Sep

Introduction to Microstock Photography - Microstock Strategies

Table of contents for Microstock Photography

In this post I’ll mention a hodgepodge of strategies that I have found useful for microstock photography. Keywords are extremely important. I typically spend more time getting the keywords right than I do post processing the image. Always make sure you get these right - because they’ll strongly affect whether the picture sells.

Often the best selling pictures are those others haven’t thought of. Try to be a bit inventive and try some new things. Some of my best selling images were ones where I thought “let’s try this”.

However, my best selling images by far are those I took on vacation. Sometimes I have even paid for a good portion of the vacation itself. Especially if you go somewhere exotic, always remember to bring your camera with you and think about stock when taking photos. Very often I see a shot that I wouldn’t have thought to take otherwise - but I feel it may be worth a try as stock. Sometimes the sales of the shot shock me. Just remember when shooting outdoors to try to take shots during the late afternoon or early morning. Often this means I have to get up quite early on vacation, but I always find the pictures are worth it - whether or not I sell them as stock.

I always keep stock photography in mind when taking a shot, even if I am not intending to sell the shot. Who knows? Very often I find that - when thinking about stock - I improve the shot and my photography overall. I watch carefully what is in the frame and make sure the shot is sharp - even when taking shots of my kids. Therefore, when I do stumble on a picture that does well as stock - there is often very little I need to do to it.

In terms of where to start, I recommend that you start with Fotolia first. This is not the site where you will make the most money. However, it is the easiest one to join and you receive very quick feedback on your photos. Once you have a selection of photos that were accepted there, join Shutterstock - where you’ll begin to make a better profit. Once you are comfortable with microstock photography, join IStockPhoto.

If your photo is rejected, don’t take offense. I also don’t recommend resubmitting the picture, unless you have strong reasons why it should have been accepted and you feel that the picture will sell well. Your time is valuable, and if a picture isn’t accepted I wouldn’t bother spending any more time on it. This takes a bit of time getting used to as many of us don’t like to see rejections, but instead of lingering on the ones that didn’t pass, spend time taking and improving the next batch.

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