KitJames Posted July 20 Author Share Posted July 20 7 minutes ago, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said: you have (88) images on Alamy; if you add X10 varied images comparable to this Marlborough Street with high street shops, parking and pedestrians in Faringdon, Oxfordshire Stock Photo - Alamy (notice lighting, composition, people included) you will see, IMO, weekly sales; if you add 100X you will see, IMO, daily sales... That's going to my aim, yes! 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanDavidson Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 On 19/07/2024 at 22:41, KitJames said: Still learning about the commercial stuff in my photos as I build my portfolio. I kinda feel I'll be sticking with photos of buildings or certain streets, or places that haven't got an extensive library on Alamy. So I'm trying not to scatter gun everything, which is why my library hasn't grown quickly and I'm quite selective what I upload. There appears to me to be two different approaches to selection. The first, and by far the most difficult, is to take a small, highly curated set of images, with high production values; of subjects that sell. The other, which is my, and a lot of others, approach, is to take a lot of commercial images that create value by lots of sales. if you look at the images sold/found topics it will give an excellent idea of what sells. Another approach is to undertake research on what photographs are used in publications and why. This will include such items as context, composition and theme. Every day I scan the newspapers to see what the key issues of the day/week are and plan my photography accordingly. Look for the house style of the publications in which you sell and use that as a template. As noted try to get photos that are a bit different. My major competitors (In political photography) are the big agencies such as PA and Reuters. So, first I try to find events/situations not covered by them and second I study my competitors to see what they are producing. Not to copy them but to help up my game. I am a political photographer. Headshots of politicians are not, generally, interesting or creative photography. But, they supply me with a steady income stream. In my view, photographing what interests you makes for better photographs and, if they are commercial, better sales. 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nacke Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 On 30/01/2024 at 14:58, KitJames said: Greetings everyone. I reached 26 images submitted in total and working towards 50 then 100 and so on since December 2023. My portfolio is slowly growing, and I'm willing to hear feedback if what I'm doing could be improved, or what I'm doing right or wrong. Although I've not taken criticism before, I'm willing to learn with help from others. 🙂 From what I've read this is constructive thread and full of good advice, my opinion. I would only add to Kit and all, "EDIT" what you upload. For me it is not about throwing everything against the wall. Find images that are well thought out and properly selected. Caption and keywording is also very important. My first concern about any image I select to photograph, edit and to upload is what does it illustrate and how do I see it being used in publication? Chuck 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Throwing everything against the wall never works anyway, and for a very good reason; no photographer can do enough of everything to cover all the bases. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 13 minutes ago, Chuck Nacke said: From what I've read this is constructive thread and full of good advice, my opinion. I would only add to Kit and all, "EDIT" what you upload. For me it is not about throwing everything against the wall. Find images that are well thought out and properly selected. Caption and keywording is also very important. My first concern about any image I select to photograph, edit and to upload is what does it illustrate and how do I see it being used in publication? Chuck Exactly this. Plus: is there any demand for the subject and my depiction of it here. And for the here we have AoA. wim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ventura Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 1 hour ago, Brian Yarvin said: Throwing everything against the wall never works anyway, and for a very good reason; no photographer can do enough of everything to cover all the bases. Well it does work for at one member of this forum. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Michael, who might that be? It would have to be somebody with solid collections of sports, lifestyle, still life, commercial travel, editorial travel, spot news, editorial features, wildlife, micro, and health - at minimum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 In the five minutes or so since I attempted to enumerate the most popular categories of stock photography, I realized I hadn't even scratched the surface. I didn't even mention food or education. And let's not forget that many lifestyle photographers and photo buyers break it down into sub-categories like family, romance, or business. Who could possibly do all of this? Inquiring minds want to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ventura Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 53 minutes ago, Brian Yarvin said: In the five minutes or so since I attempted to enumerate the most popular categories of stock photography, I realized I hadn't even scratched the surface. I didn't even mention food or education. And let's not forget that many lifestyle photographers and photo buyers break it down into sub-categories like family, romance, or business. Who could possibly do all of this? Inquiring minds want to know! Oh, sorry, I wasn't thinking about all the variety of categories, more in shear volume of real people doing real things, our friend JG. I probably have a greater variety of categories just not the volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Michael, real people doing real things is a tiny slice of the stock photography planet - albeit one well-represented at Alamy. As I see it, Jeff is an outstanding producer of an even narrower slice of that category. Yes, he produces a huge volume of work, but it's not random in any sense of the word. He knows how to do that specific thing and does it very well. I once knew of a successful stock photographer that shot everything with a microscope. There are all sorts of opportunities, and as I said, I can't keep track of them all. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 18 hours ago, Brian Yarvin said: ...an outstanding producer of an even narrower slice of that category. Yes, he produces a huge volume of work, but it's not random in any sense of the word. He knows how to do that specific thing and does it very well. BrianY online buddy you can be my wingman any old time and my biographer the contract is in the mail the commission cut is blank fill it in with any amount you want, mate 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 Jeff, thanks for the offer, but I'm winding up as wingman for the entire stock photo industry. Indeed, it really seems like you personify it; not by what you shoot or the volume you upload, but by choosing a narrow niche and pushing it to the limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Robinson Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Basically, lots more of the same. You have some great pics and the captioning and keywording is better than many who have been here a lot longer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Park Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Good shots however many of the village street shots look a little post-apocalyptic. Where have all the people gone? Same venues with people would be great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitJames Posted August 1 Author Share Posted August 1 2 hours ago, Phil Robinson said: Basically, lots more of the same. You have some great pics and the captioning and keywording is better than many who have been here a lot longer. Thank you. I've been taking advice from other contributors, who all have been a great help. 😄 I aim to have some variety, not everything but some. 1 hour ago, Malcolm Park said: Good shots however many of the village street shots look a little post-apocalyptic. Where have all the people gone? Same venues with people would be great. I know what you mean. The villages are pretty quiet from my experiences being there. Peaceful can also be nice, but I hope to eventually add photos of slightly busier places, even though I find thousands of photos of what I'd like to photograph already. I get unusually nervous being around a lot of people during photo walks, which wasn't the case before 2020. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve F Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 On 01/08/2024 at 12:57, KitJames said: even though I find thousands of photos of what I'd like to photograph already. Don't worry about that. Try taking the image from a different vantage point than normal. Or even from the normal viewpoint, and with decent lighting and sky. You will be surprised what you can sell of a saturated subject. Any client searching for recent images will find yours first. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitJames Posted August 6 Author Share Posted August 6 On 03/08/2024 at 09:15, Steve F said: Don't worry about that. Try taking the image from a different vantage point than normal. Or even from the normal viewpoint, and with decent lighting and sky. You will be surprised what you can sell of a saturated subject. Any client searching for recent images will find yours first. That's not a bad idea. I'll try that. Thank you! 😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve F Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 1 minute ago, KitJames said: That's not a bad idea. I'll try that. Thank you! 😄 Congrats on your first 100! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitJames Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 On 06/08/2024 at 11:32, Steve F said: Congrats on your first 100! Thank you! 104 and counting! I visited the hill figure and found a slightly different perspective and have uploaded several photos. Perseverance is the best you can do to build a nice library. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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