Shooting Stock Images

[tizzy]

I am considering doing this, but I have alot of questions.

1. How do you get started?
2. What are the best websites for your images?
3. Can you make any money doing this?
4. Is there anything else I need to know?

Thanks for any help you can give me.
Tizzy

[ShaneKislack]

1. Look at the stock sites and learn what makes a good stock shot. Start shooting then submit them to stock agencies.
2. corbis, getty.
3. Yes, but not likely. The top stock shooters concentrate only on stock and invest upwards of 500K per year in producing stock. One guy in PDN recently gives himself a quota of 100 usable shots per week.
4. Yes. Stock shots look like stock photography, not outtakes from your last shoot. You can't sell stock casually submitting every once in a while. You must shoot for it all the time. It's a hard business that is getting harder because of the availability of guys wanting to sell it cheap.

[JohnT]

Tiffani, you might want to contact Bryan Peterson (author, teacher, and stock photographer) to see if he is willing to share some info with you about stock photography based on his experience.

BryanFPeterson@mac.com

[Robin Binder]

The way I did it, was I bought a site and started taking photos and now I have web sites buy photos and designers ask for special types of photos and I load them and they pick. I also use it to load clients photos and they pick and buy them on my site. I have other photographer that are on there and they sell their photos also.

To me I'm glad I did it. It was worth and and I have already paid for the site and it's upkeep.

It is like a little mini business. good luck.

[mccls1030]

PM sent.