Learn how to become a freelance stock photographer by following some of these tips:
Stock Photography Tips
- Even amateur photographers can sell photos at microstock companies. Professionals no longer rule the world anymore. As long as you have a DSLR and a basic studio set up (which we will discuss later), you can earn money.
- Follow the requirements carefully. Each company has strict requirements necessary to be approved for acceptance onto their site. High-quality images are accepted, but these sites do reject submissions if they look like snapshots, have poor composition, poor lighting, etc.
- Research the competition. Spend a lot of time on micro-stock websites and find top-selling pictures. These images will tell you a lot about what you need to do. Try to determine the common denomination and see why these pictures were selected. What made them top choices? What concepts did they represent? What d they have in common?
- The tripod is your best friend. The trick to selling stock photos online is to invest in a tripod and use it every time. If you want to make money online, you have to use your tools to your advantage. A tripod will stabilize your image and keep it sharp every time.
- Research the site before you begin submitting your images. Some are hard to break into, but others are easier. They also have different styles that they prefer, so it’s best to learn all you can before you make your submission.
Post Processing Tips
- Leave room for text. Most of your customers want to use your photo in an advertisement. If you didn’t leave room for an advertisement, then your image just won’t work. So they will move on to the next guy. So leave extra room. If it’s not needed, they can use the crop tool.
- Watch your clipping. There’s no excuse for a bad clipping path. With today’s software, such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Elements, there is simply no reason to make this easy mistake. Learn your software inside and out.
Submission Tips
- Submit different views or orientations of the same image. Your customer already has their ad spot in mind when they start looking for the picture. If your photo doesn’t fit, they will have to move on to the next one. So make their job easy, and offer several different views in both portrait and landscape views. It will increase your odds of a sale.
Conclusion
Summary
