Sell Photos You’ve Already Taken as Stock

When fellow reader Dave Troesh decided to make a go of it in stock photography, he didn’t have to lift his camera.
Instead, he turned to his computer.
There, he trawled through the thousands of photos he’d collected over the years and chose those he thought were both stock-worthy and in demand by today’s buyers.
The result? Dave got no less than 25 photos accepted to a number of stock photo sites on his first try.
Scroll down to read how he did it…
–Lori
Lori Allen
Director, Great Escape Publishing
INTERVIEW WITH STOCK PHOTOGRAPHER DAVE TROESH
By Christina Merchant in Washington, D.C.
CHRISTINA: Dave, you’ve recently had several photos accepted across different online stock agencies. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience?
DAVE: Two years ago, a casual conversation about stock photography with one of my daughters prompted me to buy the AWAI “Turn Your Pictures into Cash” program. I was in the middle of writing a book and couldn’t pursue the idea until earlier this year when I bought the Lazy Man’s Guide to Stock Photography. The AWAI offer to refund $100 was exactly the backside kick I needed to get moving.
I already had several thousand old digital pictures to choose from. So to figure out which ones to send in, I reviewed all the best-selling shots on eight different stock sites. Then I used comparable shots of mine to get started. The goal was to get 15 pictures accepted. I was blessed to get 25 accepted on six different sites. Shutterstock and iStock are the sites that I haven’t yet broken into. I’m working on those two now.
CHRISTINA: What’s your favorite thing to shoot?
DAVE: Mountain or desert landscapes are tops for me. I’m particularly fond of the area around the ghost-town Bodie in California. Besides all the historic buildings, the tufa limestone formations at Mono Lake and the Mammoth Lakes ski resort with all its high-country scenic lakes are only a short drive away.
CHRISTINA: What’s next for you with your stock photography?
DAVE: Now it’s time to get serious. My four daughters still love getting their pictures taken, as does my son, especially if the picture involves fishing. We’re also blessed with 10 extremely photogenic grandchildren. The possibilities are endless. I have a sports medicine shoot scheduled with three of them. It’ll be interesting to see how well that’s received at the different microstock sites.
CHRISTINA: If you could take your stock photography anywhere in the world, where would you go?
DAVE: There’s so much to see here in California. I have mountains, desert, and the beach within an hour or so from home. All of them are filled with wonderful views and unique people. I could spend a lifetime learning and shooting while never leaving the state.
CHRISTINA: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?
DAVE: I know this sounds like a commercial, but the Breakfast Stock Club and the other AWAI programs have saved me from a huge number of time-wasting mistakes and an immeasurable amount of frustration. AWAI already has done all the homework and laid out the groundwork. Quite simply, follow their lead.
CHRISTINA: Anything else you’d like to add about your experience?
DAVE: Your programs probably saved me about two or three years of do-it-myself hard-knocks learning. Without your timely advice, I would no doubt have purchased the wrong editing program, invested in a lens that I don’t really need, and been angrily wondering why my pictures weren’t being accepted at Bigstock. Thanks for all your help and motivation.
CHRISTINA: Thanks Dave, keep up the good work!
[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.]