TABLE OF CONTENTS Stock photography explained & HOW TO MAKE YOUR FIRST $1,000 .......................................................7 Stock Photography and the Dynamics of the Industry ..............................................................................7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Stock Photography ..............................................................................7 Types of Stock Photography .................................................................................................................................8 Royalty-Free..........................................................................................................................................................8 Royalty-Managed ................................................................................................................................................8 Exclusive .................................................................................................................................................................9 Non-Exclusive .....................................................................................................................................................9 Making Up Your Mind ..............................................................................................................................................9 Dealing with Rejections .......................................................................................................................................10 So How Long Does it Take to Make the First $1K? ...................................................................................10 What Images Sell: Research, Ideas & Inspiration .............................................................................................13 Inspiration - Stefan Holm ....................................................................................................................................14 What are his bestselling images? .............................................................................................................14 The Kind of gear that he uses .....................................................................................................................17 Mykyta Starychenko (Nick) ................................................................................................................................18 Some tips from Nick .......................................................................................................................................19 Sample images making Mykyta Starychenko well over $1k ................................................................20 So what type of images sell? ..............................................................................................................................22 Quality ..................................................................................................................................................................22 Space for Copy ..................................................................................................................................................23 Take the Shutterstock Example .................................................................................................................23 Understand the Visual Language ..............................................................................................................24 Show Cultural Diversity in your Imagery ..............................................................................................24 Shooting Editorial Content ..........................................................................................................................24 Shoot Different Versions of the Same Scene, Model, Pose, etc. ....................................................24 A few Reasons why your Images Can Get Rejected ..................................................................................25 It has not been Reviewed Properly ..........................................................................................................26 Reference to brand names, showcasing logos, likeness..................................................................26 Model release ....................................................................................................................................................26 Equipment: What Gear You Need to Succeed in Stock Photography ......................................................27 Camera ........................................................................................................................................................................27 .................................................................................................................28 .......................................................................................................................28 Benefits of a full-frame camera Megapixels matter...........................................................................................................................................28 Benefits of an APS-C camera Lens ..................................................................................................................................................................................28 All-purpose Lenses .........................................................................................................................................29 Macro Lenses.....................................................................................................................................................29 Telephoto lenses ..............................................................................................................................................29 Wide angle lenses ............................................................................................................................................29 Perceptual Megapixel ............................................................................................................................................30 Tripod ..........................................................................................................................................................................30 Cable-release ............................................................................................................................................................31 Lights ...........................................................................................................................................................................31 Continuous lights.............................................................................................................................................31 Speedlights .........................................................................................................................................................31 Studio Strobes ..................................................................................................................................................31 Large Monitor...........................................................................................................................................................32 Monitor Calibration Tool .....................................................................................................................................32 The DIY Approach for Gears ..............................................................................................................................32 Lenses ...................................................................................................................................................................32 Lights ....................................................................................................................................................................33 Renting ........................................................................................................................................................................33 Make the most of Joint Sessions, join force with other stock photographers ..............................34 Post Processing: Tips To Improve Your Pictures after taking them (in Lightroom and Photoshop).................................................................................................................................35 Color Correction ......................................................................................................................................................35 Dealing with Noise .................................................................................................................................................36 In Photoshop - Using the Blur Tool ..........................................................................................................36 Using the Color Channels .............................................................................................................................37 In Lightroom ......................................................................................................................................................37 Color Fringing / Chromatic Aberrations ......................................................................................................37 Moiré ............................................................................................................................................................................38