What’s So Great about Stock Photography? Plus Basic Tips for Getting Started.

The Hawaiian Islands are the projecting tops of the largest mountain range in the world.

We’re headed there this week to take pictures with successful stock photographers Lise Gagne and Shelly Perry.  So, I thought we could switch gears in our newsletter this week and talk about the kinds of photos that sell best to this market.

Selling your photos to online stock photo agencies is a great way to fund your vacations.

You can do it in your spare time, from anywhere in the world you live or travel….

You don’t have to bother with printing or framing your images…

You don’t even have to do any selling. Stock agencies do that for you. You just wait for the royalty checks to roll in while you’re off doing other things.

In general, online stock photo agencies are happy to work with amateur photographers but they do expect near-perfect photographs.  So, you’ve got to have a good digital camera and an eye for composition.

Tomorrow, I’ll send you an on-the-ground report from Hawaii, and you’ll find out what your first step should be if you want to turn your next trip into a saleable stock portfolio.

In the meantime, here are a few quick tips to get you started this weekend…

1. You can try to get into a new agency with photos already in your library.  But it’s better to learn what makes a good stock photograph and start fresh.
2. You need a good camera and a good lens to take photos that meet the technical requirements of most stock photo agencies.  You’ll find a free camera and lens buying guide on our website.
3. Practice on your friends and family.  If you’re going to sell your photos to online stock photo agencies, you’re going to need a model release.  It’s best to start with pictures of your friends and family so you feel comfortable asking them to sign a release.
4. Make your photos unique. Don’t try to copy a photo on the site, setting it up the exact same way the original photographer did. You can follow the same concepts and make similar compositions, but you should try to come up with a photo that is truly your own.

Some of the leading stock photo agency sites are: Istockphoto.com, Shutterstock.com, Fotolia.com, Dreamstime.com, and Bigstockphoto.com.

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.  Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]