Tag Archives: microstock photography

Great Reads – Taking Stock

Are you ready to tackle the new year? Is this year going to be the one where you turn your photography hobby into a serious venture? Is stock photography going to play a role in your business? If you are looking for a great book about stock photography I highly recommend Taking Stock by Rob Sylvan. It is the subject of this review, Great Reads – Taking Stock.

There are not a lot of books available specifically on the subject of stock photography. Rob Sylvan’s book stands out among them.

I highly recommend Taking Stock by Rob Sylvan if you are serious about stock photography

What is it about? Taking Stock is a book of just over 200 pages filled with insight from Rob Sylvan. The book was published in 2011 and draws on Rob’s extensive experience working at iStockphoto from the early 2000’s. Rob’s reputation is well known to people who have been long term contributors to iStockphoto (like me!) where he used to be both a contributor and an admin.

The book’s subtitle is “make money in microstock creating photos that sell” and that is exactly what it is about. If you are looking to make money in stock photography, this is a must read.

What can you expect? Taking stock covers all topics to understand and succeed in stock photography from the history of stock photography, to what equipment you will need, to the different types of licences in stock photography. There are an extensive number of examples of successful images with commentary on why they are successful.

I particularly like the examples he provides from a range of stock photographers, not just his own. In each case he provides an example of a successful image with the photographers commentary. It is a powerful way to highlight successful images and draws on the authors wide network of stock photographers.

If you are new to stock photography, you will enjoy the sample images and details about the number of times they have been downloaded, and how much money this has generated in royalties to the photographer. It will show you how financially successful a single image can be.

The book is several years old now, so don’t expect it to cover today’s trends in visual imagery. But the principles and examples Sylvan provides are still relevant and it is well worth reading.

Outcomes? If you want one single resource to help you understand the stock photography world, Taking Stock is an excellent book. Most importantly it draws on the experience of people who have been working in the stock photography industry. Learning from your own experience is the best teacher, and learning from someone else’s experience isn’t far behind.

For me, I’ve considered why some people are successful in stock photography while others are not. Within this book, Sylvan sums it up nicely – he says that successful stock photographers are ‘highly motivated, self directed learners’. That sums it up. He doesn’t say they are brilliantly creative, or have photography qualifications, or use certain equipment. He says they are highly motivated, self directed learners.

If you study the work of some of the most successful stock photographers you can see the development in their portfolios. They keep learning, and their images keep improving. So don’t think you have to be a genius to succeed.

If you are highly motivated, keep learning, and apply what you learn – you will succeed in stock photography.

Rating and Recommendation? 10 out of 10. Highly recommended.

Kick off the new year by reading a book that will set you up for success in stock photography.

Thank you for reading Great Reads – Taking Stock.

How Long Do Stock Photos Keep Selling For?

Two months ago I wrote a post for Beyond Here called Do Stock Photos Keep Selling? In that post I analyzed my most recent one hundred downloads on iStockphoto. I was surprised to find that nearly fifty percent of my current stock photography income was being generated by files which are four to five years old. At that time I received a lot of interest about the post and several emails from stock photographers, and so I have repeated and expanded the analysis. Read on for insight into ‘how long do stock photos keep selling for?’

I repeated the exercise I did two months ago, by looking into my most recent one hundred downloads on iStockphoto. In this analysis (see graph below) exactly fifty percent of my current downloads were from files uploaded four to five years ago. A further eighteen percent were uploaded three years ago. This is almost exactly what I found last time I did this analysis (read here for the previous post). I am surprised to see the outcome was the same because one hundred downloads is a small sample size and I didn’t expect to see the same result.

50% of my most recent 100 downloads are from files uploaded in 2010 and 2011

For regular readers of Beyond Here you will know that I have written extensively about the changes which have happened at iStockphoto over recent years. One major change has been the implementation of a subscription program for buyers. iStockphoto’s business model has changed to meet the need of these regular buyers. It has changed so much that my own download numbers are now dominated by subscription downloads.

So, what if we look at the one hundred most recent subscription downloads? Do we see the same pattern? You can see that analysis in the pie chart below. I expected to see a significant difference in the pattern between ‘normal’ iStock downloads and subscriptions but that is not the case. In this case, forty three of the last one hundred downloads were from files uploaded in 2010 and 2011. And a further twenty one from 2012. If I add those together, sixty four percent of my most recent subs downloads were from files uploaded three, four or five years ago. The only noticeable difference between ‘normal’ and subs downloads is the eighteen subs downloads of files uploaded in 2015.

There is a stronger ‘recency’ effect in subscription downloads

That suggests that some of the subscription buyers are looking for new, current imagery. I expect these are very high volume buyers who have a need for different and fresh images. These might be publishing houses, magazines, newspapers or ad agencies.

I found it surprising that, aside from the files uploaded in 2015, the pattern in subs and normal downloads was similar.

I have presented these in a bar graph below. It highlights that files uploaded three, four, and five years ago make up a high percentage of normal and subs downloads.

Download patterns are similar between normal and subs downloads, with the exception of more recent files

So, what do we learn from this? How long do stock photos keep selling for?

For me, three key messages are:

Stock photos can continue to produce income for several years.
It is worth shooting and uploading regularly to build an asset which will produce income in the future.
The subscription program appears to attract a slightly different group of buyers who are more inclined to buy new, fresh content.

Please keep in mind that this is just one photographers experience and it is based on analysis of only a small quantity of data.

If you are a stock photographer, I’d be interested in hearing about your own experience. Please comment on this post. And if you are new to stock photography, please don’t accept the popular view that it is hard to make money in stock photography. I hope this analysis will help you realize that well composed and executed concepts can continue to produce an income for several years.

Thanks for reading ‘how long do stock photos keep selling for?’ I wish you success with your stock photography. Shoot, upload, repeat! Shoot, upload, repeat!

How to Photograph Simple Stock Images

In this post for Beyond Here I show you one example of how to photograph simple stock images. It’s a beginning to end look at how to create this image.

Why shoot this style of image? There is strong and ongoing demand for simple, well lit images of a huge range of subjects. Often they are used on websites and blogs to support a written story. Sometimes they are used in printed newsletters, newspapers, magazines, and documents.

Successful stock images have a wide range of potential uses

In this case, the image has a business, savings, investment theme. Well lit images with a business theme have a wide range of potential uses and strong demand. That is the main reason I keep shooting them.

Consider this image, it could be used – in tough economic times to emphasize savings, in good times to highlight an abundance of wealth, in a home finance theme about small amounts adding up, in a theme about the value of the Australian currency, or by financial planners to emphasize the importance of saving and investment. It has a multitude of different potential uses. So, let’s look at how to photograph simple stock images. How was this image created?

Step 1 – Decide on the type of image you would like to create. This is an obvious first step. Put time into considering the type of image you want to make and its potential uses. The variety of potential uses will impact the number of sales the image receives.

Step 2 – Assemble requirements. For this image I needed to gather – the glass jar, dollar notes and coins. These were relatively easy to assemble. Next steps were to make sure the glass jar was clean, that I had enough coins to fill the jar, and the right combination of notes to add some color to the image.

Step 3 – Determine lighting requirements. This image was shot in my studio using 3 continuous lights. I like to use continuous lights when shooting products as I can see where the shadows will fall before I shoot. For more information on continuous lights please see this post.

Step 4 – Consider copyright issues. When shooting any sort of stock photography you need to consider any copyright or legal issues. The glass jar in this image was an old one from our kitchen. It has some writing in the glass at the bottom. I don’t want that in my image as it may get rejected in the stock photo library inspection process – so I need to be aware of that and position the jar so it doesn’t show. In addition, Australian coins have a picture of the Queen of England on the back of them. They are not allowed in stock images, so I need to position the coins so the Queen’s image is not visible.

Step 5 – Shoot. Yes, get in there and shoot the image. Consider different variations on the same theme so that you have a range of stock images.

Step 6 – Post production. For this image very little post production is required. I cropped the image very slightly, increased the saturation of the colors, and made sure my background was pure white.

Step 7 – Upload and Keyword. The final step in making this image available to be downloaded is to upload it to my stock photography portfolio and to add keywords. For this image I use keywords like – australian currency, currency, coin, australian coin, jar, savings, investment, finance, home finance, isolated, isolated on white, white background, nobody.

Thanks for reading how to photograph simple stock images. Good luck with your stock photography.

7 Business Lessons from Being a Stock Photographer

Regular readers of Beyond Here will know that selling images through iStockphoto and Getty Images is an important component of my photography income. I’ve written many posts about stock photography, from getting started, through to how to use props, and many topics in between. I regularly get asked about the business or financial side of being a stock photographer. Based on my experience, here are 7 business lessons from being a stock photographer.

What starts as a small trickle of coins, can transform into a rapid flow

Business Lesson 1 – Small Amounts Do Add Up. The first image I received a royalty for on iStockphoto back in 2008 was a cityscape from Melbourne, Australia. I shot the image while a friend and I went on an evening photo shoot. We walked around the city, chatting and shooting night city images. The royalty from that first download was US$1.26. While that amount seems tiny, I was excited as I could see the potential for that amount to grow, and for an individual image to be downloaded hundreds of times. That image has since been downloaded a further 49 times to reach 50 in total. So far. While each royalty amount might be small, over time they will add up, and can add up to a significant total. Don’t be discouraged by small amounts when you are starting – be excited for the potential of those amounts to grow.

Business Lesson 2 – Significant Income is Possible From Stock Photography. While I have a large portfolio of stock images I am a ‘small fish’ in the stock photography world. My annual income in US dollars is well into the 5 figures and has been since my third year as a stock photographer. That makes a significant contribution to my overall photography income and adds to my wedding and portrait work. More successful stock photographers are generating incomes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Many people start out in stock photography thinking that you can not earn worthwhile amounts. I’ve found that to be untrue. (If you’d like to read more about how to generate a worthwhile income please check out my e-book Build A Five Figure Income in Your Spare Time.)

Flying fox images have been a lucrative niche for me

Business Lesson 3 – Finding a Niche can be Very Profitable. When I started contributing images to iStockphoto my portfolio was a diverse collection of random images. It took me some time to find what I liked to shoot, and where there was a market. I found the intersection of supply and demand in my Australian wildlife images and specifically in flying fox images I shot near my home in Melbourne, Australia. I have continued to upload flying fox images as they sell year round and peak in sales just before Halloween. Finding that niche helped me realize that stock photography could work for me.

Business Lesson 4 – Buyers Care About a Useful Image. And nothing else. Buyers don’t care where the image was shot, what camera you were using, or who you are. Buyers only care about the image. So, if you think your equipment is not good enough, or that you will start when you get the latest version of Photoshop – realize that they are just excuses. Buyers don’t care. As long as you can meet the stock libraries quality standards there is no reason not to get started.

Many stock photographers no longer need a home base

Business Lesson 5 – Location Free Careers are Reality. What’s a location free career? It is a career which is not dependent on where you live – and many of the world’s most successful stock photographers are making that real. They can travel and shoot and upload and get paid all without needing a permanent home base. As long as they have a digital camera, a laptop, and an internet connection they can work anywhere. And increasingly they don’t even need to carry all their gear with them – they can rent it at their next location.

US dollar income is handy for my business

Business Lesson 6 – A US Dollar income is handy. My royalties from stock photography are paid in US dollars. When they are transferred to me each month they are converted into local currency. As the Australian dollar goes up and down versus the US dollar it is very handy to have a US dollar income. The price of photography equipment in Australia goes up and down in line with the exchange rate – so having a US dollar income protects me from exchange rate volatility.

Business Lesson 7 – Successful Images Keep Selling. I wrote this post analyzing my recent downloads on iStockphoto. It showed that nearly 50% of my current income was being generated by images shot and uploaded 4-5 years ago. This was an important lesson for me. It highlighted that successful images have a lifespan of several years. It is worth taking the time to shoot well thought out concepts as they will generate an income for many years. In many ways, building a stock photo portfolio is building an asset which will generate an income into the future. It is worth taking the time to do it well.

Successful images are likely to keep selling for several years

Thanks for reading 7 business lessons from being a stock photographer. I feel it only captures a tiny fraction of what I’ve learnt since first getting into stock photography in 2008. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me via email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Using Props in Stock Photography

Welcome to the 100th post for Beyond Here! Along the journey so far I have tackled a wide range of subjects including business tips, photography book reviews, wedding photography tips, gear reviews, and many more. I have also written many posts on stock photography as readers look to transition their photography from hobby to income through stock photography. Today, we look at using props in stock photography.

Why use props? Props enable images to have a stronger link to a specific theme. In this image, a cute portrait is transformed into an image which displays nationalism or patriotism by using a national flag.

Using a national flag brings a strong theme to the image

Are props expensive? In each of the images in this post, the props I have used are inexpensive. The Australian flag in this image cost $8 at a variety store. Variety stores are a great source of props and many of them are inexpensive.

A piggy bank helps create a theme of financial or money problems

Does using props work? In my experience, using props to create images with specific themes is effective in producing downloads. While more generic images can also be popular, images with clearly expressed themes are more likely to be successful in a world where there is huge volumes of generic images.

Props can be used to create conceptual images to highlight a point

As you gain experience in working with props, they can be used to create conceptual images to highlight a point. In this image a $1 set of sticky notes has been used to create a concept of business overload, stress, being over scheduled, and tearing her hair out.

Do props always need to be used with people? Definitely not! Check out any of the major stock photography sites and you will find an extensive range of images which use props only. They are often used to communicate a specific theme. In this range of simple images, using just alphabet blocks and color – there is an almost unlimited range of images you can create. Where does this type of image get used? An image like this, which has a clear literal meaning and bold color are very popular for use on blogs. They immediately focus the readers attention on the subject and support the text. Don’t forget online uses when you are creating stock images!

Props used alone can also be very effective. This simple image series with bold color have been popular on blogs

Thanks for reading about using props in stock photography. Good luck for your next stock photo series!

A Step By Step Guide to a Studio Stock Photo Shoot

Many of the posts on Beyond Here refer to the benefits of stock photography as a part of a professional photographers total income. It is also a great place to start for people who want to become professional photographers. That is how I got started. Perhaps you are working on your camera skills? Or you are still refining your workflow? Or perfecting your post production skills? Or building your experience? Stock photography is a great way to build a portfolio and generate an income while you are perfecting your craft.

Getting started in stock photography can be daunting which is why I have written posts to help photographers get going. Please see Starting in Stock Photography, Simple Stock Concepts and Why Stock Photographers Should Crash Their Cars.

I regularly get asked about how to set up a stock photography shoot. So here I run through the process from my most recent shoot. I’ll cover everything from planning to completion, in a step by step guide to a studio stock photo shoot.

Simple props can help communicate themes in stock photography. This image concept is business choices.

Step 1 – Develop a Theme. To prepare for your stock photo shoot you need to first develop a theme. I am working on an extended series for my iStockphoto portfolio around ‘women in business’. It is a very large market – and also a very competitive one. For this shoot, I focused on shooting a series of corporate business woman images – the concept can work for people looking for images of female entrepreneurs, executives, business coaches, corporate regulators, I’m sure you get the idea. One of the advantages of shooting stock images like these are that they are very flexible and have multiple potential uses.

To find a model, have a look at ModelMayhem or a Facebook group.

Step 2 – Find Your Model/s. Now that you have a theme, you need to find a model. This is easier than you think. If you do not know someone who has the look you need, there are places to find people interested in stock photo work. Two good sources are ModelMayhem or Facebook groups in your area. I live in Melbourne, Australia and there is a very active Facebook group called ‘Melbourne Models and Photographers’. Check whether your area has a similar group. Write a brief of the requirements and ask for expressions of interest.

Step 3 – Put Together Sample Images. To enable you to prepare well, the next step is to put together a series of sample images. I do this to help me clarify the style of image I want to create, and to share that vision with the model. For this shoot, I emailed a link to the model who was then able to view the sample images and understand what was required for the shoot. This included the type of wardrobe to bring, and the appropriate style for hair and makeup.

Step 4 – Organize the Shoot Details. This step is being clear on the logistics of the shoot. For this shoot we organised a morning shoot to start at 9am and finish at 10.30am. Be sure to be clear with the model on the time, location, and any additional details – like parking or transport. I also like to confirm in writing the timings, and the requirements for wardrobe, hair and makeup.

Step 5 – Prepare Equipment in Advance. Step 5 is to prepare the equipment for your shoot in advance. At the time of your shoot, you want to be able to maximize your shooting time, so you need to be ready in advance. This includes having your studio space clean and tidy, lights set up, camera batteries charged, memory cards cleared and ready to go, and lenses on hand if you plan to change lens during the shoot. For this shot I used the 70-200mm and 24-105mm lenses. They were both cleaned in advanced and placed close to the shooting area so I could change them easily. I use a range of props to help communicate different themes. I place these on a table near the shooting area so they are readily accessible, and enable me to move quickly between different themes without interrupting the flow of the shoot.

Different wardrobe can help you produce a broader range of images.

Step 6 – Brief the Model. Briefing the model is important to make sure the photographer and the model have a common understanding. To do this, the photographer needs to be clear on what they intend from the shoot.

Avoid the ‘get in front of the camera and we’ll see what happens’ approach. This is not likely to produce the results you are looking for.

For this shoot, the model and I swapped email before the shoot to clarify the requirements. Then I printed the sample images and we went through them together before we began shooting. Twice during the shoot we stopped for a break for us to check the sample images to confirm our understanding of the style of images we were trying to create. Take time to brief the model. You can’t assume the good ideas in your head have been understood by the model if you haven’t taken time to discuss them.

Use different emotions to communicate your message

Step 7 – Conduct the Shoot. Thorough preparation through steps 1-6 should make sure your shoot goes well. In this case the shoot was a 90 minute shoot in a studio environment. By using different props and wardrobe we were able to shoot a range of different images in a short space of time.

When you are shooting, keep in mind that not every shot has to be a happy, smiling shot with the model looking directly at camera.

There is a large market for all sorts of different emotions communicated through the image. There is a place for the happy, confident image. There is also a place for sad, depressed, bored, stressed, anxious images. Speak with your model to make sure you develop a range of images from the shooting time.

Don’t overlook the importance of appropriate keywords.

Step 8 – Edit and Upload Images. As a stock photographer, having an efficient work flow is very important. I typically like to have all images from the shoot reviewed, edited and uploaded within a week of the shoot, and when possible, before my next shoot. I find that working promptly through the editing and uploading process helps my workflow by getting through to the end of the project promptly and letting me get on to the next idea.

If you have done a good job on steps 1-7 this work can be undone if you don’t use appropriate keywords for your image. Keywords are how you image will be found by potential buyers. Don’t overlook the importance of keywording as part of your editing and uploading process.

For the image shown here the keywords I use are – business woman, corporate business, female, one person, caucasian, business suit, arms folded, brown hair, adult, white collar worker, professional occupation, smiling, expressing positivity, studio shot, vertical, isolated, isolated on white, young adult, business person, business, waist up, brown eyes, looking at camera, white background.

Remember to provide feedback to your partners at the end of the shoot.

Step 9 – Feedback. Producing stock images is a collaborative effort. In this shoot it was between the photographer and the model. In other shoots there may be more than one model, a hair and makeup artist, and a stylist.

Step 9 is about providing feedback to your partners in the shoot. It is important to close out the shoot with feedback on what has gone well and what could be better, and to seek that feedback for yourself.

From this shoot I provided a link to the images in my stock photography portfolio so that the model could see the final product. It is important to me that the model sees them, as she did a very good job and I would like to shoot other stock concepts with her. Don’t overlook Step 9 – provide feedback to your partners.

Thanks for reading a step by step guide to a studio stock photo shoot. I hope this has been useful in describing the steps in a stock photo shoot, and will help your shoots to run smoothly.

iStockers, Why the Shift to Subs is Good

I have been an iStock contributor since 2008, and an exclusive contributor since May 2010. I have written a series of posts for Beyond Here about stock photography and the changes going on at iStock. Today I tackle the growth in subscription sales and, for iStockers, why the shift to subs is good.

In September 2014 iStock announced changes to the subscription program. I covered those changes in this post. Since then my subscription sales have been growing strongly. I summarized that progress in this post. Another month has passed. I have had another strong month for subscription sales, and many iStockers are reporting their strongest subscription sales month. So what does that mean?

iStock is a viable option for big buyers shopping for an image subscription program

Well, it means that iStockers are seeing more downloads of their images at a lower average price per download. My experience is that my ‘normal iStock’ downloads initially declined and have now remained steady. For those of us who have been iStockers for several years, it is a big change not to see your balance changing frequently. Instead of being reported in real time, the downloads through the subscription program are only reported once per month.

More downloads, lower average income per download. Why would this be good?

I see four key reasons for iStockers, why the shift to subs is good.

(1) The subscription program drives repeat business. One benefit of a subscription program is that it builds repeat business for iStock. Buyers use the service each day or week or month for many, many months. This can only be good for contributors in the long run. We want buyers shopping at iStock and continuing to shop at iStock.

(2) Greater consistency of income. Lots of downloads at a low average income per download produces consistent income from month to month as you are not reliant on a single large sale. While you may not see your balance moving every day, when the sub downloads are reported you can see the subscription program is being used daily by buyers. I expect we will see much less variability in income from month to month as the subscription program continues to grow.

(3) In time, buyers will move from competitors. It has long been felt that the quality and variety in the iStock library is superior to other microstock sites. (Keep in mind, I am biased as I am an iStock contributor! The reality is that I haven’t checked competitors sites for some time). Now that the subscription program appears to be gaining traction with buyers, we can expect that clients will move to iStock over time – continuing the growth in iStock subs downloads.

(4) Big buyers will be attracted by the subscription program. The real benefit of the subscription program is for large volume buyers who need large numbers of images per month. Think ad agencies, newspapers, and magazines. Big buyers coming to iStock will be positive for iStock contributors.

The iStock sub program is making a noise

On the flip-side, because of the growth in sub downloads and the lack of growth in ‘normal iStock’ downloads it has become very hard to achieve redeemed credit targets. My personal experience is that this year I am unlikely to achieve the redeemed credit target required to maintain my current royalty level. I expect this is the experience of many contributors, and see iStock being under pressure to change the redeemed credit targets. I hope I’m right as I don’t fancy a reduced royalty rate.

Thanks for reading iStockers, why the shift to subs is good.

Growth in iStock Subscription Sales

I have been generating income through stock photography for over 7 years, and have written a number of posts for Beyond Here about stock photography. I continue to see stock photography as a great way for a photographer to enter the business of photography, and for established photographers to generate a steady year round cash flow to supplement their client work. (If you are new to stock photography please see this post Starting in Stock Photography)

The world of stock photography has changed significantly from when I started, and now consists of several very large image libraries with millions of images each. I choose to be an exclusive contributor with iStock (reasons are outlined in this post – Why Be Exclusive on iStock).

Stock photography sites give you access to buyers around the world. What’s your next move?

During September 2014 iStock made several alterations to their operating model. At the time there was an outcry from contributors and purchasers of small sized images. I wrote several posts which covered the changes (My Take on this Weeks iStock Announcements, Moving iStock Forward, and Understanding the Changes at iStock). iStock seemed to be focusing on the large volume image buyer – like ad agencies, publishing houses, and media companies – through its subscription sales model. So, what has happened to the growth in iStock subscription sales? Has there been an increase? And what are the implications for contributors?

Firstly, has there been growth in iStock subscription sales?

My personal experience has been that the subscription program does seem to be delivering. I have seen month on month growth in subscription sales with the exception of the seasonal downturn in January. (Keep in mind I am just one of thousands of contributors on iStock).

Note – in the graph I include both subscription and partner program (PP) downloads. I have very few images in the partner program and the number of downloads from PP is minimal. So, the growth you see is driven by growth in iStock subscription sales.

Subscription downloads from my iStock portfolio continue to grow

What has happened to ‘normal’ iStock downloads over the same period? My normal iStock downloads initially declined in the period for September to December 2014. Since then my ‘normal’ downloads have stabilized with very little variation on a month to month basis.

What are the implications for iStock contributors? I see 5 implications from the growth in iStock subscription sales.

1. Continued growth in iStock subscriptions sales. The trend is up, and I expect we will see continued growth. For contributors that will likely mean a continued increase in overall download numbers, at a lower average price per download.

2. Steady or slightly declining ‘normal’ downloads. My experience to date has been steady month on month ‘normal’ downloads despite an increase in portfolio size. I also expect this trend to continue. On a positive note, I am encouraged that we don’t seem to be seeing a wholesale switch from ‘normal’ to subscription sales. All going well, that means the iStock customer numbers will be growing overall.

Stock photography needs patience. Keep building your portfolio. The downloads will come.

3. Steady monthly income, variable weekly income. As normal iStock downloads (which are reported as they happen) make up a smaller percentage of my total downloads, my weekly income is now quite variable. However, the growth in the subscription sales (reported once a month) is seeing my monthly income be more consistent than it was before the change. Now that iStock makes payment to contributors automatically once per month, the week to week variations really don’t matter. The lesson here – ignore the week to week variations, and only assess your performance at the end of each month.

4. Difficulty in achieving redeemed credit targets. Redeemed credits currently don’t apply to subscription sales. That makes achieving the targets and increasing your royalty rate very difficult. I can’t see that the redeemed credit idea can survive in its current format. I suggest not getting too focused on redeemed credits. Trust that the powers-that-be at iStock will introduce a revision or a new system for determining royalty rates.

5. It’s tough to become exclusive. Many Beyond Here readers have opened iStock accounts in the last year (hooray!) But achieving the requirements to become exclusive is really tough now (driven by the growth in sub sales which don’t count currently toward the exclusivity criteria). I expect that the redeemed credits issue is going to be a higher priority – but the criteria for becoming an exclusive contributor will need to change if iStock want contributors to only submit their images to iStock. In the meantime, continue to build your portfolio and enjoy the growth in subscription sales.

Thanks for reading ‘Growth in iStock Subscription Sales’. Please leave a comment with your experience or your questions. Happy shooting.

What To Do When the Ideas Dry Up

This week I was one of the guest speakers at a function hosted by iStock / Getty Images and General Assembly in Melbourne, Australia. The topic being discussed was How to Build a Small Business Brand on a Budget. I was bringing a photographers perspective in relation to producing new stock photography content.

In that presentation I covered ‘my inspirations’ behind being able to produce 1000 new stock images per year. I have summarized those points for this post and called it – what to do when the ideas dry up. Ironically, after more than 7 years of producing stock photography content, I find it easier to find new ideas and generate new content now than I did 7 years ago. The list below is my “go to” sources when the ideas dry up. Each photographer is different, so this list might not suit you. If it helps – great – and if it doesn’t, work on your own list.

Few tourists would know this part of Melbourne. Local photographers produce unique local content

(1) Local Content. My first go to idea is to shoot local content. I love living in Melbourne, and don’t think I will ever get tired of shooting local content from a local’s perspective. My starting point for what to do when the ideas dry up is to shoot local content.

(2) Client Feedback. My second ‘go to’ idea is to seek client feedback and keep shooting what they want, and avoid what they don’t want. In some ways this takes the pressure off having to come up with all the great ideas myself, by asking clients what they need.

I shoot wildlife images as I believe in and support the work of conservation organisations

(3) Interests and Causes. My third ‘go to’ space is to shoot content about things that interest me or causes I believe in. I am an animal lover and believe in the work of conservation organisations. I like shooting wildlife images that will be useful to these organisations, so when the creative juices aren’t flowing, I’ll go and shoot some wildlife images.

Shooting for fun can help you create unique images

(4) Shoot for Fun. This one I am not so good at. The concept is to not be at all concerned about the outcomes and just shoot something fun. This might be something new as well, so it will have an element of learning as well.

I know business and try to shoot business themes

(5) Shoot What You Know. I find ideas come more easily when I focus on a subject I know. Having worked in a corporate environment for 20 years I have a good understanding of what works for business images. When I am struggling for new ideas, I’ll work on concepts for an area I know.

Getting back to nature helps me relax and develop new ideas

(6) Nature. Lucky last! When I’m really stuck for new ideas I’ll take the chance to relax and get back to nature. There is a beauty and simplicity in observing nature, and often it will get me into a more relaxed frame of mind and help the creative ideas flow again.

Thanks for reading ‘What to Do When the Ideas Dry Up’. I hope it has been useful to you.

Inside a Stock Photography Shoot

I am in the process of shooting a series of stock images of business people. This is a very popular category of stock images, with continual demand for fresh content. Images like these are used extensively in websites, brochures, corporate communications etc. You can probably imagine, this is a very big market. So this post looks behind the scenes, and takes you inside a stock photography shoot.

Lighting is important. The model needs to be well lit, with a pure white background

Lighting. Once you understand how to light images like these, it is straight forward to produce a wide variety of business images. And equally, if you make a mess of the lighting it can be very hard to produce usable files. For this shoot I used a lighting set up very similar to what I outlined in this post. It has one off camera flash to the left of camera, fired by a remote trigger through a shoot through umbrella. In this case it was a 43 inch umbrella. The model is lit with just the one light. The background (a white muslin backdrop) is lit separately through another off camera flash, again fired by a remote trigger (you can read more about the triggers here). This ‘blows out’ the background so that it appears completely white. That flash unit is placed between the model and the backdrop.

Space. It’s a misconception to think you need a large studio space to be able to shoot these kinds of images. The room this image was shot in is 3.2m wide and 6m long. The backdrop is 3m x 3m and just fits across the width of the room.

Makeup, wardrobe and posing are key to effective images.

Wardrobe, Makeup, and Posing. Wardrobe, make up and posing are very important in shooting this style of image. The model needs to be believable and realistic – in this case she needs to look like a professional business person. For this shoot we used two different colored shirts – one white and one blue. We also took images with the jacket on and jacket off. That helped provide a range of images – some of which look more formal, and some which look more informal.

The brief for her makeup was ‘light and natural’ which she did very well. It helps to reinforce the ‘real business people’ theme.

Posing is also important for this type of shoot. When we weren’t using props we focused on a ‘natural and confident’ look like in this image. Because of the studio setting and the beauty of digital photography we were able to shoot and review each image until we got the right look. While this image is very simple it has flexibility – the model could be anything from corporate executive to a home based entrepreneur.

Shoot Length and Process. This shoot took 90 minutes and that is fairly typical of my stock photography shoots. I find that is long enough to get a range of images, but not too long that the model or the photographer get bored!

We started this shoot with straight forward poses like the one above and then move to more specifically themed images using props. Mid shoot the model took a wardrobe change giving us the opportunity to assess the images taken up to that point and to plan how to make the most of the remaining time.

Corporate Whistle Blower. This image uses a sports whistle as the only prop.

Post Production. I aim to keep post processing to a minimum on stock photo shoots. I import the files to Lightroom, check for sharp focus, set the white balance and make minor changes to color saturation and contrast. Importantly, I make sure the background is pure white. This is a short process which takes 1-2 minutes for each image.

Where to from there? I complete model releases and look after any paperwork with the model before we start the shoot. That means that after post production, the file is saved as a JPEG image. From there it is uploaded to iStock (along with model release form). It then goes through an inspection process and, assuming it passes, is added to the stock database and is available to be downloaded. That’s it – inside a stock photography shoot.

Note, the model in this shoot is Klara. She is an up and coming model in Melbourne, Australia and is originally from Frankfurt, Germany. She is a great person to work with. See her current work here.

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