Brian Yarvin

Gary, these are questions that every stock photography beginner asks. What you'll soon learn is that you're not describing the sorts of images that will sell in circumstances that call for a release. And John, even though I have more than a thousand releases on file (mostly from the nineties), I have never asked for one either. Mine all come from shoots that involved either professional models or skilled experts - the sorts of shoots that once earned solid revenues but have now fallen by the wayside.

Indeed, Illinois is very easy to forget.

Even stranger for me because I live in the USA and have some iconic American images in my Alamy collection. Out of my past 100 sales, one was American - a photo of a farmer's market in Ohio - and two were in the UK. The country that showed the most interest in my work was Turkey with the Russian Federation coming in second. In both of these cases, the images licenced were cooking images that could have been shot anywhere in Europe or North America. Wim, don't you love it that Pennsylvania and New Jersey are listed as nations?

May I suggest that you visit a hunter's supply shop. They usually have a good assortment of insulated gloves and excellent layering garments too.

Some very interesting points Jose! I don't think that the cost of the camera equipment is the problem in this case. Instead, it's the cost of production: models, stylists, and props are crucial for the first three items on GI's list. For the travel photographers, the cost of travel itself almost instantly renders travel photography unprofitable without regard to how much you've spent on camera equipment. Command of English is an issue too. While products can be photographed in ways that don't show their branding but do show what they are, native English speakers are far

GI, while this is true from a subject matter point of view, I think the issue for most people is having the technique to execute in these categories. We need to be encouraging each other to improve our ability to do more than walk around. BTW ... you have some very good pharmaceutical still lifes! Good thinking and good work!

Jose, "the best way to shoot" is to make photos that appear competent and professional to the buyers you are trying to connect with. Many of the members of this group are travel photographers or journalists, so their answers are often specific to their specialties. Take some time to check out the photos that are currently appearing in the places you want to be and learn what you have to in order to impress those clients. If focus is an issue for you, try different methods like live view. There are often techniques that make make a world of difference. BTW ... in my expe

Do you mean commercial buyers? Magazines? Newspapers? Corporate? Each is a really different market with unique needs. And worse, sometimes a local newspaper will seek out a commercial-looking image and other times, a global advertiser will want a photo that looks like it was cut out of a newspaper. None of us can reach every market, but we can strive for a target audience.

Thanks again for telling your story!

MizBrown, the US is a very big place with prices that are changing very quickly. I'm really happy to hear about Nicaragua though. All too often we only hear about it when it's in the news and that's too bad. Thanks for the report!

Great story! For most of us in the modern world, nothing is more of a lifeline than our supermarkets, and nothing tells you more about a place than what they sell in the local supermarket. I am really demanding when it comes to these things! When I bought this house, it had to be within 1,500 meters of: a farmer's market, 2 coffee shops, a train station with direct service to NYC, a library, an Italian specialty grocery, a camera shop with in-house repairs, and at least three other things that I don't even remember. That camera shop is now a microbrewery - one of too many! But the rest is

Wim, I think I'm with you on all these points. Earlier this week, I bought a car in York and while I got a very good deal, I found the whole place dismal. Right now, I live about 5 minutes by car from that Whole Foods (in Lancaster) but I rarely go there. I too, have to live within walking distance of my basic needs. More than anything, I'm amazed by your ability to find places that nobody else can. Certainly, many readers of this list much have visited the Isle of Dogs! And just a few months ago, you located a street in Philadelphia that I couldn't even though I'd walked on that

And now for the obvious question ... did you know the place off the top of your head or use some search method we aren't aware of? BTW ... if you knew the place from personal experience, which did you prefer, The Isle of Dogs or the Haines Shoe House?

Even I have been to Hebden Bridge, and I'm not even British.

Agreed!