The document provides tips for shooting photos that will sell as stock photos. Some key tips include capturing emotions or concepts with people photos; ensuring photos have a clear purpose without needing a caption; focusing on bright compositions with visible faces; and getting model releases even for unidentifiable body parts. Additional tips suggest photographing current trends, popular subjects like landmarks with a unique style, and lifestyle moments rather than isolated objects to improve sales. Proper lighting, execution, and keywording tailored to buyers are also emphasized.

1. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Photos That Sell Subjects To Shoot, Things To Look Out For & Traps To Avoid At All Costs!

2. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Think beyond just capturing your subject Whether it's a model or an object or a place, try to create an image that says something about the subject

3. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell People photos that sell are going to convey an emotion , or a concept or a lifestyle situation. Don't try to do everything in one photo. Focus on one theme at a time and make sure you get it !

4. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Images need a sense of purpose . The viewer should never be left wondering why you took the photo?

5. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell A lot of photo buyers these days are non- professionals . Buying images isn't necessarily their main responsibility. These new buyers are usually going to choose the bright, vibrant images , with strong simple compositions .

6. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Execution is everything … Focus Exposure Composition Master the rules before you try breaking them

7. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell When photographing people, always ask for a release first . Take the time explain what you're trying to capture before you start . People respond better when they know what you're trying to do .

8. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell If a photograph needs a caption to explain it ... it's not a stock image … and it's probably not much of a photo either!

9. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Take a Client Centric approach when you're keywording your images Decide who your target buyers might be and why they need the image … Use that insight to work out what words they're going to use in their search

10. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell The best selling photographs of famous landmarks are usually taken by local photographers !

11. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Food should be eaten Drinks should be drunk Still-life food & beverage shots do sell but competition is steep Capture them in a lifestyle context and step out from the crowd !

12. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Always Get Model Releases even for unidentifiable body parts Many buyers will err on the side of caution, especially if they're buying images for their own Clients Don't try to tell them they're wrong Just give them what they want!

13. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell No free advertising! Compose out brands, logos and branding, or remove them in Photoshop. No one pays for photos of their own Logos any more, and no one has EVER paid for photos of someone else's brand

14. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell If a face is visible the eyes will be the focal point If two or more faces are visible there will be a connection between the them

15. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Set up for tabletop photography and start a list of subjects Then use downtime – or lousy weather – to add valuable new material to your catalog

16. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell When shooting objects make sure the context totally works... or totally misses! Reality sells & abstracts sell ... Vague settings somewhere in between won't feel right and won't sell.

17. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Food photos sell but they MUST look appetizing Lighting is paramount And most of the time the food will be inedible!

18. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Always carry Model & Property Releases in your kit. Offer to send a digital copy by email ... in return for a signature . Released images will sell more often for much better prices .

19. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Computers and technology shots can sell extremely well but competition is extremely high. Look to capture concepts and stories rather than more of the still-life shots that every one else shoots.

20. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Cut-outs can sell , but competition is high and demand has peaked So look for other ways to get in close and create something unique

21. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Landscape images for stock often need people to add scale & meaning Buyers demand it, but many of the landscape-purists won't do it There's a real opportunity when you create a scene that your viewer would like to be part of!

22. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Sunrise and sunset skies make boring images The magic is in the light and the way it plays on objects Capture that and you'll be making photos that can sell

23. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell If you're a sunrise addict, look to add interesting, easily-identified silhouettes to the foreground for visual interest . Scout locations with lots of distinctive & interesting shapes Plan ahead and walk away from your early morning sessions with dozens of commercial shots instead of a few nice-nothing skies!

24. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Lighting. Lighting. Lighting . Consider supplementing the lighting of every subject you shoot! Any time of day or night, ask yourself Can the lighting can be improved?

25. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Backs of people can sell … IF there's something going on but backs of heads rarely move

26. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Landscape Images of one specific vegetation type often sell better than big vistas with a bit of everything... Get in closer and capture something specific

27. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Clichés sell! Competition can be steep but the demand is strong for fresh approaches to old ideas

28. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Simple shots of iconic landmark subjects sell well despite the odds. Some have been photographed millions of times, but demand is strong for fresh new images shot well under perfect conditions

29. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Include contemporary people in your iconic landmark shots … it will put a shelf-life on the images, but during their marketable lifespan they'll face much less competition

30. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Boring landscapes never sell. Landscapes need a strong point of interest to sell. It doesn't always have to be a feature of the scene though. Strong natural lines can work, as can strong blocks of color Always look for something to hold the eye!

31. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Flowers still sell but competition is high so everything needs to be perfect Composition . Lighting . Execution . Perfect. Perfect. Perfect !

32. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Shooting flowers , think 131 . One bloom, three blooms or one mass of blooms You'll rarely sell anything in between!

33. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Keep It Simple! Photo-buyers NEVER bother with images they have to decipher

34. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell There's always good interest in common subjects captured in a unique style Especially true with technology , business and finance themes

35. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Pick your cultivated flowers before you shoot them Compositions, lighting & backgrounds all need to be more perfect than Nature usually provides! ( But don't pick wildflowers … natural works there! )

36. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Keep it Safe & Inoffensive If you shoot confronting images look for another outlet They won't sell as stock !

37. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell New concepts and themes are emerging every year Look for new technologies , new products, new words , new ideas Be the first to create the images that illustrate their essence

38. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Corporate shots have a fashion-shelf-life So buyers always need original images with current clothing and modern hair styles

39. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Look for all aspects of modern business … not just the meetings and handshakes The way business happens is constantly changing, so this is a huge market … if you can capture those changes

40. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell People Interacting With People Enough said ...

41. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Average looking people usually need to have a reason for being in an image … not just posing for the camera Give them a prop, dress them up, put them in a location … do whatever it takes to get them involved in the situation

42. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Science and Technology The market is flooded with dated still-life shots of yesterday's technology . Those images never sell . Look for the very latest technology and capture it impacting on people's lives . That's what sells!

43. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell When you look at a business operation, ask yourself – or your Client – what's changed most in the way they do business in the last two years. Capture that!

44. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Diversity Sells! In any group situation, the more ethnic diversity you can display the better. This is one area where the obviously contrived images just keep on selling

45. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Buyers always need high quality new images of concepts & metaphors . Tell the age-old stories in a new way and you'll find serious demand with a lot less competition

46. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Teamwork! Take it out of the business context and look for other groups to convey the message. Think Workers . Think Sports Think Kids . Think Animals This is a timeless theme!

47. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Holidays & Celebrations always sell from 2-3 months out Don't just focus on the obvious Religious Occasions though Look for Local Events and F estivals Document the traditions & customs Capture the experience!

48. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Strong social themes will always sell, again and again and again ... … but don't be too abstract or busy. The theme needs to be convey instantly , then the story gradually revealed as the viewer studies the image

49. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Good sports images can be used in many different fields, if you shoot for Stock Clients Leave the reportage to sports photographers Instead capture the countless themes and concepts that sport encapsulates That's where the stock dollars are!

50. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell People at work are always in demand, and not just the suits Trades people, hospitality workers, medical workers are especially hot!

51. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Health Care is major social issue and a growth industry This makes it a common theme for both editorial & advertising buyers Demand for strong, believable images of doctors, nurses, patients, hospitals & medicines is only going to get stronger !

52. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Reality is the new catch-phrase to marketable people photography . Real life shots of real people in natural situations. But Reality doesn't mean Snapshots ! Perfect execution, perfect lighting, perfect composition, visible faces, clear emotion, and a believable connection between your models and the situation

53. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell If you like to capture dramatic skies, Photoshop them into other images with less impressive skies. They won't sell on their own!

54. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell People on simple backgrounds Use background colour and texture to add meaning without distracting. White backgrounds can and do sell, if there are other elements that add meaning the image

55. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Three-quarter views of happy, attractive people are always in demand, since they can be used for so many purposes They do have a shelf-life though , so when you find a model who sells, keep shooting with current hairstyles and fashions in many different locations

56. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Travel Concepts can sell well IF you Convey a situation that the viewer wants desperately to experience for themselves … Leisure, luxury, adventure, culture, excitement, wonder, relaxation ... It all works if you sell the experience !

57. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Religion and Spirituality Convey the rich tapestry of the world's beliefs with images of people living that belief Tough to capture but worth the effort!

58. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Concept images are timeless so take your time to set up fantastic shots with a strong creative twist Love, hate, fear, greed, health, success, pride, addiction, desire, anger, speed ... Make yourself a list, study it regularly and look for opportunities to capture one or two of these in your other shoots .

59. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Couples Of All Ages … As long as there's a believable emotional connection Make it real and it will sell

60. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Christmas, Halloween, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving and Valentines Day all enjoy annual bursts of sales If you like to work this field, also consider images of birthdays, weddings and other celebrations that occur all year round!

61. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Luxury is a concept that sells , usually at a very high price! So look for original ways to convey that theme in a variety of generic settings They Will Sell!

62. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Food needs to be styled and lit just as carefully as models Do it right or don't bother!

63. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Wellness, Beauty and Spa images are being used more and more to sell everything from property to clothes to food products. Anything related to well-being and personal-care can sell well Attractive faces and bodies being treated with all kinds of natural remedies are often big sellers .

64. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Travel images sell, holiday snaps don't Travel images need to sell the viewer on the experience of the destination, So they need to show people enjoying the experience of the destination .

65. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Watch out for the latest fitness fads and diets Create & publish images that illustrate those themes ... Before they start talking about it on Oprah!

66. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell We have an aging population so images of older adults and senior citizens are used to sell stuff everywhere. Images need to make the older viewers feel good about who they are and where they're at.

67. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell To Sum It All Up … Photos of ANYTHING Can Sell If They're Shot Right What means is: Unique & Original Images with Perfect Execution and Client-Centric Composition are always in demand .

68. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell If you enjoyed this presentation, Please Pay It Forward! Share It On Facebook : Tweet It On Twitter : Thanks For Your Help!

69. Tips For Shooting Photos That Sell Photos That Sell This was a presentation by GlobalEye Images, the Co-operative Stock Library Photographers working together to reduce costs, increase exposure and sell more images . www.GlobalEyeImages.com