Key Selling Point in Your Photographs: It’s Not What You Put in… It’s What You Take Out

Sometimes (maybe always) it’s not what you get inside your photo that counts.  It’s what you leave out.
When I was out with professional photographer Stacey Blomstrom in Washington D.C. last weekend, scouting locations for our D.C. themed photo shoots for next month’s Ultimate Stock Photography Workshop, I asked her to take a few photos to show you what I mean.
Here’s a good example of a photo you might take if you’re walking around D.C. with your camera and come across a pretty fountain with the Capitol Building in the background…

But to a photo buyer, this image doesn’t have much use.
As a viewer, we’re not sure where to look.  Do we want the Capitol?  If we do, I’m willing to bet a photo buyer can find a much better picture of the Capitol without all these other distractions.
Do we want the fountain?  Again, a quick search through an online stock photo agency will show much better fountain pictures without these distracting elements.
And certainly you’ll agree that we’ve seen better pictures of our young model that say more than this image does.
Here are a few better options that give photo buyers a stronger statement about what the photo is about.  You know exactly where to look and the concept behind the photo is clear…

We still have the model and the Capitol.  But the viewer knows where to look and knows what the photo is about.

Even this one is a little better at including all the elements but giving the picture a strong subject to focus on.
Go out and experiment.  And keep this in mind when you’re shooting.  Sometimes it’s what you leave out that counts.
[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.]