Photo Sales Basic Tips

There are no short cuts to successful photography and photo sales. However, you can consider whether your photo sales would benefit from knowing the “basic steps” of selling photography.

There are many photography niches. But, in reality, there are only two types of photography: stock photography and assignment photography.

Assignment photography is just that: photography that you’re paid (assigned) to do, such as portrait photography, event photography, portfolio photography, pet photography, etc. In most cases, an appointment is made to take pictures of a specific purpose.

Stock photography, on the other hand, is photography shot on speculation. That is, you’re taking pictures that you have not been paid to take (as in assignment photography). But, you’re shooting stock photography to sell to customers after you’ve taken them.

Stock Photography Photo Sales Basics

• The stock photography industry is experiencing major changes. Markets are growing while stock photography prices are dropping.
• Most stock agencies are saturated with images. Only if you know what they are looking for, can you still make photo sales .
• One of the biggest secrets to successful sales in stock photography is to specialize. If you shoot nothing but wildlife, architecture, sports, people, it will be much easier to have successful stock photo sales than if you were a generalist.
• Another of the biggest secrets to success in stock photography is shooting people. The majority of stock photography in the United States contain pictures of people, by seven to one!
• Since most stock photos images are usually used for advertising purposes, you also need to become familiar with and use model releases.
• Another secret to successful stock photography sales is to know the types of photographs the stock agencies look for. Do this by looking through magazines to see the types of images that sell. Once you see the types of images in most stock sales, think “concept.” What concept does your photo convey? Etc.

Here are a few of the top stock photo concepts:

Professional Sports
Extreme Sports
Families, Young, Ethnic, Diverse, Multicultural, Contemporary,
People
Children
Business Groups
Travel
Workforce Settings
Americana
Seasons
Holidays
Medical Surgery and Emergency

Stock Photo Want Lists

Another way to figure out what stock agencies need and customers are buying is by asking. Ask the agencies for a want list. These are detailed lists of images that buyers know they will need for upcoming projects. These lists may be hard to obtain, and not all buyers keep them. If you’re fortunate enough to get a want list, work to fulfill those needs first.

Want lists are valuable because they help emerging photographers learn what the buyers are willing to pay for. This is a valuable lesson because what buyers want in photos and what photographers want to shoot for photos are often totally different.

Well, now you've got the basics! If you want to learn more, continue reading this web site.

If you're ready to "get your feet wet," and increase your photo sales, get started here.

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