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Are You in the Important Landmark Mix?


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I only started uploading this year and so far have just three sales but one is of an obvious London landmark that has over 60k images if searched for on Alamy. This made me think that so called 'done to death' landmark images are indeed still relevant.

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Lately, I employ the following:

 

1) Stop

2) Look

3) Point camera

4) Do I need to take that picture?

5) If yes, click.

6) If no, move on.

 

Alamy might need that picture. But honestly, we all have a psychological problem. Not a bad one, but still a problem. If you constantly think about not shooting something, you block yourself for everything else. So, if you go to Paris and don't want any Eiffel Tower shots, your mind will block you from seeing new things at it will constantly remind you of the Eiffel Tower. Better to go out and tell yourself you want new and quirky shots and have a good day - and if you spot the Eiffel Tower on the way, just shoot it. It frees up your mind. 

 

 

Oh, I have plenty of Eiffel Tower pictures and if in Paris and the image works I don't hesitate to get another. In fact, I have been waiting a number of months for a particular set of Eiffel Tower pics that are now possible.

 

In my own work, light is very very important. It threw up a huge barrage of criticism during September when I was searching for a specific light. However, I don't want to be filling up the libraries with endless cr@p. I want to be creating quality work that sells and not languishes.

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I never ignore the landmarks.  What's more, I make a point of getting the iconic view if the light is good, as well as the unusual or personal composition.  While I lived in Paris I took lots of pictures of the Eiffel Tower, and they still sell regularly, although not as frequently as when they were new.  So my experience is that there is an ongoing requirement for iconic views that are current (or seasonal) as long as the conditions are right (light, sky, background, no scaffolding etc).  The images that clutter up my portfolio without sales are those of the landmarks taken in less than ideal conditions.  So, on a dull day with flat light I try to be more creative and shoot umbrella pictures, go for the landmarks when the sun comes out.  The only local image here that I have ever sold is of the only local iconic landmark.  Must go out and get some more of those...

 

Louise

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I would always take the landmarks. 

 

1. There is always a call for more recent images, new or different views

2. There are so many image of the landmarks already partly because the landmark images are frequently wanted by the  buyers, so if you have a good alamyrank the fact that there are so many images already should not put you off

 

Kumar

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Better to go out and tell yourself you want new and quirky shots and have a good day - and if you spot the Eiffel Tower on the way, just shoot it. It frees up your mind. 

 

This is SO true. Psychology and state of mind are far more important when you go out with your camera than a good many photographers realise.

 

Alan

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If I photograph a landmark, I think what else can I add to the image other than just creating an illustration of the subject.

 

Picture researchers/editors often don't just want an image of the landmark, they may want one of the landmark in winter or summer, with or without people, day or night, romantic or nostalgic, showing other tourists in the photo, some sort of feeling etc etc.

 

All variables lessen the amount of images available.

 

My single photo that I have of the Eiffel Tower has been licenced by Alamy several times now (for editorial and advertising), probably because I've included more than just a snapshot of what the Eiffel Tower looks like.

 

So if you're somewhere with a famous landmark, shoot it !

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Living in Dublin I am amazed at how many pictures of certain landmarks I see being taken on an hourly basis, yet I have still sold for reasonable money images of the those same spots. There may be hundreds of images of a single landmark, some sell because they are the specific angle a picture buyer is looking for, some due to the weather on the day, some as they are the most recent, add to this that certain images become synonymous with a location and sell on that basis. So I guess my advise is still to shoot but only upload if it's a different take on the existing images.

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When I travel, I do try to get some shots of the landmark sights but I think my time is better spent on the many secondary and tertiary places.  For instance, in Egypt, my shots of The Great Pyramids have never sold while a shot of people pumping water out of the Nile River to irrigate crops, has sold many times over!

 

B9WCGF.jpg B9WDKM.jpg

 

Not sold                                 Sold multiple times

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Well, I think i've found that this week that around 4 of my Salisbury cathedral images have sold thanks to Lonely Planet naming it a must visit city.

 

Just found one this morning that has been zoomed in Alamy but hasn't yet been billed.

 

Happy :D

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Unless there are half a dozen people standing at the same time taking the same image, then your image is going to be unique. Even if there are a group of you each image will be slightly different, angles height of camera, filters, lens etc etc.. I was once photographing Big Ben to include the statue of Winston Churchill, there was another photographer doing the same - it's great to compare images and chat to someone who's equally frustrated about the people walking across the image, or the delivery truck parked just where it has maximum impact.

 

You stopped to take the image, so in the end it must be important to you.

 

Martin

 

www.windmillskies.com

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Unless there are half a dozen people standing at the same time taking the same image, then your image is going to be unique. Even if there are a group of you each image will be slightly different, angles height of camera, filters, lens etc etc.. I was once photographing Big Ben to include the statue of Winston Churchill, there was another photographer doing the same - it's great to compare images and chat to someone who's equally frustrated about the people walking across the image, or the delivery truck parked just where it has maximum impact.

 

You stopped to take the image, so in the end it must be important to you.

 

Martin

 

www.windmillskies.com

 

Reminds me of the occasion when I joined another photographer who was armed with tripod and medium format digital camera. I felt very much the underdog with a secondhand, handheld, Canon 5D 1. Never fear, the image sold!  I presume he got more for his...

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Now here's the level of total landmark cliche I was thinking about when I started this post. Anyone who's been to Rome probably had their feet placed exactly where mine were back in 2008 . . . and on many occasions before that all the way back to the '60s. There is nothing at all special about this shot, nothing interesting it the approach . . . except for the subject itself, which says Ancient Rome and ancient history. Here I redid the PP and reloaded it again this month. 

 

 

The_Roman_Forum_a_landmark_site_with_the

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When I travel, I do try to get some shots of the landmark sights but I think my time is better spent on the many secondary and tertiary places.  For instance, in Egypt, my shots of The Great Pyramids have never sold while a shot of people pumping water out of the Nile River to irrigate crops, has sold many times over!

 

B9WCGF.jpg B9WDKM.jpg

 

Not sold                                 Sold multiple times

 

Yet I feel the camel and the Pyramids is the better picture, and I think it might still sell. What's happening it the river shot is more important, of course, although I can't read what's going on in the river image in the thumbnail. I like them both, Michael.  :)

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I guess it's no secret that documentary style (lower photo) images tend to sell much better than creative (camel and pyramids) ones. Mind you, I don't imagine that, with all the political turmoil, tourism has been exactly booming in Egypt during the past few years.

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I guess it's no secret that documentary style (lower photo) images tend to sell much better that creative (camel and pyramids) ones. Mind you, I don't imagine that, with all the political turmoil, tourism has been exactly booming in Egypt during the past few years.

 

Very true John, nearly all my Egypt sales have been for textbooks, not so much for travel pubs.

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