The suggestion is that nothing else will sell. Yet some of the best selling photographs are anything but that.
Do not give up - even the banal is needed by someone
One photographer had gone out to take some pictures in Wellow, Nottinghamshire of their May Day celebrations and in particular Maypole Dancing around the tallest maypole in England. As is so often the case in Britain the weather started off promising but by lunchtime a storm was developing and it went on to rain on and off all afternoon. So he had to grab pictures when he could between showers and there was rarely even a patch of blue sky.
The successful picture was grabbed in just such circumstances and there was a busy background behind the dancers. The photographer might claim he was using it to give some context but it would not be true – there were just no angles to get a clear background. The sky was dark with storm clouds and to cap it all the framing is slightly off square – the maypole is not as vertical as it should be.
Yet it has sold 7 times and all the sales have been through the Alamy picture library where the picture has been competing with dozens of other, arguably better, images. It has made best part of $1,000 and no doubt there is more to come judging by the number of times it appears in searches with several libraries.
Experience of many photographers selling through photo libraries is that it is not the expected pictures that sell. Many sales are of pretty banal subjects and compositions that would never have been accepted by the majority of libraries. It is only stock libraries like Alamy that let the contributing photographer do their own editing which could make these sales. By contrast many photogenic pictures, with blue skies, on Alamy do not seem to sell – perhaps because there are so many similar pictures. The message is avoid the obvious and go with your instincts.
Always carry a camera
Saleable pictures come from all sorts of opportunities. Our photographer’s first magazine cover came from a picture he took on a weekend shopping trip. He took out a new camera he needed to test and gather material for a commissioned user impressions article. Again it was an overcast winter’s day so there was little inspiration. In the square there was a traditional galloping horses carousel and he took a few pictures to illustrate the colour saturation of the camera. Having sent them off he thought no more of it a copy of the magazine arrived with the picture on the cover.
It has since gone on and made a couple more sales at reasonable prices through Alamy. Not bad for a few moments work whilst doing other things. It does stress the need to always be mindful of the possibilities for pictures and having a camera to hand as often as possible.
A version of this article originally apeared in the Bureau of Freelance Photographers Market Newsletter which provides a monthly update of pictures requirements from, mostly UK, publishers and other image users.The BFP is a valuable resource for photographers who wish to make money from their photography.
Martin P Wilson - Martin is a director of major business change & turnaround consultant by profession but a widely published writer & photographer by ...
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