LAZY MAN S GUIDE to STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY

Transcription

1 The LAZY MAN S GUIDE to STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY Pre Press Edition PUBLISHED BY AMERICAN WRITERS & ARTISTS INC.

2 DISCLAIMER: The information and recommendations contained in this guide have been compiled from sources considered to be reliable. Use of the information and recommendations contained herein is at the discretion and sole responsibility of the reader. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold and distributed with the understanding that AWAI, its affiliates, the authors, publisher and seller are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or any other professional advice or service. If legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional advisor should be sought. Copyright 2009 by American Writers & Artists Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published by: American Writers & Artists Inc. 245 NE 4th Avenue, Suite 102 Delray Beach, FL The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

3 The LAZY MAN S GUIDE to STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction... 5 Where to Start... 7 The Difference between Traditional and Microstock Agencies Lazy Man s Tip #1: How to Make Over $1,200 a Month Selling Your Photos to Online Stock Photo Agencies... 9 How to Choose an Agency Six Microstock Agencies Where You Can Get Started How to Take Stock Quality Photos that Sell Lazy Man s Tip #2: Cash in on Your Interests and Expertise Lazy Man s Tip #3: Make Every Cloudy Day a Photo Day What You Need The Lazy Man s Rule Taking People Photos in Natural Light The Lazy Man Way A Simple Key to Making All Your People Photos Shine The Lazy Man s Method for Finding the Right Light Blinking Highlights The Histogram The Lazy Man s Quick Light Fix: How to Adjust Exposure... Without Touching Your Camera Settings Lazy Man s Tip #4: Invest in a Good Photo Editing Software And Let It Work for You A Non Approved Cheaper Alternative to Lightroom Lazy Man s Tip #5: Take Photos that Don t Need Processing in the First Place American Writers & Artists Inc. 3

4 Lazy Man s Tip #6: Invest in a Good Camera Quick Tip: The Megapixel Myth 2 Fool Proof Ways to Master the Art of Composition The Rule of Thirds Diagonal Lines Framing Watch Out for These Seemingly Insignificant Details A Word about Model Releases Selling Your Photos without a Model Release... 3 Pesky Copyright Laws and the Lazy Man s Way around Them... 3 Tips for Posing Your Subjects... 3 The Lazy Man's Fool Proof Plan Things You Can Get Paid to Photograph... Your First $ Further Resources The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

5 Introduction The Lazy Man's principle is this: Don't do any more work than you have to. My name is Lori Allen and I'm the director of the Travel Division at American Writers & Artists Inc. I wouldn't exactly call myself lazy. Here in the Travel Division we publish more than 27 different products, 3 newsletters, and 6 websites. We also host around 10 live workshops a year, answer over 300 s a day and manage 50,000 subscribers. The good news, at least for me because I like to stay busy, is that there's very little time here to be lazy. The bad news, of course, is that there's very little time for anything else either. So that's where this book comes in. It's called the Lazy Man's Guide because it's about getting started in stock photography without spending years in a classroom or hours behind a desk processing your images. I don't have that kind of time. And if you're reading this, my guess is that you don't either. Getting accepted into stock can be tough. Especially if you don't know what you're doing. And even if you do know what you're doing, it can still be time consuming. The Lazy Man's rule is: If it's not easy, don't do it. That's the principle behind this guide. Take a look at these two pictures, for example: American Writers & Artists Inc. 5

6 This first photo took the photographer a lot of time to edit in Photoshop. And clearly it was worth it. It's a gorgeous photo and it's one of professional stock photographer Shelly Perry's best sellers. But the second photo is currently Shelly s all time best seller, and it didn't require as much work. No fancy lights. No elaborate processing. It's a great photo. And my guess is that it took her half the time to create it. That's what I'd like to show you how to do take good photos that don't require a lot of effort and sell them in a way that doesn't require a lot of time. Will this guide turn you into the greatest stock photographer of all time? No. Will it get you up and running in the shortest amount of time possible with the most images in your portfolio in just a few short weeks? Absolutely. So let's get started... Lori Allen Director, AWAI Travel Division 6 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

7 Where to Start If you ve never heard the term Stock Photography, sometimes called Royalty Free photography, then you re in the same boat as three quarters of Americans, according to a recent study by istockphoto.com. Yet traditional stock agencies have been around for decades. Stock photography is simply a term used for images that are not photographed for a specific client s use. Instead, they are images photographed and cataloged for individuals to buy later from agencies that collect photos from hundreds of other photographers. Traditionally, stock photography agencies will provide their customers with a catalog of photos to choose from either online or in print. And customers would flip through the pages looking for the photos that best match their needs. In the end, they d pay $200 $800 a pop depending on their choices. But today, there s a new kind of stock agency everyone is buzzing about and that s what we re going to talk about today The Difference between "Traditional" and Microstock Photo Agencies Today we have both "traditional" stock agencies (and by that I mean big corporations that act as brokers for all sorts of images) and we have the new kids on the block "microstock" agencies which exist on the web and deal with digital files only. Today, the differences between them are beginning to blur. But here s a run down... To break into a traditional stock agency you need five things: 1) Approximately 200 technically perfect images with good composition, perfect exposure, proper focus, and other technicals 2) Captions for each 3) Keywords for each photo (Some agencies do this for you, check their guidelines) 4) A Word document that contains a list of all the photos you're submitting along with their captions 5) And you have to be willing to commit to uploading more images every month American Writers & Artists Inc. 7

8 Although the money can be good, if your images sell. As a general rule of thumb, photographers with traditional agencies claim $1 per year for every image they have on file with an agency. Why are they happy to give up their photos for $1 a piece a year? Well, with traditional stock agencies you often have a contractual obligation to submit photos every month. One hundred photos a month (which is typical) translates to 1,200 photos a year or $1,200. And your portfolio will grow exponentially each and every year. 8 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

9 Lazy Man s Tip #1: How to Make Over $1,200 a Month Selling Your Photos to Online Stock Photo Agencies With microstock agencies, however, it s much easier for a beginner to break in. And the pay is generally much greater. With microstock sites, photographers generally earn $1 an image PER MONTH. So 1,200 photos a year means $1,200 a month or over $14,000 a year. What s more, there's no commitment, no quota, and no exclusive contract, unless you want one. You can upload your pictures at your leisure and you can even upload them to multiple sites at the same time for more money. And since microstock agencies don't buy exclusive rights (unlike traditional stock agencies) to your picture, you can always sell it on your own for more cash. It sounds like microstock sites are the way to go, right? Well, the first thing you need to know is that microstock photography is not without controversy. Many old school professional photographers believe that selling your images for $1 devalues your work as an artist. And they think that professionals who do it are killing the industry. Others argue that, well, the industry is changing. And while they still feel that their images are worth far more than the cost of a candy bar or a cup of coffee at least their work is being used. And, to a certain extent, the online stock houses are serving a different market than the traditional houses have. It wasn't long ago when small business owners or starving musicians would have had to cough up $600 for a quality stock image to use on a sales flyer or an album cover. That's steep. So they'd make do with something else instead. Piles of desirable (but expensive) images sat in those stock houses and still do waiting for a buyer with enough cash. But today, those small business owners and starving musicians can access pro quality photos affordably on these microstock sites where images sell for anywhere between a few cents and a few dollars. And so can any person building a website (for commercial or personal use). And any student who wants a great shot for a school presentation. None of these buyers would have been able to afford a $600 photo in years past. But today, they make up a whole new market of buyers. Point is: The market has shifted and expanded... and online stock agencies are filling a growing need. American Writers & Artists Inc. 9

10 But here's why we like these microstock sites here in The Lazy Man's Guide... They often outperform traditional stock agencies in sales. And they provide one of the easiest, most trouble free outlets for new photographers to sell their photos. You don't have to own a gallery (or have a friend who owns a gallery) to sell your work. You don't have to advertise. You don't have to bother with printing, matting, and storing your photos. And if you're shy (or busy), you never have to stand around at a farmer's market or art fair chatting up potential buyers and haggling your wares. Plus, you don't have to have a lot of images to get started. Three is usually the minimum. So this is the Lazy Man's approach... Rather than spend your days accumulating hundreds of perfect images (that is, pictures that rival the work of some of the best photographers in the industry) in hopes that one or two will sell in a traditional stock agency for $200 $300 every year... or that you'll get that one brilliant photograph people will gather around and stand in awe over in a gallery, here in this guide we're only going to talk about submitting everyday photos (the simple kind you can take in your own backyard or on your next family vacation) to microstock sites. How to Choose an Agency To get started in the right direction and find the right stock agency or agencies for you, here s a list of a few whose acceptance rules are fairly flexible: agencies that only require you to submit between 1 and 10 photos to get started. I recommend you choose the agency first before you collect your pictures because that will affect the way you prepare them. Each agency has different requirements, from the size of the image it accepts to the number of keywords it wants you to submit. So take a look through the sites and read through the requirements and the photographer agreements before you decide. Once you decide, you can upload your images at your own pace (there are no minimum requirements, but there are some maximum limits). And you'll need to supply titles, descriptions, and keywords for each photo (be specific, descriptive and, clear not prolific and creative). WARNING: Be your own worst critic when it comes to sorting through your photographs and deciding which ones to submit. Most microstock agencies monitor your acceptance rate and some will even put a hold on your account if you submit too many images that don't meet their needs or follow their guidelines. 10 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

11 If you get five rejections in a row without a single acceptance, stop submitting and go back to practicing your craft. Six Microstock Agencies Where You Can Get Started: Bigstockphoto.com currently has over 3,681,000 photos, which they sell for $1 to $15, depending on the number of credits a customer purchases and the size of the photo he wants to buy. A photographer will earn $0.50 to $3 per download, and up to $60 for special licensing downloads. Bigstockphoto claims it only requires a JPG with a minimum width of 600 pixels, but 2,500 pixels wide and higher is preferred (that's an 8 x 10 inch picture, when printed out), and no bigger than 5MB. If you don't know how large your photos are, you can right click on the thumbnails in your computer and you'll find the size under "properties." Be sure to read the rest of their guidelines, too, before you submit. Just click on the "for photographers" link on the left sidebar here: Shutterstock.com has over 8,041,080 photos online and boasts over 188,688 photographers. Rather than selling photos individually, it sells a subscription that allows a customer 25 downloads a day (up to 750 per month) that costs $249 a month or up to $2,559 a year. Photographers earn $0.25 per download until they reach $500 in earnings, at which point it goes up to $0.30. This price structure may scare away casual photo shoppers, but subscribers are encouraged to download many photos and are more likely to download a photo on a whim. Shutterstock requires JPGs with a minimum of 2.5 megapixels. Be very careful here: if you upload below standard images, they'll lock your account for three months: Dreamstime.com has over 6,448,000 images that it sells in a tiered pricing structure. Basically, the more times an image sells, the more it costs, and the more the photographer gets paid. Prices start at $0.20 with a photographer's payout of 50% to 80%. Dreamstime requires JPGs that are at least 3 megapixels: Canstockphoto.com has over 1 million images that sell from $1 to $5 or by monthly or yearly subscription. The photographer gets 50%. It requires JPG images greater than 3 megapixels, but less than 8 megabytes. It also has an application process that requires the site s approval of 3 photos before you can get started: 123royaltyfree.com is a subscription based agency similar to Shutterstock. As a photographer, you get 50% of your image sale, plus commissions for referring members or photographers. Be sure to read its requirements first: istockphoto.com has over 5,420,000 royalty free files (including photos, videos, and now audio files, too). Photos sell for $1 to $28, depending on size, for a standard license. Extended license sales can reach over $100. istock pays photographers roughly 20%, with exclusive American Writers & Artists Inc. 11

12 contributors making up to 40%. You also have opportunities to make more money as your file builds. istock must approve three sample images, first, and accepts JPG images at least 1,200 x 1,600 pixels in size. How to Take Stock Quality Photos that Sell The most important thing to think about when you're shooting for the stock photography market is the word "useful." You want photos that buyers will have a need for. Having said that, "useful" can be anything from photos of a textured wall or TV static (graphic designers buy these to use as backgrounds for their designs) to pictures of people and places (these get snapped up to illustrate magazine articles, company brochures, space ads, websites, and more). But while the content of stock photography is diverse, buyers seek out some subjects more than others. Like people shots. People shots are the number one stock subject and I highly doubt that will ever change. Now, most amateur photographers make the mistake of trying to get the people out of their photos. But, if you're shooting for a stock audience, you should, be doing your best to include people. Incorporating the human element in your travel images will increase the dynamic interest of them and produce more sales. And, if you're a travel writer or travel photographer, here's more good news: People can change the context of your images so that they will not only sell as travel photographs, but can be used in other contexts as well. For instance: A business man with briefcase in hand running to catch the Underground in London is saleable to someone looking to illustrate an article about London. And since the guy's in a business suit, it's also saleable to someone looking for business type images an entirely different market. A couple holding hands as they watch the sunset on the beach at Diamond Head is a great photo to sell to someone interested in photos of Diamond Head. But because of the couple, this photo can also be sold to photo buyers looking for photos that illustrate love, happiness, good relationships, relaxation, etc. By simply introducing people into your images, you not only make your photographs more unique, but you increase the potential market for those photos, expanding beyond travel into the broader range of buyers who purchase stock photography. Images with multiple uses are great for stock. 12 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

13 Note: When you photograph people to sell for stock purposes, most agencies require a legal document, called a model release, signed by the model. You ll read more about the circumstances that call for a model release later in this report. American Writers & Artists Inc. 13

14 Lazy Man s Tip #2: Cash in on Your Interests and Expertise Another good way to understand what stock agencies are looking for is to open up any magazine and start looking at the ads or articles inside. You can bet that a good majority of those images are stock photos. Start with the magazines that get delivered to your door (or that you migrate to at the bookstore). Since you have an interest in the subject matter already, this might be an area for you to hone in on, especially if you have skills, equipment, and knowledge of something that the rest of us may not. Most photographers, for example, probably don t know much about the violin. They can put a violin in a model's hand, but they wouldn t know the right way to hold it, play it, and capture it in a way that was truly authentic. However, if you're a violinist, or you know a lot about the violin, you have an advantage over other photographers. You can use your skills and knowledge of the subject to shoot images that are not only interesting but will be more genuine and precise. Keep in mind that stock agencies will each have its own unique list of wants, so be sure to check and re check those lists every now and then, as they may spark a new idea for you. 14 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

15 Lazy Man s Tip #3: Make Every Cloudy Day a Photo Day Studio lights are great. And one huge benefit to them is that once you learn how to use them, it s easy. And once you learn how to measure light and set them up properly, the light in your photos will be flawless. But here s the problem with studio lights when it comes to The Lazy What You Need: A cooperative day White foam board or poster board A model (a friend, neighbor, spouse or child... to practice you might consider using a stuffed animal) Man s Guide: There s a learning curve. You have to learn how the lights work with your camera... how to set your camera to expose properly... how far they need to be away from your subject... how to set their strength, etc. And every time you want to use them to take photos, you have to drag them out and set them up again. So, for the sake of this guide, let s assume we don t have that kind of time and money to invest in studio lights and practice using them. For the lazy man, then, the key to success is in natural light. That is, light from the sun. But not all light is created equal not in quality, quantity, color, or other attributes. Take a look at this picture on the left, for instance You can see the difference between the direct sunlight, which is shining on the soccer player s right side, and the shade on the left side of his body. Notice that there's a big difference in the color and quality of the light. The direct sun is a much warmer light with a color shift more to the yellows and reds. By contrast, the shaded side of his body is cooler, more cyan, blue, or sometimes green. Direct sunlight (except for early and late in the day) is a harsher light, with harder edged shadows, which is why it s rarely good for people photos. Shade provides a softer, less harsh light, and it creates less shadowing under your model s nose and eyes. So it s generally better American Writers & Artists Inc. 15

16 for people shots. (That said, you have to be aware of the color shift in shadow shade can turn people s skin strange hues which you'll have to fix in Lightroom or Photoshop later.) Your first Lazy Man Assignment, then, is to head outside and take pictures of something (or someone) at different times of the day in both direct light and in shadow. Write down the times of day and the location in a notebook so you can remember later which location and lighting you like best. Do this once and then start experimenting with the subject you'd like to photograph for stock. Try not to spend all your time practicing and learning about light when you need the majority of your time to actually take real photos. Take People Shots in Natural Light The Lazy Man Way Many professional portrait photographers shoot entirely in natural light. And this is, in fact, the Lazy Man's Way. So it s important to learn how to use this light to the best of your ability. It's readily available. You don't have to drag out an expensive set of lights. There's little to no set up time needed. And you can head outside to take photos after work, in your spare time, even on your lunch breaks if it's a cloudy day. The best lighting for portrait photography is diffused (soft) natural daylight. That means open shade, cloudy days, and NO direct overhead sun. Not only does this light make for great portraits but it s also the least expensive and portable light you ll find. The downside to natural light is that we are limited by daylight hours (early morning and late afternoon/evening, typically) as well as the cooperation of the weather. The Lazy Man's Rule: In order to be a successful Lazy Man, you must spend 20% of your time practicing and learning about your craft and 80% of your time actually following through on what you practice and learn. Reading an e book on how to break into stock photo agencies is no replacement for actually doing it. You'll learn more from trial and error than you will from any book on the shelf (or, well... in this case, on your computer). Our goal here is to simply cut your learning time in half and encourage you to get out there are do it. Read this e book cover to cover but then make sure you leave time to actually do the things it tells you to do. You can, however, get creative and use anything that keeps you and your subject out of the direct sun or rain yet allows the light to illuminate your subject. 16 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

17 This photograph was taken outside on a cloudy day. Gray skies are great for people shots. Try and get as much of the sky out of your picture as possible, though. While the light may be nice, a photo with a big gray sky isn t very appealing. Keep in mind you can also effectively use natural light that is coming into a building through a door or window. Early 1900 s photography studios were often built with an entire wall of windows specifically for this purpose. Be observant, however, because the light coming into a room can be flat depending on the source of the light, the size of the window (or door), the number of windows and so on. This takes some trial and error, but it is an option that you can learn to use with excellent results. Here is an example of a shot taken indoors with nothing but window lighting... American Writers & Artists Inc. 17

18 A Simple Key to Making All Your People Photos Shine A tip to keep in mind when photographing people is to get a catch light in the eyes. You can do this in a variety of ways if it s not naturally appearing in the lighting conditions. One really good option is to use a white reflector and position it (bouncing the light) till you see it reflecting in the eyes. Here s an example of catch light in a portrait photograph. Notice how there s a sparkle of light in the subject s eyes? 18 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

19 If you don t get a sparkle in your subject s eyes, try using a white poster board or reflector to bounce light on the subject s face until you get that catch light. The Lazy Man's Method for Finding the Right Light Without spending too much time learning your equipment and everything there is to know about light, you do still have to get the lighting right if you want to sell your photos as stock. Here's how... Blinking Highlights Like most things in the world of electronics, features that were found only on high end cameras a year or two ago are now commonplace on less expensive models. If you purchased your camera within the last year or so, the chances are good you have this feature. Dig out the manual and see how to activate it. In this display mode, any highlights that are overexposed enough to be beyond recording (that is, too light or blown out to contain any detail) will blink on and off in the review screen. One glance and you ll know whether or not you're shooting in too much light. The Histogram Most amateur photographers have never heard of a digital histogram. But it s a tool the pros rely on all the time. American Writers & Artists Inc. 19

20 It is, quite simply, a graph which shows the range of light in an image, from pure black on the left edge to pure white on the right. Without exception, every digital camera from medium to high end has this feature. If you don t know how to display a histogram on your camera, stop reading for a moment, get out your manual, and learn. Below you ll see three examples of histograms, each charting the brightness of a particular photo. These are not good or bad examples. They are, simply, photos exposed differently so you can see what a histogram looks like in a variety of situations. (The histogram, if you didn t guess, is the little graph overlaid on each photo.) Now, what you ll see on these histograms is a range of brightness which goes from pure black on the left to pure white on the right. The data that is, the light content of the photo you re examining appears on the histogram as vertical masses like little mountain ranges. The idea is to keep that data within the boundaries of the histogram. Too much off the left side, and you ve blocked out your shadows. Too much off the right side, and you ve blown out your highlights. Take a look at these examples: You can see in the histogram of this image the readings are primarily at the black end of the scale. 20 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

21 This shot shows a smooth curve with the bulk of the light in the midrange and smooth transitions to the dark and light ends of the spectrum. This image is much brighter, and as you can see, the histogram shows more data at the white end of the graph. Histograms and blinking highlights are the Lazy Man's best friend. A quick review lets us know whether we've got too much light or not enough. American Writers & Artists Inc. 21

22 The Lazy Man's Quick Light Fix: How to Adjust Exposure... Without Touching Your Camera Settings Since the Lazy Man doesn't have time to learn a whole lot about the different settings on his camera and how to adjust them when he has too much or too little light, use this trick to fool your camera's light meter... If your blinking highlights are warning you that you've got too much light, point your camera at something lighter than your subject, half press the shutter and hold it (this locks the exposure setting), then recompose and complete the shutter press. Likewise, if your histogram leans too much to the left and you need more light in your scene, point your camera at something darker than your subject, hold the shutter down half way, then recompose and complete the shutter press. Note: This technique works, but it could have some serious drawbacks. Your half shutter press locks the focus, too, on most cameras. So when you recompose, you often wind up with a well exposed picture that s out of focus worthless. There s always a bit of trial and error involved with quick fixes like this. Make an adjustment, check the review, and adjust again if necessary. The more you do this, the better you ll get at estimating how far off you are, and the number of trials will be reduced. 22 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

23 Lazy Man's Tip #4: Invest in a Good Photo Editing Software... And Let it Work for You Once you have a good number of photos you like from your cloudy day photo shoots, it's time to process them on your computer. The Lazy Man s Guide to post processing requires that you buy (or at least download the free 30 day trial version of) Adobe Lightroom. Can you process your images in another program like Photoshop, Picasso or Adobe Elements? Sure you can. But The Lazy Man s Guide is about getting up and ready fast. It s about selling your photos the easiest way possible in a few short days. Not a few weeks or months. Lightroom lets you catalog, process and keyword your photos dozens at a time. Bogging yourself down with a program that limits processing to one photo at a time will take forever. Especially if you re just starting out and you don t even know what will sell yet. You want to avoid spending hours processing images only to upload them and sell one or two in a month s time. It s a waste of time. No, when you re first starting out, volume is key. You need to be able to upload batches at a time until you figure out your niche and what sells best for you. And to do that, Lightroom is A Non Approved, Cheaper Alternative the best product on the market. to Lightroom Does Lighroom come with a learning curve? Yes it does. And usually that s not the Lazy Man s policy, I know. But in this instance, your time will be well spent getting familiar with this software. You can take a class at your local community college. You can come to one of our photography workshops. Or you can watch free tutorials about the software online by searching for free Lightroom tutorials. One word of caution, though, if you take a class at your local community college or you search for free Lightroom tutorials online Not everything you ll learn about post This isn t The Lazy and Poor Man s Guide to Stock Photography, but if it were, I'd check out LightBox. It's a free program that's similar to Lightroom in that it allows you to adjust color and exposure, crop, rotate, resize, and otherwise edit both.jpeg and RAW files. We haven't tried it out yet, but it's out there, and it might be worth a look. However, since it's not tested, I recommend using what the pros use. Lightroom is tried and tested, and you can try it out for free for 30 days. But suit yourself. American Writers & Artists Inc. 23

24 processing your photos in Lightroom applies to readying your photos to sell as stock. Most photographers use Lightroom for their studio photography work family portraits, high school graduation pictures, team sports, etc. Other photographers use it for publishing photos in magazines or selling them as fine art. Processing photos for each of these markets is different. Take a class. Watch the free online tutorials. Get familiar with the program. But know that processing for stock is an art all its own. As long as you re working in big volumes, the Lazy Man s way, you ll eventually learn what works and what doesn t in stock. Here is a page of Lazy Man Lightroom tutorials, with a few basic steps you can use to quickly and simply process your photos to sell them as stock: You still with me? So far I ve told you to start with microstock, work with natural light (to decrease your learning curve and shoot in large volumes, and process in Lightroom. Now let s talk about equipment. 24 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

25 Lazy Man s Tip #5: Take Photos that Don't Need a Lot of Work First of all, every image needs some processing before you can sell it as stock. Think of it like taking photos with film. When you shoot film, it doesn't come out of the camera as a finished print. What you have is the negative, which needs to be processed. Digital files straight out of your camera are like digital negatives. To give them pop and make them ready for stock sites, they still need to be processed. Go through your photos and start with those that need nothing more. Initial Selection Look at each image carefully and ask yourself the following question: "Is it in focus and properly exposed?" If the answer is "no" to either question, you can't sell the image as stock. You might be able to fix the exposure in certain photos, but blurry shots must go. Secondary Selection Next, go back through your images and ask yourself, "Does the image express the right compositional elements? Can it be cropped to improve the composition?" If the answer to either of these is "no," reject it and move on to the next. Now, that doesn't mean you can never use the images you rejected for stock. Just because you can't sell them on stock agencies doesn't mean you can't use them in your family album or even sell them with an article or as fine art somewhere down the line. But right now, we're talking about the Lazy Man's Way of processing photos for stock, and stock only. And the Lazy Man's Way is to process as little as possible. So pick the best shots you've got and don't waste your time on photos that require more than a minute or two of your time. Get started by taking a look at the Lazy Man video processing tutorials, here: American Writers & Artists Inc. 25

26 Lazy Man s Tip #6: Invest in a Good Camera I m going to say the same thing here that I said about Lightroom. For the Lazy Man, there are some investments that are worth it. They ll shave hours off your work times and years off your learning curve. Having a nice camera is one of those investments. Here s why More room to fix your mistakes. SLR cameras have larger digital image sensors. They shoot higher quality photos because of this, giving you more creative freedom to edit your photo. If you need to crop a trash can out of the right side of your picture because you missed it when you shot the photo in the first place, you can do so with a larger image and still maintain some size to the photo. Cropping a small photo even smaller makes it much less saleable. So a nicer SLR camera will afford you more picture size to make edits. Fewer technical difficulties. When it comes to stock, your photos have to be technically perfect. I won t get into the specifics here but, basically, digital noise, artifacting and a few other technical problems are more prominent in shots taken with a point and shoot camera than they are with one that has a larger sensor size. No matter how great your point and shoot photos look on your computer, you could be sabotaging yourself in terms of their saleablitity just because of the technical limitations on the point andshoot you're using. The Lazy Man can not afford to spend time taking photos and editing photos only to find out that they're rejected due to these minor issues with his equipment. More creative possibilities. SLR cameras allow you to change lenses and make adjustments to your camera settings where point and shoot cameras simply can t. With longer and faster lenses you can experiment with selective focus. And the same scene can be shot from a dozen different angles with more creative flare. Rather than upload five shots from a single shoot, the Lazy Man can upload ten to twelve or more. Growing your portfolio is key. And variety will help you do that. Pictures will sell for a higher price because they re larger. Pictures that can be enlarged to poster and full wall sizes sell for higher amounts. Since you're earning a percentage of each sale, it makes sense that you'll earn more money if your photos can be sold to buyers looking to enlarge their photo to something bigger than a business card. The larger the photos you can provide, the higher your royalties will be when they sell. In addition (and stock agencies don t say this) when a buyer is searching for an image, stock sites rank photos that can be sold for higher prices above those that can t. So the larger your photos can be, the more exposure they ll probably get. The Lazy Man s Guide is all about making the most money from the least amount of work. If that s what you want, you should invest in a better camera now. 26 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

27 Quick Tip: The Megapixel Myth We've been bombarded by megapixel mania. We've been led to believe camera quality is all about how many pixels you have. But in reality, the number of pixels you have is only half of the quality equation. The other half is the size of the digital sensor. Larger sensors are made up of larger pixels. Larger pixels have qualities that are better than their smaller brothers. Qualities you may find out you need to enter the market that's important to you. Point and shoot cameras are almost always made with smaller sensors and thus smaller pixels (think: 1/10th the size of a 35mm negative). So while they may have a lot of pixels (8 million or 8 megapixels is not uncommon) each one of those pixels is extremely tiny. SLRs, on the other hand, are always made with a larger sensor (anywhere from 1/2 the size of, to equal to, a 35mm negative). They may even have fewer pixels than the point and shoots, but each one is significantly larger so therefore your image quality will be better. For more specific advice on what kind of camera to buy, check out the free camera buying guide posted on our website, here: That said, a good camera is only as good as the photographer behind it. So American Writers & Artists Inc. 27

28 2 Fool Proof Ways to Master the Art of Composition #1: Don't be afraid to shoot your subject from many different viewpoints. Most photographers don't spend enough time thinking about what they're about to do. This is the part where the Lazy Man needs to step up. There needs to be a point where you decide Watch Out for Those Seemingly Insignificant Details Warning: Good composition requires that you learn how to see what you are looking at. Now that's an ambiguous statement. Everybody sees exactly what they are looking at, right? Unfortunately not. How about those power lines that cut across the cityscape, or the Coke can or cigarette wrapper, or that dirty diaper lying under that rock in the foreground? This sort of stuff is lurking everywhere. Most inexperienced photographers never pick up on these seemingly insignificant little details. They will, however, render an otherwise great photograph useless. You should learn to see them. where you're going to draw the line between being lazy and just plain not doing the work at all. To save time at the computer (and in the long run, decrease the amount of time between your first $20 royalty check and your first $2,000 check) you need a good sized portfolio... A portfolio of images that didn't take you long to create or process. One way to do that is to maximize the number of photos you bring home from every shoot. Train yourself to think: Would this shot be better if I moved 20 feet to the right? Go and take a look. Get down on the ground, stand up on a bench, get closer, move farther away, move to the right, move to the left... Don't be afraid to shoot your subject from many different points of view. You'll learn a great deal through experimentation. When you're shooting with a digital camera, you'll also benefit from the thousands of pictures you can take without having to develop them before you can learn anything. #2: Develop an eye for good composition even when you don't have your camera. Obviously, the way you compose your photographs is extremely important. If you don't already have an eye for composition, you will have to develop one. Here's how the Lazy Man can develop an eye without doing anything more than what he already does during the day... First, read these three articles in our eletter archives: The Rule of Thirds (see: ) 28 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

29 Diagonal Lines (see: ) Framing (see: ) Then, start noticing these elements around you. Film crews use these same techniques in movies and TV shows. Artists use them in paintings and sculptures. And other photographers certainly use them in their photos. Train yourself to look for these elements in the world around you even when you don't have a camera strapped to your neck. Notice them on TV. Look for them in posters hanging in your local bank window or grocery store. Pretty soon, they'll embed themselves into your subconscious and every time you pick up your camera, you'll see things through an artist's eye. A Word about Model Releases A model release is a standard practice legal document. It gives a photographer permission to use or sell an image when the people in that image are clearly recognizable. It's a paper signed by the photographer, her "models" (or a legal guardian if a minor is in the photo), and a witness. (If you have lots of people in your shot a large crowd, perhaps you'll need a signed release from each person.) The law requires you to have such a release when: You sell or use the image for commercial purposes, like in advertising. You submit your image for sale in stock agencies, like any of the six mentioned earlier. Most online stock photo agencies require a model release for every photo they accept that has one or more recognizable people in it. This leaves you with two choices: 1. Carry a model release with you at all times and have no fear about approaching people with it, or Shoot in such a way that the people are not identifiable their heads are turned and their profile is unrecognizable, they're in shadow without facial detail, or they're simply blurred into the background. Either way, adding the human element to your images will increase the dynamic interest in them and produce more sales for you. American Writers & Artists Inc. 29

30 Be forewarned, however, that the rules about using images of people for commercial purposes appear to be getting stricter all the time. What you were able to use as unrecognizable a few short years ago would today require a release. So if in doubt, and whenever possible, secure a model release to protect all people involved, and to keep your images saleable. Selling Your Photos without a Model Release Sometimes, you don't need the full person in the photograph to make it a saleable people shot. Adding just a simple human element an arm, a shadow, someone's foot can make the photograph more saleable, too. Take a look at these wedding photos taken by professional photographer Shelly Perry. They include people (or at least parts of people) The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

31 All three of these photos say, "wedding." All three include a human element. But none require a model release. Why are pictures like this an attractive option for the Lazy Man? First, you don't have to carry releases with you when you re traveling. Nor do you have to file them and upload them when it comes time to submit them for sale. Not only that, but you don't have to approach people to sign the release either. Getting your family and friends to sign for the pictures you're taking in your backyard is one thing. Getting a complete stranger to sign is another. Rules for Model Releases Here's the rule of thumb: For editorial or fine art use (that's magazines, newspapers, textbooks), you don't need a model release. For stock agency or other commercial use, you do (unless the person in your shot is unidentifiable. Then you don't need a model release). American Writers & Artists Inc. 31

32 Note: istockphoto.com has recently changed their approach to model releases making this a much grayer area. Earlier we said that you should choose your agencies first, before you start shooting. If you choose to submit to istock, you'll want to read their model release guidelines. What distinguishes "identifiable" from "unidentifiable"? If a stranger could identify the person in your photograph (which is to say the person in your photo has a unique tattoo or scar or is clearly visible and anyone could pick him or her out of a lineup) then you do need a release. Short of that, you don't. What does the above rule mean for you? It means that you can easily turn any special event into a money making opportunity (and you won't need a model release). The next time you attend a wedding, a birthday party, a high school graduation don't try so hard to capture the front of the subject's face or her entire body in your picture. Look, instead, for "unidentifiable" people photos you could sell for stock use. Focus on your subject s hands. Shoot from behind her head. You'll discover all sorts of ways to include a human element in your photos without including an identifiable human. 32 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

33 Pesky Copyright Laws and the Lazy Man's Way around Them If you're thinking about selling photos to stock agencies, they have to be clean. Clorox clean. No, there is no need to run out and buy Clorox. But if you're photographing a bottle of Clorox, the word "Clorox" would have to come off if you wanted to sell that photo for stock. In fact, the whole label would probably have to come off as that label is likely trademarked by Clorox. Logos, names, trademarks, and pretty much anything that identifies a product to a specific company be it by name, design, or another type of "trade dress" are all prohibited by stock agencies unless you have written permission from the company (which you're not likely to get). What does this mean for the Lazy Man? If you're out and about in the street, try different viewpoints to avoid billboards, newspaper dispensers, Coke machines, etc. Or use framing to frame them out a nearby bush or tree, for example. Whatever you do, don't get them in your pictures. The Lazy Man does not want to tie himself to a desk chair behind his computer while he struggles to get these things out of his photos. It's not the Lazy Man's way. Instead, ask your models to wear trademark free clothes. No designer emblems on the pockets. No Nike Swoosh, Mickey Mouse, or three Adidas stripes. Check your model s sunglasses, jewelry, watch, shirt, pants and shoes. Removing these things in Photoshop is no easy task. And what about the new iphone? Well, even if you remove the name and any traces of a logo, it's still an iphone. And that means it falls under the term of Patented Trademarked Product Design. The Rubik's Cube, Viewmaster, and Scrabble all fall under this "Trade Dress" patent as well. And any image of them (or with them) cannot be sold as stock. Most art work including other people's photographs, certain statuary, sculptures, and art installations is protected under photo copyright laws (including, for example, the Wall Street Bull in New York city the sculptor holds the copyright). Now, it's not always true that art is off limits to stock. The Lincoln Memorial and the Statue of Liberty, for instance, are considered public domain and photos of them would, therefore, be usable as stock. Just keep in mind that that sort of artwork falls under derivative work; while pictures of these landmarks are still protected under copyright laws and you do not obtain any rights to the subject in your image, you do own the copyright to your image itself. Another thing to be aware of is that some buildings, monuments, and even landmarks can have American Writers & Artists Inc. 33

34 commercial restrictions. Sometimes they are off limits all together like The Boston Public Library and the Sydney Opera House. And some places impose limitations like The Eiffel Tower in Paris. You can photograph it all you want during the day. But at night, that light show is photo copyright protected. The Seattle Space Needle and the Empire State Building possess similar restrictions. You can photograph The Needle as part of the Seattle skyline but not as the predominate subject of your photo. Same with the Empire State Building. And sometimes you simply need permission or a permit (sometimes for a fee) to shoot for commercial use like at Princeton University or Ayers Rock in Central Australia. The Lazy Man should consider all this before he picks a place to photograph. You can just as easily photograph friends and family in your backyard as you can head into town with your camera. If you're following the Lazy Man's Guide you'll stick to controlled situations where you can determine what your subject is wearing, what's in the background, and what passes by. 34 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

35 Tips for Posing Your Subjects When it comes to posing people, generally less is more. You want to capture people as genuine and true to themselves as you can, which works perfectly when shooting in a documentary style. However, when shooting a portrait session, sometimes people need a little coaching along the way. You might try talking to the person, helping her feel relaxed and comfortable and making posing suggestions in the midst of casual conversation, almost as an afterthought. As you spend time photographing people and your style and vision become clearer you will develop your own way of doing this. Here are some posing tips for you to keep in mind Head and shoulders portraits: Use the Rule of Thirds, placing the eyes on the top third line. Angle the subject s shoulders so they are not facing directly into the camera. Consider head positions and/or tilting the head slightly. Eyes: Keep them the most dynamic point of focus. Get a catch light in them. Take some shots with the subject looking at the camera and some looking away or off camera. Mouth: Do both smiling and non smiling shots. It s better to say something funny or compliment your subject to garner a smile than to say smile, which usually results in a forced and unnatural expression. This is where those interpersonal social skills really come into play. Hands: Angle hands away from the camera, not right into it. Have the wrists slightly bent, creating a smooth curved line where the hands and wrists meet. Have slight separation between fingers, which creates form and definition. American Writers & Artists Inc. 35

36 Three quarter and full length: Use the same tips as above where they apply. Make sure you don t crop at a joint. Shoulders should be degrees away from the camera (ask people to point their toes toward something at that angle). Have a slight bend in the knees (especially the one closest to the camera). 36 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

37 You don t always have to get a degree angle. Notice how this guy s shoulders and hips are turned even though he s looking forward. The point is to add depth to your photograph by turning your subject at an angle, and it s generally more flattering for your him, too. Some corrective techniques: For extremely thin people light colored clothing used with high key lighting and a light background. Here you can have the subject s shoulders face the camera. For overweight subjects dark clothing and a dark background, shoulders turned at least 45 degrees. Elderly subjects diffused light and soft focus. Eyeglasses have subject tilt or turn head, diffusing the light source. Face structure almost everyone has a more photogenic side of the face. Try both sides for several shots to see which is the better side. Baldness lower camera height, do not use a hair light, minimal background light. Double chin raise the camera height a bit, have the subject lean slightly forward and tilt chin up. Very dark skin open up one full stop. Oily skin use powder and diffused lighting. American Writers & Artists Inc. 37

38 Lazy Man s Fool Proof Plan 1. With your digital SLR camera, go outside and use what you learned about natural light, composition, trademarks and logos, and positioning to take pictures of a family member. 2. Take hundreds of photos. And take what s useful. Add props, change positions, try and tell a story with your images (have your subject read a book, laugh, look sad, kick a logofree soccer ball, play with the dog, etc.). 3. Load your photos into Adobe Lightroom (see the tutorial, here: 4. Pick your three favorites and process them for stock. 5. Upload them to three agencies. Choose from any of the six agencies discussed in this guide. 6. If they re accepted, use the sync feature in Adobe Lightroom to process your next favorite 10 shots, and tweak them individually for best results. If they're not accepted, use a service like to get help. 7. Get a new model or change the scene. 8. Repeat. 38 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography

39 101 Things You Can Get Paid to Photograph You can start taking stock photographs in your home, your neighborhood, your kitchen, at work, at family gatherings, in hotel rooms, or wherever you go. Here s a free report with 101 stock worthy photo ideas to keep you going: The Lazy Man's Challenge: Your First $100 In hopes of encouraging others to follow this guide, we'd like to present you with a little challenge... Follow this Lazy Man s Guide and get at least 15 images accepted for sale at an online stock agency. Send me a note at [email protected] and if I can use your story in an upcoming newsletter to encourage others to follow in your footsteps, I ll send you a check for $100. American Writers & Artists Inc. 39

40 Adobe Photo Editing Software Free Trials Adobe lets you download and use free trials of many of their products. They just work for 30 days, but it s enough time to practice and get a feel for the programs before you decide to buy. You do have to sign up with Adobe.com, first, but it s quick and free. Photoshop free 30 day trial: (click on download free trial on the left under the image of the box.) Lightroom free 30 day trial: (Scroll all the way to the bottom the link is on the left under Next steps. ) Photo Tip Archive Updated weekly, you ll find a treasure trove of tips on how to improve your photo taking, editing, storing, and selling skills in The Right Way to Travel s online e letter archive, here: AWAI Photography Workshops There s really no faster way for the Lazy Man to learn how to take and sell great stock photos than coming to a workshop, where our professional instructors can show him how. You ll find a list of all of our upcoming Photography and Travel Writing workshops and travel excursions, here: 40 The Lazy Man s Guide to Stock Photography