Digital Stock Photography Tips to Help Sell Your Images Online
This selection of digital stock photography tips will help ensure that your photos are the ones that gets picked out of the crowd. One of the best ways to start making a little money out of your photographic hobby or professional business is to start selling your images online as stock photography.
Tip #1-Be Selective
Because every image you sell on a stock photo site is money in your pocket, it’s tempting to think that the more images you upload, the better. But wait! Be selective in what you upload. Do your research. Create a portfolio of a particular subject, of images that are in demand. If your portfolio is a mixed bag, with a few diamonds scattered among a whole load of pretty average shots, potential customers are going to get tired and go look for a portfolio with a more consistent level of quality.
Tip #2-Look for Strong Concepts
Remember that when people purchase stock photography they are generally looking for an image that will neatly illustrate whatever it is they want to talk about. That’s why one of the most important tips is to look for strong concepts that clearly communicate particular activities, ideas or feelings.
Images that can be summed up in a single word are good – especially if that word is something concrete like the name of an object or person. Images where the meaning is hard to express in a single word are likely to be harder to sell. Communicate particular activities, ideas or feelings.
Tip #3 Remember Your Job
A lot of photographers fall into the trap of thinking that stock photography is a kind of documentary or reportage pursuit. It’s a nice theory, allowing you to pat yourself on the back for snapping away taking pictures of things ‘just as they are’. But don’t be seduced! Lighting and exposure is important in stock photography. Remember that your job isn’t to show things as they actually are, but to show things in their ideal light. Shoot honestly, but creatively and you will find success.
Tip #4–Keywords
Before you start uploading your image files to whatever stock photography sites you choose, including the one I ues and recommend, iStock is the web’s original source for royalty-free stock images, media and design elements at affordable prices – Click Here!, stop and think about how people are actually going to find them. The last of our digital stock photography tips is to think carefully about keywords. Keywords are important bits of ‘meta data’ that describe and define the images you upload – if you use good, strong keywords which accurately sum up what is in your photograph, it’s more likely that people will find it when they are searching.
