Photography Props Ideas
Microstock Photography – The New Approach To Ensure Success
For the past four or five years that I’ve been submitting to the Microstock Photography market I had always said it was a numbers game. Therefore the more images that you uploaded to the libraries or agencies the more downloads you would get resulting in higher earnings.
But I feel that over the past year that has changed. You now, more than ever need to target a niche. And then dominate that niche. You see the wherever you look on the internet the picture quality has increased. This is just the same for the libraries. The overall quality has shot up and therefore we need to submit a higher quality image.
Fortunately, in recent months, the demand for the pictures has exploded. With the present economic climate even the large companies are using microstock photography rather than employing the services of a professional photographer.
I am pretty sure that if you look at your online portfolio, as I did, you will realise that your images follow the 80-20 rule. That is that the top selling 20% of your online images rake in 80% of the money. I have now changed my approach to microstock photography. Instead of going out and shooting anything and I am now being very selective what I shoot for the microstock market. I am looking to increase the number of top selling images rather than just the number of images online.
Let’s assume we are going to concentrate on still-life and we are looking for a new subject. First I would look at what is topical either in the news or browsing on the internet. I’ve found that here in the UK the adverse weather is creating a quite a concern and that heating bills are shooting through the roof. So we could look at finances, bills, weather, heating, insulation etc. For arguments sake, I’ll go for heating bills how I can illustrate the subject with images.
I then search the subject for images that will give a spark of inspiration. Note I said inspiration and not to copy. If an image catches my eye I will study it and work out the variations and how I could make improve it or interpret the message in more suitable way. I do this until I have about twenty ideas that are all related to the subject.
I then make a shooting list and a list of props that I need to shoot all twenty ideas. After I have got the props I will then, and only then take my camera into my studio (converted garage) and begin shooting.
The great advantage of this methodical process is when it comes to uploading your images. You only need one set of categories and keywords. In addition you have a set of pictures that depict a topic that is in the news and already being searched. Also you will find that working in this way you will emerge from the photo session with far more pictures than you intended. Once you start your creative juices flowing, the ideas leap out at you rather than wondering what to shoot.
Another plus to this approach is that the photo buyer usually buys more than one image to illustrate the article of blog etc. If you are supplying over twenty images that hit the spot they are more likely to choose more than one image.
Of course you income is still related to the number of downloads. You can also put other images on as before but I can almost guarantee, if you take the time to research the subject, the niche subjects will be in the top 20% earning 80% of your income. You should, therefore, earn more money for less work. If you’re serious about microstock photography – Then maybe my new approach may work for you?
About the Author
I have been interested in photography for most of my life. About 25 years ago I entered the world of wedding photography. More recently I discovered the wonderful world of Microstock Photography. A world that allowed me to earn money from my photography, yet with a freedom, not only of time but freedom to express myself creatively.
Why not take a look at my latest images that are currently selling through Microstock at http://www.gbphotostock.com/stock or view more articles at http://www.microstockconfidential.com
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Digital Photography Backgrounds Flowers – Use As Photo Props – Vol.2 $24.95 Learn the secrets of how to create those Anne Geddes style shots. Digital Creations Vol.2 has over 18 Hi-Res Professional Floral Images. Plus 48 minutes of Video Tutorials to help you every step of the way. You will receive a CD packed with over 18 images in Hi Res Jpg.format saved at 300 dpi (3000×2008). |
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Studio Portrait Photography of Children and Babies $11.92 Photographing children and babies constitutes a large portion of the business in most portrait studios. Working with young children who are nervous or uncooperative can present a formidable challenge for the photographer. Beginning with infants, this book discusses the specific details of photographing children at every stage of growth, addressing age-specific psychology and attention spans. Techn… |
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Country Series: Victorian Cottages $16.95 Victorian painters idealized English country life as a place of carefree children, charming thatched-roof cottages, and pretty flowers. Here is both the nostalgia and the truth of that world–drawn from period artwork and from the era’s great writers such as Thomas Hardy. See how the cottages were built, how they looked inside, and what activities took place there, from harvesting to crafting. The… |
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Come Join Thre Geri-Tones: 162 Songs and Creative Ideas to Brighten Your Senior Sing-a-Long {With} Laughter and Lore-Props and Paradies-Rhyme and Rhythm-Jokes and Jingles {Director’s Book} … |
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On Photography $81.25 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles On Photography is a 1977 collection of essays by Susan Sontag. It originally appeared as a series of essays in the New York Review of Books between 1973 and 1977. In the book, Sontag expresses her views on the history and presentday role of photography in capitalist societies as of the 1970s. Sontag discusses many examples of modern photography. Among these, she contrasts Diane Arbuss work with that of Depressionera documentary photography commissioned by the Farm Security Administration. She also explores the history of American photography in relation to the idealistic notions of America put forth by Walt Whitman and traces these ideas through to the increasingly cynical aesthetic notions of the 1970s, particularly in relation to Arbus and Andy Warhol. Author: Miller, Frederic P./ Vandome, Agnes F./ McBrewster, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 104 Publication Date: 2010/12/29 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.25 inches |
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100 Ideas That Changed Photography (Paperback) $42.97 This compelling book chronicles the most influential ideas that have shaped photography from the invention of the daguerreotype in the early 19th century up to the digital revolution and beyond. Entertaining and intelligent, it provides a fascinating resource to dip into. Arranged in a broadly chronological order to show the development of photography, the ideas that comprise the book include innovative concepts, cultural and social incidents, technologies, and movements. Each idea is presented through lively text and arresting visuals, and explores when the idea first evolved and its subsequent impact on photography. |
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Digital Boudoir Photography by Blair, John G. Edition ILL, 1 $27.99 Digital Boudoir Photography teaches beginning to intermediate photographers how to make the women in their lives beautiful through digital photography. Whether they are experienced or not, this book will show them the steps they need to take to create glamorous and intimate portraits of women using digital photography. Step-by-step instructions cover everything from planning a session, obtaining new or using existing camera and lighting equipment, gathering props and costumes, and of course the actual photography techniques themselves. The book emphasizes simple, creative techniques and ideas that anyone can use, and features numerous examples photographs as well as technical information and lighting diagrams. |
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Evans Inked Photography Series Kick Drumhead 22 Inch Boat Props $88.35 This Inked by Evans Photography Series Kick Drumhead uses a high resolution printing system, providing photo-quality resolution applied directly to the bass drumhead film for an uncompromised sound. The replacement drumhead is a 7.5mm single ply with a 10mm internal overtone control ring. |
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Evans Inked Photography Series Kick Drumhead 24 Inch Boat Props $88.35 This Inked by Evans Photography Series Kick Drumhead uses a high resolution printing system, providing photo-quality resolution applied directly to the bass drumhead film for an uncompromised sound. The replacement drumhead is a 7.5mm single ply with a 10mm internal overtone control ring. |
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Evans Inked Photography Series Kick Drumhead 20 Inch Boat Props $88.35 This Inked by Evans Photography Series Kick Drumhead uses a high resolution printing system, providing photo-quality resolution applied directly to the bass drumhead film for an uncompromised sound. The replacement drumhead is a 7.5mm single ply with a 10mm internal overtone control ring. |
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Digital Boudoir Photography: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Fabulous Images of Any Woman $20.29 “Digital Boudoir Photography” teaches beginning to intermediate photographers how to make the women in their lives beautiful through digital photography. Whether they are experienced or not, this book will show them the steps they need to take to create glamorous and intimate portraits of women using digital photography. Step-by-step instructions cover everything from planning a session, obtaining new or using existing camera and lighting equipment, gathering props and costumes, and of course the actual photography techniques themselves. The book emphasizes simple, creative techniques and ideas that anyone can use, and features numerous examples photographs as well as technical information and lighting diagrams. |
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