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Introduction to Microstock Photography – What Sells?

So what types of microstock pictures sell?  In general, people shots often sell the best.  Of course, I do not have direct experience here because I do not sell pictures of people.  However, if you do want to earn a profit from stock photography people pictures are a great place to start.  In particular, shots of people working are often the best selling.  Generally if the photograph has a business aspect, it will do better.  For instance, put a person in front of a house or in a business suit instead of an ordinary pose.  Also, pictures of minorities – especially in a business sense – often sell well.

For those of us who prefer to not take pictures of people, travel shots often do quite well.  For me, these are my best sellers.  More exotic locations that have not been covered well are the best sellers.  Pictures from common locations such as Hawaii and Mexico do not sell as well as Dubai and Jordan.  Make sure when taking travel pictures though to get the best lighting possible – generally early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

For those who don’t get out much, isolated shots are also great sellers.  You can start out with objects from around your home and go on from there.  Many stores sell light boxes that you can use or you can make your own.  There are numerous isolation techniques that you can read about on the Internet, but make sure you isolate the subject well or it will be rejected due to poor isolation.

Finally, images with a theme tend to sell quite well.  Themes include joy, happiness, hard work, and a multitude of others.  Make sure to add any possible themes to your keywords – but don’t get too inventive!

Shots that do not sell

I can vouch from experience that pictures of bugs are poor sellers.  I suspect that many animal pictures also sell poorly – or at least my animal pictures do.  These are not the type of pictures most graphic artists are looking for.  Still, I take these pictures because I enjoy them and if they sell it is a bonus.

If you wonder whether a shot will sell, try entering a few of your expected keywords on one of the microstock sites and see how many results turn up.  If there are a large number of competing shots, your image will likely not sell well.  Images that should have been rejected, but for some reason passed the reviewer, will also be rejected.  Sometimes you can get passed the reviewers – but buyers are always impartial.

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Tags: microstock, photography, sell