One important common denominator of successful stock shooters includes the willingness to do whatever it takes....
Shooting Stock For A Living
I spend practically every waking moment, and even some
non-waking moments, thinking about stock photography. I love shooting stock for
a living, and I really love making a very good living at it. But as any stock
shooter probably knows, our industry is under siege. There are too many of us,
and we are making too many images.
The Common
Denominators
In my never ending quest to figure out how to best insure
that I can continue to
make a good living at stock photography, I am always trying
to find out the common denominators in successful stock shooters. The primary
trait that seems to be present in all of the top stock photographers I know,
and even the ones I don’t know personally but do know of, is that of
productivity.
1. Shooting Quality And
Quantity
While the vast majority of stock photographers earn
relatively small amounts, and most traditional stock shooters find themselves
with declining incomes, there are still a few who are doing well, and even
those who find their incomes consistently increasing. One thing these shooters
all find a way to do is to produce a lot of work. This is true with micro
stockers as well as traditional shooters.
I want to believe that quality trumps quantity, but that might just no
longer be true. I think the new paradigm is quality and quantity…and you need
both
How To Shoot Quality
And Quantity
I know that about a year ago I set a goal for myself of
twenty images a month. One photo a day for every weekday seemed like an
impossible task for me, given the Photoshop intensive nature of my images, but
by golly, I have actually exceeded that goal. But without setting that goal,
and really committing to it, I probably wouldn’t be completing half that many
stock photos. I certainly wasn’t before!
Understanding
Strengths
I know one photographer who shoots three days a week, mostly
studio work. Another stock photographer I know just shoots on location and has
committed to a shoot a week. Each of us has to understand what our own
strengths are and push ourselves to apply those strengths to producing images
in a quantity and quality that will take us to where we want to be.
2. Shooting For
Market Needs
The stock shooters that I personally know that are doing the
best are also shooting with specific market needs in mind. They are not
shooting friends and neighbors on cell phones! The agencies I work with, Blend and Getty, both offer
information on what to shoot. Blend in particular (disclaimer…I am part owner)
is offering a ton of guidance on what to shoot and how to shoot it. You don’t
have to follow it to the letter, but I believe it is important to pay attention
to their research.
Know The Competition
When I say “know the competition” I am referring to the
competing images out there. I like to research what is out there before I
commit to an image. If the concept is really well covered, then before I begin,
if I decide to move forward with an idea, I make sure I have a twist that will
make my image stand out.
3. The Extra Mile
While I have found that truly successful stock photographers
all produce both quantity AND quality, and shoot for market needs, there are
other factors at play as well, factors that should not be ignored. All of these
shooters go the extra mile. I know one photographer, doing very well, who
attributes some of his success to the use of facebook ads! In my own case I
know that all my efforts at SEO play at least some role in supporting the
licensing of my imagery. Yet another photographer has had stellar results from
really focusing on perfecting his key wording at Alamy. At least anecdotally, it seems to me
that virtually all of the stock shooters doing well are in some way reaching
beyond the conventional avenues of success.
4. Whatever It Takes
As I conclude this post it comes to me that another quality
all of the stock shooters I know who are still making it are above all
MOTIVATED! Because lets face it, the challenge is too difficult to overcome
without one heck of a lot of effort, effort that can only come with a
tremendous amount of desire. We all have to ask ourselves one big question: Are
we willing to do whatever it takes to succeed?
