Digital Photography For Creating Stock
The whole point of stock photography for creating stock is to create images for someone else to use for their purposes.
Most of us are used to shooting for our own usage so we are not thinking about what someone else may want in a photograph.
When shooting for others, you need to change your usual mindset and put yourself in the shoes of the customers you are trying to please.
To do this, the first thing to know is, who your customers are.
That's going to be difficult to pinpoint because stock photo customers can be anyone, from a blogger looking to enhance their blog post with a picture, to a graphic designer looking for a photo to use in a clients project, to a large advertising agency building an ad campaign.
The best approach is to pick a niche to specialize in.
Review the photographs currently in your library and determine what subjects you focused on.
What do you like taking pictures of the most? Do you prefer to shoot indoors, in a studio, or outdoors, in nature? Do you like shooting people, animals, trees, insects, etc? Become a photo specialist on one or two subjects.
Don't have a preference.
Look through some magazines to see what's hot.
Start with the ones that appeal to you the most.
Many magazines use stock images.
Look for photos that tell a story.
Other places to look for ideas are:
Cut them out of the magazines and other sources you choose, and put them in a folder.
Keep a notebook with notes of the images you liked best.
Write down any ideas that come to mind so you can refer to them later.
Ask yourself these questions:
This will also help you decide what gear you need to create the best stock images.
Do you need a better tripod for stabilizing your camera, a macro lens for closeup shots, or a special prop to create your shooting scene.
The opportunities for creating stock photography are all around you.
Start your stock collection slow, set your goals, and keep experimenting with new things.
Eventually you will have a library of quality images to build a successful online business out of.
Most of us are used to shooting for our own usage so we are not thinking about what someone else may want in a photograph.
When shooting for others, you need to change your usual mindset and put yourself in the shoes of the customers you are trying to please.
To do this, the first thing to know is, who your customers are.
That's going to be difficult to pinpoint because stock photo customers can be anyone, from a blogger looking to enhance their blog post with a picture, to a graphic designer looking for a photo to use in a clients project, to a large advertising agency building an ad campaign.
The best approach is to pick a niche to specialize in.
Review the photographs currently in your library and determine what subjects you focused on.
What do you like taking pictures of the most? Do you prefer to shoot indoors, in a studio, or outdoors, in nature? Do you like shooting people, animals, trees, insects, etc? Become a photo specialist on one or two subjects.
Don't have a preference.
Look through some magazines to see what's hot.
Start with the ones that appeal to you the most.
Many magazines use stock images.
Look for photos that tell a story.
Other places to look for ideas are:
- Billboards
- Menus
- Brochures
- Store Flyers
- Pamphlets
- Mailings
- Websites
Cut them out of the magazines and other sources you choose, and put them in a folder.
Keep a notebook with notes of the images you liked best.
Write down any ideas that come to mind so you can refer to them later.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What types of photos do I like creating best?
- What is it about these photos that interests me?
- What skills and resources do I have for creating these photos?
- What are the predominant colors used in the photos I have collected?
- What are the predominant themes?
This will also help you decide what gear you need to create the best stock images.
Do you need a better tripod for stabilizing your camera, a macro lens for closeup shots, or a special prop to create your shooting scene.
The opportunities for creating stock photography are all around you.
Start your stock collection slow, set your goals, and keep experimenting with new things.
Eventually you will have a library of quality images to build a successful online business out of.
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