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Using Stock Photography Sites Tips
Amateur Photographers Can Earn Stock Income
In recent years, many new stock photo websites have entered the stock photo market. Because of the advancement of camera equipment, amateur photographers can list their photos online, sometimes even for free. But what happens to that photo? And how much can a photography buff get paid? That all depends on how good the site is and how many times a particular image gets bought. Reputable stock photography sites pay about 10, 20 or 30 cents each time a photo gets purchased by someone visiting the site. That may not sound like much but many photographers, both amateur and professional alike, have discovered that these small fees can add up to big dollars over time. If you list your images with a stock photo website, you may find that photo appearing in a number of places including websites, annual reports, brochures and bill boards. Remember, each time an image is used, you'll earn some income, so listing your amateur shots online could prove to be a substantial income on the side.
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Key Word Usage on Stock Photo Sites
iStockphoto Tip: The wonderful thing about computers is that they can find volumes of data in a single second. But, as the old addage goes, computers are only as good as the people who use them. Therefore, when you are searching a stock photo website, such as iStockphoto.com, the key words you use are critical to finding the right shot in a reasonable time frame.
Stock photo sites offer some help online with choosing keywords and you should always access it before you begin a stock photo search. It will save you valuable time! Here are a few examples:
*Use quotation marks to delineate phrases. If you want a girl in a halter top, don't search under 'halter top girl' since the computer won't understand at first what a halter top is. Use instead, "halter top" girl.
*For people photos, search under specific age ranges. Imagine how many baby photos or photos of senior adults there are out there. Narrow your search to babies from birth to six months or adults over age 60.
*Use the word AND to narrow your search. For example, don't search for "white house" or you might get the one in Washington D.C. Search for "white AND house" to get pictures of white houses.
*Also, use NOT to further narrow a search. For example, "clown NOT mime" will give you only clowns and not similar photos, like mimes.
The "vocabulary" of most stock photo sites is constantly being updated so always read the site's key search word suggestions before you embark on a stock photo search.
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Skilled Researchers May Find Stock Photos Faster
One of the best advantages of using stock photography websites is that literally millions of images are at one's fingertips. Therefore, it must be easy to find just the right image, correct? Not always. Because each site may catalogue and index its photos differently, you may enter one word, such as "sun" and get a picture of someone who is sunburned! If you are a small business owner looking for stock photos to enhance your marketing materials, you might spend all day discovering the individual quirks of a variety of stock photo websites. Therefore, it might be worth your while to hire a stock photography agency who has extensive knowledge of the reputable sites out there and how best to quickly sort through the myriad of photos now available for sale online. This will cost more money up front, but will save you countless hours of your valuable time. Graphic design firms are also quite skilled at finding stock photos fast since they work with them on a daily basis.
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How Keyword Searches Work
iStockphoto Tip: Before you embark on a stock photo search, it's helpful to understand some basic ideas about how stock sites search for the photos you want. Here are some tips that will help you navigate stock photo sites, like iStockphoto.com:
*Stock sites will search for all images related to your key word. Some sites will look not only for the exact match, but also for variations on root words. Using some variations on the root word may help your search. For example, suffixes like es, s, ed, and ing. If your intial search does not turn up what you want, adding these options may help greatly.
*Be aware that some words can have different meanings. For example, a bowler can be someone throwing a ball at pins or a hat your grandfather used to wear. When this happens a stock photo site may offer some options for you to choose from to narrow your search. Keep in mind varying meanings of words as you search and you will likely be more successful at finding what you want. Typically, the site will ask questions or prompt you to help narrow down the search.
*Many sites have "customer service" options. You may be able to email a company representative with your specific issue and obtain advice for your keyword search.
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Spend Time Registering on Stock Photo Sites
Good stock photo sites pride themselves on offering high-quality, high resolution photos for a nominal fee. They also boast that those who need to buy such images can do so quickly. The Internet has sped up the pace of business ten-fold, putting people who produce marketing materials under tight deadlines. The last thing you want to do is log on to a stock photography site and find out you need to spend time registering to use the site before you are eligible to buy photos. Most sites have some form of registration and the time it takes to complete them will vary from site to site. The best thing to do if you've decided to investigate buying photos online is to register with a few sites so that you won't lose precious time on a deadline. You may want to register with three to five such sites; that way you'll be able to quickly access another if one search isn't producing the images you want.
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Spend Time Registering on Stock Photo Sites
iStockphoto Tip: Stock photography sites have become quite popular in recent years. The digital age and the ever-expanding Internet have made access to stock photo sites easy for the masses. However, the best stock photography sites offer more than just images for sale. They have become a virtual playland for those who love photography offering tips, message boards, peer feedback, information on why certain images sell and even ratings of individual photographers. If you decide to join a stock photography site to upload your own images to sell, choose one that offers those additional services. That way, you can obtain free tips on becoming a better photographer and ideas on which photos are likely to be successful when offered for sale online.
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Submitting Stock Photos to Web Sites
So you think you're a fairly good photographer. Your family and friends are always asking for copies of your pictures because you get the best expressions, the prettiest sunsets and the cutest baby shots. It is true that all these types of photos have potential to be sold on stock photo sites, but keep in mind that a lot of people are good at taking pictures of babies and sunsets, so submitting the shots your family and friends think are good may not prove successful on a stock site. Here are some tips for submitting photos to stock sites:
*Don't get nostalgic. Pick photos that offer a new perspective of a typical shot. Or, better yet, study some successful stock photographers (you can do this online) and see what images they tend to shoot. Make notes of which ones sell.
*Don't just copy what you see on other stock photo websites. Many photographers, desperate to get stock photos accepted, do just this.
*Consider what makes you and your life unique. What locations do you have access to that many others don't? What are your hobbies? What about the hobbies of those close to you?
*Are you familiar with any type of special equipment? Interesting angles of such subjects may be just the photo nobody else has.
*Finally, don't be put off by rejection. Read carefully the rejections you get from stock photography sites. They will offer clues as to what you are missing in your stock photo portfolio.
