To Sell Your Photographs, Detach Your Memories

Online stock agencies have been a blessing to the amateur and professional photographer alike. They make it easy to submit your photographs online with the intention of selling them. Obviously they need to be of a certain standard, but both the photographer and the agency make money each time they are downloaded and sold. It is therefore a great deal for all parties concerned; where the buyer has the ability to easily view many photographs in their chosen niche area, and download their selected photographs instantly at a reasonable cost.

Professional photographers know this process backwards and take full advantage, but what about the serious amateur or budding professional? What type of photographs should a serious amateur submit to an online Stock Agency hoping to sell them? That is a very big question which can be broken down many times. I think a better question could be at the initial stage; “which type of photograph will definitely not sell”. There is one type of photograph that can be ruled out instantly, and that is the family photo.

You may be thinking why, if it is well taken? It may have good color balance, perfect subject alignment with the correct amount of depth of field etc., but it will either be rejected by online stock agencies or if it is accepted, it will not sell. This is regardless of the quality of the photograph.

To weed out your photographs, you need to first ask yourself the question; how many words will it takes to describe this photograph? If it is a photograph of yourself and your partner, and your great Aunty Bessie and your Uncle Wullie going to a wedding, then the chances are that nobody outside the family would be the slightest bit interested.

Now if for example your photograph was of a ship at sea, an inanimate object, it would be more likely to sell. The first picture is personal and requires an explanation; the second is impersonal and needs little or no explanation, that is, if it was well taken. People like to see,and therefore buy pictures of ships, or landscapes or animals, or buildings; in fact anything that is inanimate. I mean subjects or objects that have absolutely no personal attachment to the viewer; unlike pictures of people at weddings and family snapshots which are so common.

I use the example of a photograph of ships, because I know ships "sell" particularly well, especially if they are of well known, ships like the Queen Mary or QE2. I am not saying ships sell and other do not as there are millions of other subjects that do sell well, but note some sell more than others; and wedding and family photographs, and any other personal photographs do not sell; unless they are very unusual.

Many amateur photographers do take offence at this, and are greatly upset when their best (personal) photograph is not appreciated by others, even when that photograph has been taken well and is perfect in every way. What I am trying to say is that when you take a photograph, you should detach yourself from that photograph. No personal emotions should come into it. You are however allowed to create a mood or a feeling, but that is completely different to a personal emotion, a personal attachment, an emotion that needs you words to describe it; that is, if the viewer is the slightest bit interested.

So what could you do to find out what people want? Well the textbook answer is to search the internet to see what types of pictures are being used and therefore sold. Take a look at the various advertisements to see what the large companies are using; search eBay to find out what is being sold there; and check out the Stock Agencies to see what their popular sellers are. There is no getting out of doing first-class research, but leave the personal memories at home.