So, you want to be a stock photographer..
Well, this is probably long overdue. But I’m not much of a blogger.. or a Twitterer, or a FaceBooker or a MySpacer, etc. You get the idea. I’m a photographer, and much of my time in front of the computer is spent sorting, processing and uploading photos. More specifically, I’m a commercial stock photographer, exclusive to iStockphoto (and Getty Images). The purpose of this blog is to present pearls of wisdom I have accumulated over the years, hopefully providing simple answers to the myriad of questions I receive about my line of work. Granted, many of these pearls may have been posted in various forms by other photographers making the same living I do. But I haven’t taken time to follow their blogs (or anyone else’s blog for that matter). I’m not the sort who likes to blather on a lot about nothing, so entries will generally be concise and *hopefully* easily understood.
Skip this paragraph if you already understand the concept of royalty free stock photography. Royalty-free does not mean the photo is free. It means the purchaser may use the photo multiple times without having to pay a royalty fee each time it is used, according to the End User License Agreement. Royalty-free photos save the buyer A LOT of money if they plan to use them often. Royalty-free photos are also usually priced according to the file size. One example of a royalty-free stock photo would be a photo of a casual teenager used to advertise for a local university or community college. The same photo might also be used by a dentist to advertise his services (assuming the person in the photo has a bright white smile). In microstock (the niche that companies like iStockphoto fill) the idea is to sell one photo over and over again worldwide. Each sale of the same photo might earn the photographer $1 or less, but if sold thousands of times… well, the math isn’t all that difficult.
“Can anyone be a commercial stock photographer?”
That’s a loaded question. Technically, yes. Realistically, no. If you LOVE spending hours with Photoshop, then YES. If you would rather not spend time in front of the computer and have no idea how Photoshop works, then most likely NO. I make doing what I do for a living look easy. But trust me, there is nothing easy about it. I love what I do, so I don’t spend much time grumbling about how much work it takes to produce eye-catching photos that SELL. Successful stock photographers are skilled, patient, determined and thick-skinned. Without these qualities, hopefuls are destined for failure.
“What do I need to be a commercial stock photographer?”
Another loaded question. Besides the obvious – a decent camera and computer workstation loaded with a current version of Photoshop – see the previous paragraph. Without the proper disposition and innate desire to create images, regardless of what money you hope to earn from your efforts, the most expensive camera gear in the world is a complete waste. Assuming you are already a Photoshop JUNKIE, you already have what you NEED. The rest is just a collection of toys designed to help feed your addiction.
Here’s basically how I started… back in the early 90’s I had a 486 computer and a piece of photo editing software that came with a flatbed scanner I purchased for way too much money. I thought it was fun to scan in pictures of friends and distort their facial features and/or cut their faces out and paste them onto someone else’s body, ultimately making them look completely ridiculous. This activity led me to buying cheap digital cameras to capture more scrap for my photo manipulation hobby. I was completely hooked. Eventually, digital cameras got better and photo editing software got more advanced (eventually switched to Adobe Photoshop in the mid/late 90’s), and my obsession with digital image trickery grew with every advancement of digital technology. Eventually my cameras evolved to the DSLR type and I invested in a pro lighting kit to start a small side business taking peoples’ portraits for a small fee. The secret of my business’s success was my ability to make people look great through my post processing skills in Photoshop. You see, it was Photoshop that got me into photography, not the other way around. When I stumbled upon iStockphoto it was the perfect storm. Here was an avenue where I could sell my Photoshop creations for .50 cents a pop (and in turn earn .10 cents royalty per sale). It was a dream come true, and never in my wildest dreams would I ever have guessed it would evolve into a full-time “job”.
I will confess right now that I am not a purist. There’s a popular quote that is supposedly from Ansel Adams: “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” Regardless of whether or not it came from Ansel, I agree wholeheartedly. There isn’t much room for purists in my line of work… the term “purist” meaning to imply a person who believes photos should not be altered in any way and should look good right from the camera. By this definition, a purist would also believe in truth in advertising. There is no such thing, especially where commercial photography is concerned. Every photo you see in advertising these days is a complete fabrication. Once you understand this and are willing to bastardize every single photo you take, then you’re off to a good start.
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