| Best Selling Stock Photos, Sales Volume and RPI | | | | Negative space, particularly in the world of stock |
| While there is no magic bullet for creating best selling | | | | photography, can be a very positive thing. Think in |
| stock photos, there are some principles that can help | | | | terms of headlines and body copy. Allowing room for |
| you achieve consistent sales volume and RPI (return | | | | type will also help maximize your sales potential. In |
| per image). | | | | general allow a bit more room for cropping than you |
| I will briefly go over each of five important points | | | | might otherwise. |
| that I have learned from some of the best stock | | | | You never know how someone will want to use your |
| shooters, art directors and creative directors in the | | | | photos. They can always crop in tighter, but |
| business, as well as from my own experience. | | | | can’t utilize the parts of the image that you |
| Suggestions, Wisdom and Stock Photo Efforts | | | | have cropped out. |
| The points we will go over include: Motion vs. Static, | | | | Concept Stock Photos Sell |
| Horizontal, Vertical, and Square Crops, Negative | | | | As a rule, concept images outsell those without |
| Space, Concepts, and individual models vs. groups. | | | | concepts, and often by a very large margin. Ideally |
| Keep in mind that these are not hard and fast rules, | | | | you can create lifestyle images that have concepts; |
| but rather suggestions gained from my own | | | | concepts such as success, standing out from the |
| experience and from the wisdom offered by other | | | | crowd, teamwork and freedom. |
| veteran stock photographers and industry | | | | I try and incorporate some of these concepts, and |
| professionals. | | | | others, into every shoot. |
| As you plan and execute your shoots, if you can | | | | Individual Models vs. Groups |
| keep these suggestions in mind, you can increase | | | | The question about whether to shoot groups or |
| sales and income from your stock photo efforts. | | | | multiple models as opposed to a single model is a bit |
| Motion vs. Static: | | | | trickier. Pick your situations; don’t just shoot |
| Motion sells. I first heard this from Tom Grill, the | | | | groups to be shooting groups. Each model adds |
| most experience and analytical stock photographer I | | | | expense and complexity to your shoot. |
| know. I have first hand experience as well. When | | | | If you do want to tackle groups it is important to |
| shooting any situation in which motion can be | | | | have a thorough shoot list with more scenarios than |
| appropriate, be sure and include it. | | | | you think you will need. That way if one idea is |
| Off the top of my head I can think of several | | | | starting to flounder, or proving troublesome, you can |
| instances where a shoot has included the same | | | | move right on to the next. This is one area where it |
| situation with and without motion. The motion has to | | | | can be particularly important to do your research. |
| be done well, but when it is, most of the time, the | | | | Because it is more expensive and challenging to shoot |
| motion images out-sell the static ones. | | | | stock of groups (even small groups of two or three |
| Horizontal, Vertical, and Square Crops | | | | models), there is less competition for those shots. |
| In terms of cropping there are several points to | | | | Check and see what kind of group shots are in |
| consider. If your thumbnail doesn’t grab the | | | | demand and are under-represented in the collections |
| interest of whoever is looking for images, then you | | | | you shoot for. If you can shoot what is needed in an |
| have already lost the battle. Thumbnails on stock | | | | edgy way that looks “real”, then you will do |
| agency sites are designed to fit both vertical and | | | | very well. |
| horizontal images. | | | | |
| By having a square thumbnail your picture utilizes all | | | | Motion, Framing, Negative Space, Concepts and |
| the available real estate, your image is bigger and | | | | Groups |
| tends to stand out more. It is also my belief that if | | | | Again, the above are suggestions, not hard and fast |
| you can frame your picture so that it can be cropped | | | | rules. But if you can add motion, or a sense of |
| for verticals, as in a magazine cover, and also as a | | | | motion, to your still images, pay attention to your |
| horizontal for applications such as magazine spreads, | | | | framing and crops, allow for negative space, illustrate |
| then you are allowing for the greatest possible sales | | | | concepts, and add the judicious group or two, you |
| of that image. | | | | can add to your RPI, your sales volume, and your |
| Negative Space | | | | bottom line. |