Here is an interesting thought. How many photos have you shot that are just sitting on a drive somewhere and doing nothing? Maybe you have shared them on Instagram (My Instagram here) or on Facebook. You earned a few likes, maybe lots of them. So now what? Are you going to sell your images, or is that it? Have we reached a time where photos are disposable and have a shelf life?
Some people sell their prints online. Maybe you print an ship or work through a print house. This is great for some people, it involves a lot of work and you need a very solid following to sell enough to make it worth your while. What about the rest of us?
Have you ever considered submitting best images to Stock? There are a number of benefits to this. First of all, you are taking your photos out of cold storage and getting them into circulation. You have the possibility to get then in front of a large audience and start to build your reputation. There is the bonus that some may be used of some large campaigns and garner you some serious bragging rights. There is also that other benefit, and that’s cash. In full disclosure, most people make a little pocket money from their images, so the other benefits are perhaps the most compelling. However, I do know of people that are making a full-time living and some quite a healthy living (read 6 figures each year) if they are serious about it. Like anything, if you are serious and really apply yourself, you will rise to the top. Treat something like a hobby and it will pay like a hobby, which is also fine for many people.
As many of you know, I started out as a designer, I still design commercially, but I’m perhaps better known these days as a photographer/videographer. Working professionally for years in the design and photography industry have given me a little insight into what photos designers and art directors choose to use and which photos don’t get used. Some of the reasons may be obvious, but some aren’t so obvious if you haven’t worked in the design industry. I created this video to highlight the biggest reasons that some photos will be used more often than others (Its a tutorial, not an ad). If you are selling (or trying to sell) stock photos, this will be a valuable resource for you. Please feel free to pass it on to your friends and coworkers.
This video will help you, no matter what Stock agency you are using, My suggestion is to work with Adobe Stock. They are very large, easy to join and users can access your images and videos directly from within many of the Adobe Creative Cloud applications like Photoshop and Premiere Pro. Adobe is also non-exclusive, so you can submit on other agencies too if you choose. Here are some handy links to try out Adobe stock and how to sign up as a contributor.
Become an Adobe Stock Contributor:
10 free images from Adobe Stock
I hope you found this tutorial useful, let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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Colin
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