The Blinking Eye Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Stock photography newbie here, forgive the ignorance. LOVE this forum. Everyone so generous and forthcoming with knowledge. Anyhoo... what is all this talk about niches? What are some niches that people have discovered and how do I find one? 🙏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pakodominguez Posted July 18, 2019 Share Posted July 18, 2019 On 19/05/2019 at 04:42, Ed Rooney said: If you're lucky, a niche will discover you. But only if you are lucky. BTW, one thing I learned since I start working was that, the more and hard I worked, the luckiest I've become. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Michael Ventura said: Not sure I have a niche, maybe I do and just don’t realize it. I have been a magazine photographer for most of my long career and my assignments have me covering ALL kinds of subjects...from people to food to interiors etc... So I am more of generalist. My collection of stock Imagery is a hodgepodge so many types of photos. My suggestion is to explore what you may access to that others may not. I think you would do better on Alamy with a hodgepodge collection than a niche collection of whatever. My collection is a hodgepodge too. You could look at one page and think I was on a similar theme (niche) but look at the next page and it is completely different. Depends on where I am and what I am doing at the time. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 4 hours ago, Michael Ventura said: Not sure I have a niche, maybe I do and just don’t realize it. I have been a magazine photographer for most of my long career and my assignments have me covering ALL kinds of subjects...from people to food to interiors etc... So I am more of generalist. My collection of stock Imagery is a hodgepodge so many types of photos. My suggestion is to explore what you may access to that others may not. I'm a generalist by nature. I did have something of a photographic niche at one time, but my collection is now a hodgepodge. However, my niche images continue to be my most dependable sellers. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I know that I'd make a terrible sports photographer as I barely know one end of a football (the American kind) from the other, and I duck if I see a basketball coming my way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 9 hours ago, The Blinking Eye said: Thanks for looking! I got lazy on that one, but I entered your description. 🙂 I did research details for some Mexico photos and that took quite a while, so I should go back and finish. Would rather be out taking pictures! Yes, we're all slaves to our computer screens now. Taking pictures has become almost a luxury. That said, you're probably going to need to upload a lot more images before sales start coming along. Buena suerte. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blinking Eye Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 8 hours ago, Stokie said: You could create a niche for yourself by taking lots of photos of Emeryville as presumably you have a good knowledge of the location and find the best times and places to go out photographing. John. I have looked into that. There are a few on Alamy already, but it's not totally saturated. I live in an amazing visually dynamic area, right near a marina and the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blinking Eye Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 7 hours ago, Michael Ventura said: Not sure I have a niche, maybe I do and just don’t realize it. I have been a magazine photographer for most of my long career and my assignments have me covering ALL kinds of subjects...from people to food to interiors etc... So I am more of generalist. My collection of stock Imagery is a hodgepodge so many types of photos. My suggestion is to explore what you may access to that others may not. The idea of access is really driving me, because I DO have access to a lot of dynamic and special worlds. Your portfolio is masterful and enlightening, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blinking Eye Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 3 hours ago, John Mitchell said: Yes, we're all slaves to our computer screens now. Taking pictures has become almost a luxury. That said, you're probably going to need to upload a lot more images before sales start coming along. Buena suerte. Trying. This doesn't exactly pay a full time wage. LOL I also have 306 glorious photos uploaded through Stockimo, but nary a sale. I feel like my Stockimo portfolio is actually better. https://www.alamy.com/search/imageresults.aspx?pseudoid={29443024-CA70-4333-A908-65F9DAB0505B}&name=The+Blinking+Eye+%2f+Stockimo&st=11&mode=0&comp=1 But I've given up on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 6 minutes ago, The Blinking Eye said: Trying. This doesn't exactly pay a full time wage. LOL I also have 306 glorious photos uploaded through Stockimo, but nary a sale. I feel like my Stockimo portfolio is actually better. https://www.alamy.com/search/imageresults.aspx?pseudoid={29443024-CA70-4333-A908-65F9DAB0505B}&name=The+Blinking+Eye+%2f+Stockimo&st=11&mode=0&comp=1 But I've given up on that. I like your Stockimo images. Making sales must be very difficult with everyone now snapping away with their smartphones. I'm so out of it, I don't even own one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blinking Eye Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 11 minutes ago, John Mitchell said: I like your Stockimo images. Making sales must be very difficult with everyone now snapping away with their smartphones. I'm so out of it, I don't even own one. Indeed. Even in the short time I tried it, they started accepting fewer and fewer photos and only payout 20%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ventura Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 Not sure I have a niche, maybe I do and just don’t realize it. I have been a magazine photographer for most of my long career and my assignments have me covering ALL kinds of subjects...from people to food to interiors etc... So I am more of generalist. My collection of stock Imagery is a hodgepodge so many types of photos. My suggestion is to explore what you may access to that others may not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pakodominguez Posted July 18, 2019 Share Posted July 18, 2019 On 17/05/2019 at 05:47, The Blinking Eye said: Stock photography newbie here, forgive the ignorance. LOVE this forum. Everyone so generous and forthcoming with knowledge. Anyhoo... what is all this talk about niches? What are some niches that people have discovered and how do I find one? 🙏 Stock photography is a niche withing the photography world. You don't shoot "a niche", the same way that you don't shoot X style. Your niche (and/or style) will show up on your work. I think that you have to shoot everything that you find interesting. There is a need for almost everything, and your photos don't even need to be "artistic", just clean, high technical qualities, and show the subject in the way the customer can illustrate their paper/presentation/article. This photo just sold and I believe there are many "better" shots of the Charging Bull in lower Manhattan, but this one, where you barely see the sculpture, is the one that illustrate the customer's article. In this case, L found interesting how hard it was to get a clean shoot of the Bull, and that was what I shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Sky Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 On 16/07/2019 at 12:36, John Mitchell said: Landscapes and other "pure" nature images probably do better (unfortunately) at some of those other places. However, if you can link your nature images (via captions and keywords) to topics in the news like climate change and other environmental concerns, then they might do better here. Yes I know. Alamy still has highest single sale potential by a margin. Recently I had an email from Alamy customer service; some customer inquired about this image of mine: This is mix of architecture and landscape, but still in the "niche" I like to shoot. They wanted it as book cover, and price was $999 (*gasp* -- if I ever sell pic for that kind of money I'll stop thinking of myself as amateur hobbyist). I haven't heard anything since so deal is most likely off, but it does in my view illustrate this whole niche discussion: Shoot what you enjoy don't force yourself into something else just for the sake of selling. I am modifying strategy though & stopped uploading high-end photos (regardless of content) to other sites. This image was downloaded on a micro several times & this was probably what prevented the sale as this was what they inquired about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blinking Eye Posted July 20, 2019 Author Share Posted July 20, 2019 On 18/07/2019 at 10:34, Pakodominguez said: Stock photography is a niche withing the photography world. You don't shoot "a niche", the same way that you don't shoot X style. Your niche (and/or style) will show up on your work. I think that you have to shoot everything that you find interesting. There is a need for almost everything, and your photos don't even need to be "artistic", just clean, high technical qualities, and show the subject in the way the customer can illustrate their paper/presentation/article. This photo just sold and I believe there are many "better" shots of the Charging Bull in lower Manhattan, but this one, where you barely see the sculpture, is the one that illustrate the customer's article. In this case, L found interesting how hard it was to get a clean shoot of the Bull, and that was what I shoot. Interesting! That's the kind of photo I would probably edit out of my collection because the bull was so hidden. Good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blinking Eye Posted July 20, 2019 Author Share Posted July 20, 2019 On 19/07/2019 at 14:13, Autumn Sky said: Yes I know. Alamy still has highest single sale potential by a margin. Recently I had an email from Alamy customer service; some customer inquired about this image of mine: This is mix of architecture and landscape, but still in the "niche" I like to shoot. They wanted it as book cover, and price was $999 (*gasp* -- if I ever sell pic for that kind of money I'll stop thinking of myself as amateur hobbyist). I haven't heard anything since so deal is most likely off, but it does in my view illustrate this whole niche discussion: Shoot what you enjoy don't force yourself into something else just for the sake of selling. I am modifying strategy though & stopped uploading high-end photos (regardless of content) to other sites. This image was downloaded on a micro several times & this was probably what prevented the sale as this was what they inquired about. Whoa, that's quite a lesson! Wish you would have gotten the big sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie5 Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 You are living in one of the greatest niches in the world, the Bay Area. There are almost endless opportunities there. I have sold many images from that area and there are many things to photograph within an hours drive of Emeryville. Even mundane or over photographed subjects can be special if the light is right or shot in an interesting way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 On 16/07/2019 at 21:36, John Mitchell said: Landscapes and other "pure" nature images probably do better (unfortunately) at some of those other places. However, if you can link your nature images (via captions and keywords) to topics in the news like climate change and other environmental concerns, then they might do better here. Very good idea Which I’ve never thought about ! Environmental ,, how to link to the photos, I’ll have to think about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blinking Eye Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Johnnie5 said: You are living in one of the greatest niches in the world, the Bay Area. There are almost endless opportunities there. I have sold many images from that area and there are many things to photograph within an hours drive of Emeryville. Even mundane or over photographed subjects can be special if the light is right or shot in an interesting way. I do feel that. So much opportunity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elacoste Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 Niche is interesting. In my case, I shoot a lot of rock climbing images. I don't place my best ones here, instead, I use a market-specific agency. (Adventure sport-focused.) I had a good photography friend who's stock was all about commercial farming. If it was related to commercial farming and you needed the shot, he had it. He had a lot of commercial assignment in that world, which gave him access. He had a very specialized niche, especially when the industry still ran on slide images instead of digital. (I remember carrying two Pentax K1000 cameras, one with Chrome, one with Fuji) Emmanuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Ramsay Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 On 17/07/2019 at 17:20, John Mitchell said: I'm a generalist by nature. I did have something of a photographic niche at one time, but my collection is now a hodgepodge. However, my niche images continue to be my most dependable sellers. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I know that I'd make a terrible sports photographer as I barely know one end of a football (the American kind) from the other, and I duck if I see a basketball coming my way. Hodgepodges rule! Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giphotostock Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 13 hours ago, The Blinking Eye said: That's a lot to chew on. Thank you. The idea of access rings a bell. Market research, however...what in the world is that? Or maybe that's another thread. Finding a niche may not be that difficult. One approach is to look at images that are being used (newsstand, billboards, ads, industry publications, conferences, Fortune 500 websites, etc etc) and make a list of images where your reaction is "I cannot shoot THAT". That's what every other generalist is going to think as well. However, somebody shot those images, right? Analyze the list and see if some patterns or groups of similar images emerge. You probably are going to get several niches in that list. Now comes the difficult part. You'd have to turn around "I cannot shoot THAT" into "what can I do to shoot THAT". Most people are not going to do this and remain generalists and continue shooting what they've been shooting. Another approach is to self-reflect and think about what special knowledge, access, passion, etc you already have, and see if there is market for images in that area. GI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Morrison Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Where do you find a niche? I only know that if/when you do, you won't be keen to publicise it on the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Clemson Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 24 minutes ago, The Blinking Eye said: Stock photography newbie here, forgive the ignorance. LOVE this forum. Everyone so generous and forthcoming with knowledge. Anyhoo... what is all this talk about niches? What are some niches that people have discovered and how do I find one? 🙏 A niche may be a particular location, hobby, workplace, specialist knowledge - something unique which you are able to photograph. The key point is that your situation or knowledge means that few other photographers are able or inclined to replicate what you are able to do. Alongside that is a demand for the photographs you produce. Getting those two sides of the coin to coincide is the difficult bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blinking Eye Posted May 17, 2019 Author Share Posted May 17, 2019 Thanks for the insights! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Robinson Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 Some can be surprising. I photograph a lot of politicians, as do a lot of other people. The ones everybody's heard of are very well covered buy I am frequently surprised, when I get a back-bencher wandering around Westminster, to discover that Alamy have no/very few images of him/her, even moderately well-known ones. The best way to find niches is to photograph EVERYTHING and find out what sells because nobody else has photographed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 If you're lucky, a niche will discover you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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The Blinking Eye
Stock photography newbie here, forgive the ignorance. LOVE this forum. Everyone so generous and forthcoming with knowledge.
Anyhoo... what is all this talk about niches? What are some niches that people have discovered and how do I find one?
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