Let’s face the truth. Not every time businesses and individuals have enough budget to acquire the photos for the content they create. If you are in this situation, the best way to move forward is by using stock photos instead.
Stock photos are still high-quality images that, although royalty-free, won’t diminish how your audience views your brand. You can source these kinds of photos on several platforms, such as Depositphotos. This platform also offers tools such as the Image Background Remover, accessible via this URL: https://depositphotos.com/bgremover.html.
If you are a business just beginning to tread the waters of stock photos, you have come to the right place. We’ll show you a guide to stock photos for both brands and photographers who, meanwhile, want to profit from selling their photos. If you have been using stock photos for quite some time, take this as your review, so read on!
The Stock Photography Market
First, let’s understand the stock photography market. Stock photography refers to the practice of selling pre-existing shots to clients for use in their websites, marketing materials, advertisements, and the like.
In recent years, the demand for stock photography has been on an upward trend as more and more brands that want to save on costs require top-notch visuals to support their marketing projects.
For Brands: Finding The Perfect Image
Now that you have learned the stock photography market in a nutshell, let’s head over to the first part of this guide. How can brands find the perfect image?
Be Selective
The first tip is to be selective. Believe it or not, this is one of those moments when being choosy isn’t frowned upon.
Following this tip, remember that you cannot just use any stock image. As you search a platform like Depositphotos, just because the photo looks cute doesn’t mean you should use it.
You must be strategic. Stock photos tend to elicit emotions from your audience. In turn, these emotions prompt the type of response you get from them.
Staying relevant with the photos you choose will help guarantee that your audience will gain respect from and connect with you. Your images shouldn’t look like they’re picked carelessly.
Answer the question, “Does the image resonate with my content?” If it doesn’t, keep searching.
To Be Real Is The Answer
You may or may not believe it, but stock photos can be realistic if you look for them in the right places. You can tell from a distance if a picture is authentic or just plain cringy. Photos irrelevant to your audience will never captivate them.
Say you need a photo to tell your young audience about communication. You can find pictures of old phones around, but do they resonate with this type of audience? Most likely, you’d want to pick photos of smartphones.
Furthermore, look for images that look genuine to the eye. Your brand should be able to relate to them. Your audience should be able to relate to them. It works two ways. Find images that show character and personality, matching not only your business but your audience, too.
Be Unique
Nowadays, just a simple search on Google will show you many websites with libraries of stock photos. They are everywhere. Plus, many people tend to choose the most popular images that others have already used.
Thus, it is crucial to prefer unique images. They could be less popular, but make sure they are great and of high quality. One major mistake brands make when searching for a picture is treating it as an afterthought. It shouldn’t be. Stock images must be utilized in such a way that they bring a message to every piece of content you publish out there, albeit subtly.
Stay Legal
While platforms like Depositphotos can guarantee that all the content in their libraries are legal, there are still sites out there that allow their images for personal use, but not so much for commercial use.
If you are searching further, make sure you read the policies of every stock photos website you visit. Actually, even if the stock photo website is credible and with integrity, like Depositphotos, you should still take time to read the terms.
Creativity Is Everything
Today, there are literally several tricks that offer the opportunity for you to introduce your creativity to the stock photos you choose. You can either use Depositphotos’ tools like its Background Remover or download the stock photo and modify it a bit using tools like Canva. You can never know where your creativity can take you.
Next up, stock photos from the perspective of photographers.
A Photographer’s Guide To Selling Stock Photos
Stock photography works in two ways. First, they can provide fantastic visuals for businesses. Then, they also help photographers profit from their masterpieces. But what are some tips for selling stock photos effectively? Here’s the guide for photographers.
Building A Solid Portfolio
Building a robust portfolio is essential if you want to sell your photos and attract the best clients. A strong portfolio will help you stand out in such a saturated market and increase the chances of making a sale.
Follow these tips on building a solid portfolio:
- Prioritize quality over quantity.
- Make sure your images are well-composed, sharp, and visually appealing.
- Diversify.
- Keep your portfolio updated with the freshest content.
Your portfolio is really like your audition piece.
Pricing Your Photos For The Best Profits
Pricing is one of the central aspects of selling photos online, not just stock photos. Setting the right price for your work will help maximize your earnings.
Pricing models include the royalty-free model, where clients pay a single-time fee to use the photo several times; and the rights-managed model, where clients pay each time they use the image. The pricing model you select will anchor on the platform you partner with.
Follow these additional tips regarding this:
- As you set the price, consider the quality of your photo, the market demand, as well as the usage rights.
- Consider the usage rights of your clients.
- Research the prices other photographers and stock photo websites offer to ensure your prices are competitive.
- Consider offering discounts and bundles.
Marketing Your Photos
Like any other type of product, marketing your stock photos is vital to reach clients and generate sales. While having a solid portfolio and partnering with the right platform are essential, you must also market your work.
Follow these tips:
- Use social media platforms. Instagram is an excellent platform for photographers, but you can use Facebook and Twitter, too.
- Join photography contests and exhibits.
- Create and build a personal brand that effectively sets you apart from other professional photographers.
Grow Your Business With Depositphotos
Depositphotos is one of the best ways to grow your business, whether you are a brand or a photographer. For entrepreneurs, you can find hundreds of millions of content on this website, not just photos, but also videos and music. Meanwhile, for photographers, you can use the website to register an account, start uploading your images, and start earning. It’s really simple at Depositphotos. Visit them right now.
