Comments on: The Top 5 Biggest Micro Stock Photography Mistakes

By: The 'sell photos online' Dude

The 'sell photos online' Dude — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:12:48 +0000

Hi...

Some great common sense writing that we can all learn from. I think we need to know what not to do as well as what we should be doing.

BTW, I just posted an article about learning photography from a marketer's perspective at my blog, and linked to this page. Your article is quite relevant to mine.

Thanks - Keep up the good work.

Martin

By: tommroch

tommroch — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:24:32 +0000

Microstock has seriously stifled my creativity!

Where once I was 'creative', I now make useful images. What Chris said in point 5 above I have found so true. That is:

"I see many beautiful photographs on stock photography sites that get zero sales. Why? Because they are art, not photographs that people can USE."

Thank you Chris.

By: Pez

Pez — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 03:46:08 +0000

Chris, you are right on with your comments. To become better at anything you have to get out and do it, over and over. I found as my quantity rose, so did my quality. I began to wake up each day having a clearer idea of what to shoot based on my "accidents" the day before. LOL.

I am now represented by 4 agencies and having the time of my life.

By: Corey Scherrer

Corey Scherrer — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 01:12:18 +0000

Working in the stock photography industry and a photographer myself (mutually exclusive) I see thousands of images sold for stock, both on the elite and micro stock sites. I agree with these points above, as they are good stepping-stones for successful and saleable imagery.

In addition to these points I would suggest studying images on any of the large stock sites for cues on trends and styling. If using models, it might be worth a little investment in a good application of makeup and clothing. Also be extremely aware of the surroundings removing objects or repositioning the shot around distractions that will otherwise ruin a good photo. A few small observant steps while shooting will save hours trying to get the photo right in postproduction.

I would also recommend an iron clad model and property release. These are pretty easy to come by and will save you from potential costly litigation if a person comes after you in the future for wrongful use of their image. Remember this is stock so it could end up anywhere.

Also remember that logos and brands are heavily copyrighted. Even something such as a designer chair or lamp can get you in hot water if the company feels you are using their copyrighted material without proper authorization.

-Corey

http://www.gogoimages.com

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:36:33 +0000

Nice article. I mostly shoot isolated images at the moment, and my best selling image is a macro shot of a dime. It's definitely interesting to do.

By: Mike Panic

Mike Panic — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 02:33:42 +0000

All 5 points are very true.

Ed - this is true - but really depends on what demographic and market the microstock site is pushing towards, and how well you keyword the shots.

Keywording, in my opinion, is one of the most over-looked parts of successfully selling microstock.

By: ED

ED — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:58:47 +0000

I found one microstocks sites trash is another ones treasure. I had one picture deleted on one but sold on another.. you just don't know who wants what. I think whether you sell or not depends on who's judging that day or that minute or what mood they are in.