Repeat-sellers

[Ed Rooney 4,147]

11 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Sometimes real is what’s wanted. Not that “perfect” image. You captured it perfectly, that’s what counts.

 

That's pretty much what I was trying to say with my list of 5 "imperfections," Betty. With food, I aim for the spot between studio perfect and casual (real). But I don't like sloppy. And, as I've said before, I only upload images I like.

 

(Everyone knows what has sold, but nobody knows what might sell.) 

[John Morrison 4,644]

Just licensed one of my repeat sellers this morning: a pic which shows a particular style of modern house-building. It’s nothing special… but it seems to tick a few boxes (certainly more than I was aware of, when I pressed the shutter). It’s always worthwhile, I reckon, to look at regular sellers from the point of view of a picture editor…

[Ed Rooney 4,147]

Good going on the sale, John. But to see things from an editor point of view . . . well, there are many editors with many points of view.

 

I actually like to shoot signs because they have all the basic subject elements: lighting, composition, colour, and a message. 

[Betty LaRue 3,388]

I have a repeat seller that was nothing more than a grab shot. Years ago I had a garage (rummage) sale in Oklahoma City. A neighbor boy bought a classic game that my kids played growing up. He and 3 friends immediately went across the street and began playing it on the lawn. I ran in and grabbed my camera, took a few images with my zoom lens from my driveway. A couple have sold, one repeatedly. I think the first license was to Japan. I should have taken an image of my frazzled mother having to handle the shoppers alone in my garage while I played with my camera)

Goes to show that one can do a deliberate carefully planned shoot that nothing from it is ever zoomed, let alone licensed. But if one is observant to things happening around one, take advantage of it, sometimes it pays off.

Like you, Ed. Your above image wasn’t totally planned. You spotted the great table. Unplanned. Observant. Then you “planned” how to take advantage of it. 
If I ever had to say what an important component to stock photography is, I would say being observant and taking advantage of grab shots would be one. Often those come with a bucket of inconvenience that can turn a photographer off. Embrace the inconvenience.
 

 

[geogphotos 3,223]

This has sold many times:

 

People inside high street bank 

- Image ID: ABAH9F

 

From a camera now on the banned list. 

Edited October 26, 2020 by geogphotos

[John Morrison 4,644]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

But to see things from an editor point of view . . . well, there are many editors with many points of view

 

Well... yes... But I certainly find it helpful to put aside the visual criteria that might motivate a photograph... and assume, instead, the 'eye' of someone who has a page of text with a big empty hole to fill...

[Stokie 849]

On 22/10/2020 at 17:36, John Mitchell said:

 

Yes, statistics like these -- number of times zoomed, licensed, even viewed -- for each image would be really helpful.

 

Plus one for that.

 

Viewed, zoomed and sold figures would be really helpful.

 

John.

[Stokie 849]

My best repeat seller has sold 30 times, nearly all to a travel company for a brochure. For almost a year I had 2 or 3 sales from them every month.

 

The next best is 20, for a common generic sign, mostly used in newspapers and I've also had a few sales in the 10s. (funny how they are exactly 30, 20 and 10!)

 

John.