. Have any of these made the site yet? Nope. For what reason? Overabundant photo category.. there are already millions of other flower pictures. Ok, well point one is done go for ordinary pictures, as they will get lost in the mix. Point two is just an earlier point Im going to reiterate. If you have a good photo, that might be in competition with alot of other photos (ie, something like flowers) Make sure to do as many keywords as the site allows you. This will lead advertisers to yous first, and so set you apart from the others. Here I will get into what works and what doesnt, photo wise. Ive found that anything of any architectural value works amazingly, I took a picture of a trellis in my backyard, and so far its been downloaded four times. Another thing that works is any kind of scenery.. Also animals work well too. But by far, the best thing that you could get a photo of, is a normal household item. Knives, plates, china, etc. They will get the most attention, as that is what advertisers need mostly. People seem to be very popular too, but its kind of hard as you need every person in the picture to sign a model release form.. Ive steered clear of that nonsense! One more thing that works, is setting things up, like I took my moms china out on our porch, and set up a tea on the table, then got pictures of it right while the sun was setting. Needless to say it was pretty beautiful, and pretty popular with the stock site.

So there you go, I hope this has been a help to you just starting to get stock photos!

Remember, stock photos will be boring, as they are probly not photos that you enjoy taking (who wants to take photos of household items?!) So keep taking photos of things your passoinate about (flowers for me) just to keep you sane.

More tips and tricks later, and also if my photos were accepted!

Stay tuned!

Until next time..

- Taylor

[Taylor]

Here I am, once again, with another useful tidbit on stock..

Remeber where I said before that taking the time to have a model releae form is tedious and to steer clear? Well, I was wrong. I finaly uploaded some pictures with people in it, and the reaction has been explosive. Just make sure its something an ad agency can use, like a person in front of the white backround with the headset on, smiling as if to say "we have the best customer service". Believe me, the time spent writing out the form is well worth the money it can make you..

Thats it for now! Got three more photos accepted! - Taylor

[jointhetrain]

after reading the article bob posted im deff. not for this, but i would like to know how much money have you or are you making ?

[Will]

I submitted one photo so far and i havent gotten anything (it got accepted today ) has a few views though

Ill let you know if i make anything!

[Bob]

Selling from stock can be real tricky, legally speaking.

If you capture an image of someone and intend to sell it to a third party (ie NOT the person in the picture), don't even think about it if you don't have a model release. Likewise, if you have a picture of private property belonging to someone else, get a property release. There are some exceptions to the rules, but not many. Before jumping into the stock pool, I would, at a minimum, get and READ the book "ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography". Remember, if you sell an image to a client that should have a release but doesn't, and it gets used (web, published, TV, whatever), the person who is wronged will sue your client first, then you. There is also a very strong possibility that your client will sue you as well.

The potential financial damages are tremendous. Oh yes, if you're a minor and can't enter into a legal contract without parental consent, guess who else gets nailed in the lawsuit...

Speaking of minors... A minor can't sign a release - period, so without the signature of a parent or guardian on the release form, don't even think about selling an image of a minor. Come to think of it, most reputable agencies won't deal with photographers who are under the age of 18 because they can't enter into contracts without parental consent, and selling from stock constitutes a legal contract.

As for release forms, there is an excellent book by Tad Crawfors "Business and Legal Forms for Photographers". The forms in the book are also on an included CD-ROM, ready to be customized. Get it.

[Taylor]

In reply to jointhtrain - So far only about ten dollars.. but its ten dollars I didnt have!

And I didnt give sell any of my favorite (or good for that matter) pictures, just to test the water with the sucky ones..

Another cool feature on there is that you can sell the complete rights to the photo from between $300, and $1200. For one photo.. Of course, someone has to buy it, but the price range is that way for a reason!

Yeah Bob, Ive read all the legal stuff, I only take pictures of public property (ie parks) or my house.. unless you think my grandparents are going to sue me for selling a picture of their flower .

Thanks for pointing out the dangers of model photography, Bob, it is really a tough situation.. but if you can get all the legal work done, its worth a little bit of mula. Or you could just do it of your mom, dad, sister and then you wouldnt need one cause they wouldnt sue you! Thats what Ill probly do!

[stevejobs]

Vistasucks, thanks for the great posts, and thanks for trying to help potential stockers on this site!

But make sure you are very, very careful. In todays society you can get sued for anything, and it can be pretty tricky bussiness..

Hey Bob, can you send me the link to the article jointhetrain commented about?

Thanks..

[Taylor]

Thanks Steve, so glad i could be of assistance.. well not really to you I guess but to someone!

Okay, thanks for the warning! Ill try to stay out of the "sticky bussiness"!