Stock or Not

STOCK OR NOT: HOW TO KNOW WHAT WILL SELL AND WHAT WON’T

In Hershey, PA last week, I played a little game with our workshop attendees after my stock photography presentation. I called it “Stock or Not” and I put up a few images and made them guess whether or not the picture was stock worthy.

Take a look at the pictures below and see what you think…

STOCK OR NOT?…

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Yes, this is a great stock shot. Pets isolated on white backgrounds sell well in stock because designers can easily cut and manipulate the image in whatever way they want. This is a cutesy one, but simple pets on plain backgrounds sell well, too…

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How about this next one? Stock or not?

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Yes, groups of animals sell well in stock photography. Again, notice the plain, simple background. Clean, clean, clean. These next images are great for stock as well…

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By contrast, this next one won’t fly for stock…

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This is not a good stock shot. Yes, it’s a fairly plain background but that’s not all you need to get into stock. This photo is a little blurry… the wrinkles in the drape in the back are distracting… and the towel clearly doesn’t belong. It’s also a little underexposed and flat (very little contrast between colors).

And this one here below?

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This is a cute snapshot, but it’s not stock worthy either. The background is too cluttered. You can’t tell what kind of dog this is (it’s actually two dogs, which makes it even more confusing).

The use of on-camera flash is probably what created the poor lighting here. And look at the top right corner. That’s a Frogger video game there (along with other video games and books). Trademarks and copyrights can’t appear in stock photos.

How about these next two shots? Stock or not?

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Yes, this is an excellent stock shot. Pets with human attributes sell well in stock. And here’s another one that would sell as well…

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[Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]