When about a year ago, I submitted my first pictures to shutterstock, they rejected them all and for a good reason - they were just bad! I don't claim to be an expert in this area, I'm still merely an amateur, but I have picked up some tips and tricks. Main thing I learned is that EVERYTHING CAN SELL, even your mediocre travel pictures can sell!
Your photos have to be IN FOCUS
This is the most crucial requirement, if you want to sell your photos. If possible use narrower aperture(f/8 - f/20) to keep everything in focus. Your future clients will blur out background, if they need to. Only use wide aperture, if it serves the purpose (like bokeh background or blurring out faces).
Over- and underexposed PHOTOS are mostly a big no-no
Learn to use your camera's histogram. If you make photos at daylight, and you are not aiming to be artistic, then histogram is your best friend. Histogram comes useless only at dark, when exposing every detail doesn't make sense.
Histogram of well exposed photo looks like this:
Notice the spikes in the center, this is where most colors situate. Left side of histogram represents dark colors (black), and right side - bright colors (white). It shows you what colors dominate the photo.
Here's a sample of a badly exposed histogram:
Overexposed means that you have too much white color in your photo. This is acceptable, if you make a photo of a model and a light source (sun) is behind him/her. Then you have to expose on the model and as a result the sky will be blown out and will appear white. Underexposed means that there is too much black color in your photo. This is acceptable, if you make photos at night, where black is dominant color and serves the purpose.
Okay, now the basics are covered, and here are my tips and tricks for new button pushers
- Combine, combine, combine. Don't just make picture of grill, use something in the background. If you are grilling with friends, choose them for background/foreground. Images with diverse groups of people sell more.
- If you want to sell picture with people on the background, but you don't have a model release from them, then use wide aperture to blur them out. You can also do it in post-production.
- Try to avoid registered trademarks and logos. These can be removed in post, but it will look unnatural. Here is where wide aperture also helps.
- Think like a blogger/web designer/youtuber. Choose your favourite topic and think about people in this area: what they are selling? do they have etiquette? how are they selling (based on facts or feelings)? what is their culture?
- Your pictures don't have to be spectacular, they must have details and objects wanted by your future client.
- If you find a good spot/object, keep shooting! Find more angles, add more relevant objects, turn it around, shoot it from above etc.
- Use whitespace! Leave some room to left/right, where designer can add their promotional text.
- Put an effort to tagging and naming your photo. Use at least 5 words in title, the more, the better.
- Always shoot RAW.
- Avoid excessive noise. If you shoot with ISO 400+, always use noise reduction in post-production.
- Set up your own studio. If weather isn't pleasing for you, then it's time to stay home and take some product photos. For me, those ones sell the most. Possibilities are endless!
- Be authentic! Stock photography nowadays is very much different from what it was 5+ years ago. Buyers want to see real life, and are avoiding fake smiles and unrealistic situations
My stats in Adobe stock
My TOP6 sold photos on Adobe Stock
My earnings from Adobe Stock
Software I use
Use a software like XPiks to upload your photos to multiple stock websites in one click. It saves your time tenfold - no need to insert titles/description/tags manually to every single site.
Lightroom is very intuitive and simple way to process your RAW photos. Highly recommended!
Thanks for reading, you are now ready :)
Head over to my next article to find microstock websites where to upload your amazing photos: MY HONEST OPINION ON TOP 7 STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITES IN 2018
Last thought: It took me couple of days to forge this article, all kinds of shares and feedback on content and writing will be highly appreciated :)
http://ungert.photos/photographers-who-decide-to-sell-microstock-websites-12-tips-and-tricks/
Great info and tips. Thanks so much for sharing with us "amateurs". I found you through the #payitforward contest. You were featured by @artgirl. Congratulations and best wishes.
@energyaddict22 i'm happy to help :) very flattering, but i consider myself also an amateur
Good tips! I only have a smartphone though but it's still good to know. Do you think mobile photos stand a chance at being accepted on there?
Is Xpiks for computers only? I don't see a mobile app on the website. 😅
By the way, expect some post visitors and/or upvotes as I included this post in my entry to the Pay it Forward curation contest. 😁
You can read it here.
Keep writing amazing posts! 👍
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@artgirl Thank you so much for resteeming :) That was very heartwarming surprise, when i woke up.
There should be alternatives to xPiks, but i've never heard software for phones. I personally would collect my photos and upload them once a month. Thinking of titles/descriptions and pooping out tags takes a lot of effort, its better to do it behind the table with some hot drink :)
About phone photography - yes, they get accepted. Remember to downsize you photos a little bit, to keep it crispy :)
You're welcome. 😊 It's a cool post so I felt like sharing. 😁
As for downsizing, you mean I should lower the resolution? 😅
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Yep.
Phones 4K quality is far from DSLR 4K quality.
Hmmm ok. Thanks! I just submitted some design images on Adobe for now. As for Shutterstock I think I'm gonna have a bit of an issue. Haha. They are strict with verification and such. Whew.
Looks like a lot of 'em have been "eaten" and got consolidated into one site. 😂
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Wow you got a Curie upvote. Congratulations! 😁 I was thinking you might get one and you did.
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Thank you so much @artgirl for making it happen. Faith in Steemit restored :)
Haha, we all feel discouraged in the beginning. You're welcome. Glad you posted it and I found it while I searched for DT. 😄
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This is an awesome article! I was just getting ready to do some homework on this, and you saved me a ton of time. Thanks buddy!
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I'm glad to help @call-me-howie :) If you have any more unanswered questions, let me know
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by Rain from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
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Thank you, annaabi. Upvoted and resteemed!
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Time is most important thing in human life....
Every thing done when u give it the time
Little advice
Time is most important thing in human life....
Every thing done when u give it the time
Little advice bold*
Thanks for this awesome post. I'm an amateur photographer, so most of those settings are unknown to me. For example, what is the ISO and how does it affect photos?
The culprit for bringing me here was @artgirl - who featured you in her entry for the Pay it Forward Contest: https://steemit.com/payitforward/@artgirl/artgirl-s-1st-random-newbie-resteem-day-pay-it-forward-curation-8e4343ccf6664
@trincowski Going into ISO in comments would be too much. I think i'll write about aperture/ISO/shutter in my next post :)
In short. ISO makes your pictures more bright, lowers shutter, but increases noise
I wish I'll learn more from you, thanks for the tips!
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@long888 what are the topics you are interested ? Im planning to write more about photography and stock agencies
I wanted to learn more about photography I bought my dslr camera few months back but I dont really know how to use it more effectviely.
hey this is some excellent advice! Totally resteemed!
I just launched my site to list all the businesses accepting STEEM/SBD.
Your business is listed there :)
You can read about it here.
@timcliff where am i listed ? cant find
My apologies. At this point I've lost track of whose site is whose.. Which business is yours?
@timcliff What do you consider business ? Maybe you thought ungert.photos website?
It is a pretty loose definition. If you accept STEEM/SBD as a form of payment, then you are eligible.
that's weird, because i don't. Don't even have an idea how to transfer SPD :D
Weird, really sorry. I'm not sure how I got my wires crossed :)
This is very interesting and useful. Thank you very much for sharing this information.
This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
At beginning of photography I was afraid to sell stock photos, but is a simple way to make money if you're good at photography. Thanks for the tips! gonna try
I will get over this post later again to make sure that I don't miss anything. But it's a very useful post for much photographers. I have tried it myself a while ago, but without good tips ... I got the feeling that I don't stand a chance ... So thank you for writing this and I'm gonna keep follow you. Please steem on!
@hetty-rowan Glad it has some use to someone :) I'm thinking on what topic in photography to write about next, got any specific interest ?
Hi @annaabi! As you know @artgirl featured you in this week's @pifc's PayItForward contest.
This is some great advice for someone that is wanting to make some spare income. In general, great advice for a novice too. Thank you for a great contribution.
Such an AESTETIC shot
oh you bots :)
That's really cool.
@artakan what is :D ?
Unfortunately, that's just automated spammy comment made by that account only so he can upvote it.