25 Sep 2007, ST Digital Life
Make your shots earn money for you as online stock photos. MIKE LEE has the 101 guide
1. Research online stock photo agencies
Word-of-mouth is still ever reliable; most enthusiasts would probably have heard of Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com) or iStockPhoto (www.istockphoto.com). For readers new to contributing to online stock photo agencies, these two agencies will be a starting point for research.
You can obtain lists of stock photo agencies from websites of associations such as the Picture Agency Council of America (www.stockindustry.org).
Also search for and read discussions about online stock photo agencies on various photography forums; dpreview.com and clubsnap.org are some good places to suss out.
Consider what people are saying about an agency's reputation - particularly how they honour payments to foreign contributors. This is important as you do not want your efforts to go unpaid.
Also read the contributor's sections to get an idea of payment schemes (like how payments are made and image sales royalty percentages), as well as contractual terms and legalese (do they require exclusive distribution rights, indemnification and so on).
Some agencies may also have specific technical requirements. For instance, some may require pictures to be made from cameras with 16-megapixel resolution and above.
Once you are comfortable with a few agencies, surf around their websites, and browse their picture collections to get an idea of the imagery accepted.
Large agencies like Shutterstock has a library of more than 2 million images ranging from happy teens at the beach to a man in a suit pouring coffee down his throat.
On the other hand, small boutique outfits may suit the specialist photographer better, as they target a niche or genre, such as food, animals or transport, which you may specialise in.
2. Register as contributor
Just fill up an online form - provide preliminary details such as your name and e-mail address, plus contacts such as your snail mail and phone number. No worries: this is to facilitate payment after image sales.
The contributor's registration sections are usually placed somewhat discreetly. This is because most sites are designed to cater to the photo buyers first. Look for links labelled 'For Photographers', 'Sell Photos' and the like.
On shutterstock.com, for example, the link 'Photographers - We sell your stock images' is found at the bottom of the homepage.
3. Gather stock photos from archive for first submission
Registration completed, you need to submit your first batch of images. The agency will review your first submission - 10 for the initial lot for Shutterstock.com - to ascertain if your images meet their guidelines, before allowing you full contribution rights.
Choose photos that best fit the agency's content requirements. Edit your images as necessary. For instance, photoshop out the dust and scratches.
4. Upload stock photos
You check back periodically at the contributor's section to see if your first submission passed review, and finally... congrats! Upload more images to grow your stock collection. This is pretty straightforward, though have some patience if your images are large. (Take a coffee break!)
5. Keyword the images
You must keyword your stock photos. This is because buyers use keyword searches to seek photos and good keywording increases the chances of buyers finding your photos.
Check out how the established contributors do it. For example, the top-selling photo on shutterstock.com is of a couple having fun. Other than 'couple' and 'fun' as keywords, the other words tagged are - 'affectionate', 'laughing', 'unity', 'vacation', 'vitality' and so on.
Some buyers look for photos to illustrate abstract concepts. So, keywords should not just describe the obvious content of the photo.
6. Market your stock
You can also publicise links to your stock gallery to increase visitorship. For a start, simply copy and paste the web address of your stock gallery onto your homepage, blog or e-mail signature, for instance.
As you get the hang of things, continue to add new images, market your collection, and tweak keywords to increase the visibility of your stock images!
-----------------------------------
Take stock of these terms
Micro-stock and rights-managed stock are the two main stock distribution methods used. In brief, micro-stock is economical. At Shutterstock, photographers earn US$0.25 (S$0.38) per image download and buyers can download 750 images a month for US$199. So, you will have to make up for earnings in volume or bulk sales.
Rights-managed stock pay more - ranging from tens to tens of thousands dollars, if your image is picked for an advertising campaign, for instance. Rights-managed stock sell less frequently, one obvious reason being they are more costly.
Imagery with fresh perspectives are more valuable. Remember that the buyer has probably had to sift through 1,001 similar photos of the Eiffel Tower already before getting to yours. So, if you were to submit a shot of that tourist attraction, be sure it is not the been-there-done-that type of exposure.
Agencies periodically release a 'wants list', which gives contributors an idea of what is in demand. Also anticipate seasonal demand, for instance, Christmas imagery in the months running up to the holiday.
Search the agencies' help section or Google for information about model releases. You will need one signed by the subject(s) in a people stock photo intended for commercial usage (for example, advertisements and brochures for businesses versus editorial usage).
Make your shots earn money for you as online stock photos. MIKE LEE has the 101 guide
1. Research online stock photo agencies
Word-of-mouth is still ever reliable; most enthusiasts would probably have heard of Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com) or iStockPhoto (www.istockphoto.com). For readers new to contributing to online stock photo agencies, these two agencies will be a starting point for research.
You can obtain lists of stock photo agencies from websites of associations such as the Picture Agency Council of America (www.stockindustry.org).
Also search for and read discussions about online stock photo agencies on various photography forums; dpreview.com and clubsnap.org are some good places to suss out.
Consider what people are saying about an agency's reputation - particularly how they honour payments to foreign contributors. This is important as you do not want your efforts to go unpaid.
Also read the contributor's sections to get an idea of payment schemes (like how payments are made and image sales royalty percentages), as well as contractual terms and legalese (do they require exclusive distribution rights, indemnification and so on).
Some agencies may also have specific technical requirements. For instance, some may require pictures to be made from cameras with 16-megapixel resolution and above.
Once you are comfortable with a few agencies, surf around their websites, and browse their picture collections to get an idea of the imagery accepted.
Large agencies like Shutterstock has a library of more than 2 million images ranging from happy teens at the beach to a man in a suit pouring coffee down his throat.
On the other hand, small boutique outfits may suit the specialist photographer better, as they target a niche or genre, such as food, animals or transport, which you may specialise in.
2. Register as contributor
Just fill up an online form - provide preliminary details such as your name and e-mail address, plus contacts such as your snail mail and phone number. No worries: this is to facilitate payment after image sales.
The contributor's registration sections are usually placed somewhat discreetly. This is because most sites are designed to cater to the photo buyers first. Look for links labelled 'For Photographers', 'Sell Photos' and the like.
On shutterstock.com, for example, the link 'Photographers - We sell your stock images' is found at the bottom of the homepage.
3. Gather stock photos from archive for first submission
Registration completed, you need to submit your first batch of images. The agency will review your first submission - 10 for the initial lot for Shutterstock.com - to ascertain if your images meet their guidelines, before allowing you full contribution rights.
Choose photos that best fit the agency's content requirements. Edit your images as necessary. For instance, photoshop out the dust and scratches.
4. Upload stock photos
You check back periodically at the contributor's section to see if your first submission passed review, and finally... congrats! Upload more images to grow your stock collection. This is pretty straightforward, though have some patience if your images are large. (Take a coffee break!)
5. Keyword the images
You must keyword your stock photos. This is because buyers use keyword searches to seek photos and good keywording increases the chances of buyers finding your photos.
Check out how the established contributors do it. For example, the top-selling photo on shutterstock.com is of a couple having fun. Other than 'couple' and 'fun' as keywords, the other words tagged are - 'affectionate', 'laughing', 'unity', 'vacation', 'vitality' and so on.
Some buyers look for photos to illustrate abstract concepts. So, keywords should not just describe the obvious content of the photo.
6. Market your stock
You can also publicise links to your stock gallery to increase visitorship. For a start, simply copy and paste the web address of your stock gallery onto your homepage, blog or e-mail signature, for instance.
As you get the hang of things, continue to add new images, market your collection, and tweak keywords to increase the visibility of your stock images!
-----------------------------------
Take stock of these terms
Micro-stock and rights-managed stock are the two main stock distribution methods used. In brief, micro-stock is economical. At Shutterstock, photographers earn US$0.25 (S$0.38) per image download and buyers can download 750 images a month for US$199. So, you will have to make up for earnings in volume or bulk sales.
Rights-managed stock pay more - ranging from tens to tens of thousands dollars, if your image is picked for an advertising campaign, for instance. Rights-managed stock sell less frequently, one obvious reason being they are more costly.
Imagery with fresh perspectives are more valuable. Remember that the buyer has probably had to sift through 1,001 similar photos of the Eiffel Tower already before getting to yours. So, if you were to submit a shot of that tourist attraction, be sure it is not the been-there-done-that type of exposure.
Agencies periodically release a 'wants list', which gives contributors an idea of what is in demand. Also anticipate seasonal demand, for instance, Christmas imagery in the months running up to the holiday.
Search the agencies' help section or Google for information about model releases. You will need one signed by the subject(s) in a people stock photo intended for commercial usage (for example, advertisements and brochures for businesses versus editorial usage).
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