Great Stock Photography Subjects

Portrait Photography

Images of people sell very well, most of the celebrity stock photographers have made their portfolios predominantly from people pictures. People images need to convey an emotion, concept or lifestyle. Someone talking on a phone with a big smile; someone getting frustrated using a computer; children looking bored doing their homework. Faces need not necessarily be shown, some concepts are better defined without the distractions of a face e.g. a walk in the park holding hands where the subjects are walking away from the camera. A model release is needed for all people photos, plus I would recommend getting a release even if just a hand or other body part can be seen. Some agencies treat body parts as potentially recognisable even if they do not have something recognisable like a tattoo on them, so err on the site of caution and try to get a release if you have the opportunity.

Tabletop Photography

This is the staple of the stock photographer. You can save such photo sessions for the proverbial rainy day or during unexpected downtime. Food sells especially well, as do computers and technology concepts. Many of these subjects are however very well covered.

One trick here is to 'accessorize' the photos to create something with more of a concept. Instead of 'computer keyboard' think 'working from home' or 'overworked in a busy office' and instead of 'bowl of salad' think 'fresh salad eaten out on the terrace'. Constant research (be looking out for photos wherever you go) will help, for example immerse yourself in food magazines and illustrated cookbooks that contain photos in a style you like. People make their entire career out of taking images of specialist subjects so there is a very high standard of work currently available. Table top is probably the easiest place for the beginner to start out taking photos specifically for their stock collection, although it depends on your connections, you might also consider mastering portrait photography and shooting models if you already have some willing volunteers to practice on. 

Take care when choosing subjects to photograph, make sure that nothing contains any logos or branding.

Landscapes

If they are to be accepted and sell at all then they really need to say something, even if it's just 'wilderness' or 'farm land'. Landscapes won't work if the subject is too generalized like some fields with a mountain in the distance, even worse a sunset. Almost always the landscape will need some people in it to give it scale and allow the viewer to imagine themselves there. There are lots of photographers who specialize in fine art landscapes, taking photos in just the right light, some of these sell, but it's better if the photo is taken in a "travel photography" style. With just a little extra planning when setting up such landscape photo trips can be used to create some stock images.

Travel

This is a popular one with the beginning stock contributor, everyone takes holiday snaps. To sell well the photo must not just depict a location but capture some essence of

what it's like to be there. 'Lovers in Paris', 'Snorkeling on the Barrier Reef', 'Snowboarding in the Alps'. Simple travel photos are usually more than just landscapes, landmarks and cityscapes. There are good sales to be had from simple shots of an iconic landmark subject despite the amount that these have already been captured, this is often exactly the " cliché " that some buyers have in mind; that said there are lots of buyers looking for a different aspect on a well-known subject.

The last seven years as a full time stock photographer have been very good to me thanks to my unusual niche ( luxury home interiors ). The thing to remember is that stock photography is not a place for the "art of photography". While artistic images might be accepted and sell in limited quantity these are probably not the best way to go if you want to make some good earnings. Likewise the photos that a lot of people praise either by word of mouth or in comments on a site like flickr do not necessarily make good stock photos; these often look pretty or have a wow factor, but usually lack a meaning or concept, this is a common mistake for most beginning photographers dipping their toe into the stock industry.

From my experience and that of a few other industry commentators I have read, stock photography is a place for 'clean and simple" 'middle of the road' photos. One tip I would give is to make sure that your images look good as thumbnails, that might sound like an odd thing to say, but there are some photos which are quite striking when viewed at full size but due to their lighting, color palette or composition lose their impact when viewed at small sizes. Thumbnail readability is very important for getting high volume sales, your images need to stand out on the search page as "the perfect image".

 

Three key features of all successful stock photos:

A successful stock photo can be broken down into three main components, all of which must be correct to make a high selling image.

1) Choice of Subject, be it an appropriate model or props, an object placed in a context that creates some kind of concept, something quite abstract that only really gains a meaning when used in a matching context.

2) Execution, how well you captured the photo, or how you used your photographic skills to express a mood or concept. Atmospheric lighting, high or low key, choice of focal point to add emphasis.

3) Keywording and Description, your choices further emphasize the meaning of your photo and allows it to be found by buyers.
Without proper execution and good keywording a photo of a well-chosen subject won’t sell.

Stock Photography and Referral Income

Stock photography can generate a substantial amount of income if you focus on creative work related to people, food and business.

Another source of residual income is affiliate marketing which is a model of advertising where publishers (people with websites / blogs ) include links to an advertisers website in return for some kind of financial reward ( referral income).

Most reputable stock photography agencies feature a referral incentive program to either attract new photographers or new image buyers. Affiliate marketing is a powerful tool in stock photography because of the number of photographers each agency has. Each agency has in effect an army of marketers creating links and promoting them.

Top 3 - Stock Photography Agencies

Buyer and Photographer referrals can be quite a generous income source if you focus your attention on the most lucrative stock photo agencies, unfortunately not all agencies will pay you for photographer / buyer referrals.

1. Shutterstock
20% on sales of new subscriptions, $0.03 per image download from your referred photographers forever. 
Shutterstock

2. Dreamstime
10% of buyers purchases and 10% purchases from referred photographers' uploads for three years.
Dreamstime

3.iStockphoto
20% of first purchase for recruiting a new buyer who purchases a minimum package in 30 days.
iStockphoto