Tips on how to sell stock photos

Stock photography sites have made it easy for photographers to sell their photos online. However, just because you take photos doesn’t mean that a stock photo site, like Istockphoto, for example, will accept them in their marketplace. In order to sell your photos on a stock photo website, the website must believe that your images can sell. Fortunately, photo blogs on the internet provide tips on how to sell your photos. Here are some helpful tips:

Narrow Your Focus: Yuri Arcurs, a well-known professional stock photographer, writes a blog full of interesting facts about selling stock photography. In his blog post “What should I shoot and what sells well?”, he tells his readers to develop a niche of their own and pursue it relentlessly. I think this works with whatever you do. I really love food photography and I felt so much better once I realized that this is where I wanted to direct my focus. And guess what? My photos got better. The better you are at your topic, the greater the competitive advantage you will have within the marketplace. And he remembers, if you’re going to develop a niche, make sure you’re honest with yourself. Is this something you really care about? Do you love to shoot? If you are dedicated to your subject, you are more likely to invest the time necessary to make your photos compelling and genuine.

Add some edginess: Arcurs also suggests having a selection of photos in your portfolio that have an edgier feel to them (for full details, check out his ‘I See With My Little Eye’ article). This edge feeling can be achieved in a way that still allows you to sell your photo. Arcurs calls this adding a bit of ‘clutter’ to his photo. In the photos that are shown throughout his article, there is always a distracting element. A portrait is taken through glass or grass, for example. By adding a bit of “clutter” to a photo, you make it visually appealing and inspire curiosity in your viewers. Done right, this is a recipe for increased sales.

Research the marketability of your theme: Is your theme in demand? Are there already a lot of people photographing your subject? Do a search and see if your potential topic is something people are looking for. If you see that there’s a market for your subject, but there aren’t that many photos available to buy (such as less than 10,000 images), it’s probably a good subject to start shooting.

Plan your shots: professional photography doesn’t happen by itself. Plan your shots in advance. First explore a location or theme. Get an idea of ​​the type of lighting you want by visiting it at different times of the day, and remember to take notes. Don’t forget to bring appropriate releases to be signed by the models or property owners.

Keyword Selection – Make sure you spell your theme keywords correctly so that other people can find you online. Use stock photo keyword tools to properly describe your photos. Another helpful tip is to test keyword popularity through the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to determine the most effective combination buyers might search for.

Sell ​​your photos on multiple stock photography websites – Most stock photography sites are non-exclusive and allow you to sell the same photos on more than one site. The more exposure your photos get, the better your chances of selling them and increasing your monthly income.

Many of these bloggers make it clear that photographers should direct their efforts towards producing photos that will be sold on these stock photography sites. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always encourage creativity. Most stock photo sites expect certain types of photos to sell and often turn down a lot of good photos in the process. I think things would be better for both buyers and photographers if the stock photo site’s standards for selecting photos were less strict. As time changes, you never know what kind of images buyers will be looking for. I think it’s problematic to assume that buyers aren’t interested in more creative photography. Why not try putting it on the market and see if it sells? If you offer buyers more options, they may use them.