Archive for the ‘Sell Stock Photos’ Category
12 Must Have FREE Software Programs For Photographers
August 22nd, 2010 | 
Author: A few people wrote in with questions and comments on some of my software suggestions in the Digital Darkroom Essentials post the other week, and before I knew it, this post had pretty much written itself … so here you have it, 12 of my top recommendations for FREE software for photographers.
Some you’ve probably seen, but I’m guessing there’ll be a couple of surprises in there for everyone.
The big problem with any list like this is ‘compatibility’, especially for the Mac users, but also between different versions of Windows and even the 2-3 Unix users (who remind me they’re out there any time I do a post like this!) This time around I’ve tried to find software that has versions for everyone, and where that just isn’t available, I’ve listed the ‘Windows’ version, simply because that’s what I’ve got.
Where I found something I’ve listed it, but even when I didn’t find anything, I’m sure there’s Mac equivalents out there for those who know where to look. So if you do know any, or find any, please let me know and I’ll update the post accordingly!
1. GIMP. This gets top listing every time. GIMP is a versatile graphics manipulation package with most of the Photoshop functionality and none of the price. It’s open source software that’s really come of age. The downside used to be a lack of documentation and sometimes troublesome installers, but these days it is so well supported that the installation is a breeze and there is a wealth of free tutorials and videos out there. (Mac & PC versions available)
2. RawShooter Essentials: I started recommending this one about 4 years ago now, thinking it would soon disappear. As I understood it, it had been bought out by Adobe and was the basis for the Lightroom software … and we all thought it this free version would disappear quietly. The good news is, it’s still available and it still does a fantastic job of importing and converting RAW image files and several associated file-management tasks. If you capture raw images, or think perhaps you should start, grab this free download and give it a test drive. Mac Users: try this free raw convertor!
3. PicaJet Photo Management: PicaJet is a standalone digital asset management system, packed full of features and functions to make managing even the largest photo collections a breeze. This link goes to the PicaJet website where you can download the basic free version … which is excellent … though once they try it, most people seem eager to upgrade to the pro version.
4. PhotoByte Business Automation: There are too many features & functions to list here so you really should take a minute to visit the link below and check it out for yourself. This software basically handles the papertrail, start to finish, for professional photographers. It tracks your images your licenses and your accounts every bit as well as some of the high ticket alternatives on the market.
5. 7 – Zip : This is an archive utility is available as open source and is free to use. 7Z is fast, efficient and free. Most operating systems have an un-zip utility built in these days but they tend to be a bit limited … especially when it comes time to zip stuff up (ie. a heap of previews you want to email to a Client) … so it’s worth having a good one on hand, and being familiar with it before you need it.
6. CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. It also includes the feature to burn and create ISOs, as well as a multilanguage interface. Everyone, even companies, can use it for free. It does not include adware or similar malicious components.
7. VLC Media Player : Maybe not essential for everyone, but increasingly photographers are using multimedia to market themselves and their work, so this media player will fill all your needs. It can handle DVDs, (S)VCDs, Audio CDs, web streams, TV cards and much more. You don’t
need to keep track of a dozen codec packs you need to have installed. VLC has all codecs built-in. It comes with support for nearly all codec there is.
8. Mozilla Firefox : Mozilla Firefox is another open source project that’s come of age. As a web developer I constantly recommend it because it adheres to the WWW/HTML standards much better than Internet Explorer or any other browser I’ve been able to test (Windows or Mac) … so you actually experience websites as their designers intended.
Aesthetics aside, I find Firefox a whole lot more reliable and user-friendly. It also makes good use of Add-Ons, free third-party tools you can download and install in seconds to add functionality to your browser.
As an open source project there are literally thousands of these, and they can transform your Web Browser into an incredibly powerful work station. Those alone probably justify another article sometime, but for now, if you haven’t tried Firefox, don’t put it off any longer!
9. Mozilla Thunderbird : Thunderbird is an open source e-mail client that is flexible to suit your personality, to give you the features you need, and to fit your work style. Again being open source has it’s advantages, and there are literally millions of free add-ons to make your email management more efficient. Two of my favourites are the Attachment Reminder, which scans outgoing messages for any indication of an attachment, and remind you when you’ve forgotten to add it. The other is a world clocks add-on, that you add to your toolbars so you can see at a glance other relevant time zones.
The other big advantage of non-Outlook email clients is the immediate reduction in hacking, phishing and virus emails. For better or worse, the idiots who create these tend to target Microsoft products, so when you use something else you become a much smaller target.
That’s not absolute by any means and you should still take all necessary precautions, but as a Eudora user for 15 years and now a Thunderbird fan, I have never had any of the problems with malicious emails that I’ve seen affect so many Outlook users.
10. File Renamer Basic : Digital photography has brought a lot of benefits to the table but it’s also created a few problems for photographers. Chief amongst those is how to manage the thousands and thousands of image files we now shoot so easily. The first step is a simple file-naming system, connected to a well planned workflow and filing system. You can view this guide to Making Sense Of Your Photo Files which uses this great little utility to rename and number photo files in a logical, fast & user-friendly way.
11. Power Batch : Sometimes it’s easier and a whole lot faster to do a few batch tasks on a set of images before you open them individually in your photo editor. Power Batch batch-converts, resizes, renames, rotates, adjusts, and watermarks your photos. I particularly like the batch resizing, where you can use one of 11 example filters. There’s also functions built-in for renaming files, manipulating EXIF and IPTC metadata, basic sharpening, brightness, contrast & colour adjustments and a whole lot more.
12. Virtual Photographer : This is one I’ve only recently started using, and I love it! It is a Photoshop plugin that let’s you apply dozens of different filters, effects and corrections to your photos, and save your own as well. I find it a great way to manage the many filters and actions I’ve accumulated, and simplify my workflow. It’s listed as compatibly with all versions of Photoshop — Mac & PC, plus a lot of other images editors as well. (I haven’t tried it with GIMP, but if someone does, please let me know and I’ll update this! )
Well that’s about it for now. Of course there are plenty of other great programs out there when you start looking and it can be a trap if you try to download and test to many at once. A good rule it to only ever install and test one new application at a time! That way, if there are compatibility issues you know which program to un-install to get things back to normal.
As always if you have any feedback or suggestions we’d like to hear them. Unfortunately the spammers have been hitting this site hard so we’ve had to disable the blog comments, but you can post your feedback on my Guestbook if you want so everyone can see them!
Finally, here are two free web tools you should check out … and one commercial demo you ought to grab and put away for later … just in case!
Web Tool #1: Currency Convertor Calculator — Not software as such, but a great tool that any online photographer should bookmark … Enter an amount in any currency, select the currency you want to convert to, and submit. This is great for quick & simple conversions when you’re dealing with overseas photo buyers.
Web Tool #2: ZamZar File Convertor – Another web-based tool you should bookmark for future reference. This one lets you open any file type you can imagine and save it in a format you can use. You won’t need this often, but when you do, you’ll usually be in a hurry and seriously stressed!
Free Trial: Art Plus Digital Photo Recovery Tool : This is a commercial program, but well worth installing for when you do need to recover lost images from corrupted or accidentally formatted digital camera memory cards. It works with all types of memory cards. It’s able to recover images from formatted cards and reads corrupted cards (in most cases even if they’re not recognized by Windows).
The demo version will read your damaged card, let you know what files can be recovered … and then you can decide to spend the $25 to unlock the software once you know for sure you can recover the images files you need! Hopefully it’s something you’ll never need to use, but if you do, it will be a lifesaver!
Posted in 
6 Essential Digital Darkroom Skills
There is plenty more information out there if you need it, but this should cover most of it, and your Photo Editor software’s website (ie. www.Adobe.com for most people) should fill in any gaps.
So the digital file should be (10 x 300 pixels) by (8 x 300pixels)… which is 3000px x 2400px
RAW …this is a capture format that the high-end digital cameras all use. As the name suggests, this one captures ‘everything’ and RAW should be used whenever possible.
The downside is the images need to be ‘converted’ before you can edit them and they can be significantly larger files, but for most serious photographers that’s a small price to pay for the extra quality and filesize. (Repeat after me … memory cards are cheap!)
TIF / TIFF … this is a non-compresed format that has become the defacto standard for the industry. This should be the minimum at which you capture images.You do your editing and corrections in this format, and your master files and backups should be saved in this format as well. In most cases, when a buyer needs an image for print reproduction, they will ask for a TIFF file.
JPG / JPEG … this is a compressed format designed to reduce the size of the image file. It usually does that at a cost … by reducing the amount of iamge information saved, which will always have an impact on quality of the image.Camera manufacturers often use high quality JPG by default so the memory cards will hold more photos. Most serious & professional photographers have little use for it. You should NEVER capture as jpg … buy more memory cards instead!
Buyers needing images for web use or low-end print uses may ask for JPGs … in those cases always use the highest possible quality setting, which will equate to the least amount of compression.
Cleaning & Dust Removal … this is usually required. Enlarge the image to 400% and use the Clone tool to remove spots, blemished and artifacts.
Sharpening … there is a real art to this and many buyers will prefer you don’tattempt it. If you do, the Unsharp Mask will usually produce a better result, but experiment first on different images. Here’s an Advanced Sharpeting Tutorial to help hone your skills.
Basic Colour Adjustments … this is usually done by ‘Adjusting the Curves’. As someone who’s totally colour blind I, try to avoid this as much as possible by constantly re-setting my camera’s white point! You should have a basic understanding of this though so you can make corrections when required: Adjusting Colour Curves
Brightness & Contrast Adjustments … this is easily done by ‘Setting Black, Grey and White Points on the ‘Historgram’. Here’s a good tutorial on that … Adjusting The Histogram
There’s no point capturing perfect images
if you can’t get them out of the camera!
Digital Stock Photography
Digital Stock Photography is a comprehensive how-to manual with everything you need to know to create digital stock photography that will sell in today’s competitive marketplace.
Stock photography is no longer a matter of posting ‘anything you have on file’ to a library, and these days the best stock is almost always shot with a buyer in mind. So this book covers everythnig from organizing a shoot to raking in the profits as the pictures sell and sell and sell again.
Sections cover capturing commercial quality digital images, working with scans from your film originals, digital delivery of images to buyers, equipment, organizing your digital files and more.
Other sections cover how to market, how to negotiate and quote prices, and tips on managing a business, obtaining model releases and protecting your copyright.
It includes 30 self-assignments, designed to get you thinking stock and understanding the latest trends in the industry, all while building up your collection with quality images of commercial content.
This is the long-awaited follow up to How To Shoot Stock Photos That Sell and it totalyl delivers. If you’re new to the business of stock, this is possibly the best $20 investment you could make in your new business.
Photos That Sell: The Art of Successful Freelance Photography
This is another great primer to really get you thinking about ‘why’ photo buyers use specific images. It covers a broad range of photo uses, and provides many insights into that photo buyers are actually paying for.
It covers the elements you should be working into your compositions and the styles & moods that really sell. All up a very handy book for anyone getting started in stock photography and wanting to target their efforts and start shooting more marketable photos.
Commission Vs Subscription
Here’s a short video we put together to illustrate a few differences between paying your stock library a commission on all sales, or paying a flat rate subscription.
The standard legal disclaimers apply … these are hypothetical examples etc etc … but hopefully they’ll get you thinking before you sign away half your earnings …
Stock Photos That Sell
Stock photos are used for countless different purposes these days, so it’s easy to imagine ‘anything can sell’, but realistically photos that sell are usually going to meet some fairly standard criteria. Obviously there will be exceptions, but more often than not, the best selling stock photos will usually share some of the following traits …
1. Most feature a strong, simple subject.
Stock photos are almost always ‘of something’ and it’s usually instantly recognizable. Vague landscapes or cluttered scenes don’t often sell, and anything where the viewer has to work hard to identify the main subject is inlikely to interest many buyers. When it coems ot compositions for ’stock’, less is usually more!
2. A strong foreground subject.
The main subject is usually going to be positioned right up in the foreground and there’ll be minimal clutter or distractions in the rest of the image.
3. Backgrounds are simple and complimentary.
They add to the message without distracting from the main point of interest. There’ll be no strong design elements interferring with the main message. Washed out skies are no an option.
4. People will be included.
When people are often used they are logically involved in the situation and there is a believable reason for them being there. Over-posed models have little use, and if a model is obviously posing for the camera, then the story will be told by carefully selected props or strong facial expressions and/or body language.
5. Faces & eyes are visible and clear.
If the face is visible, more often than not, the eyes will be a key focal point. Where people are included, they are used to convey emotions and ideas, so vague expressions or obscured faces have little value to most stock buyers.
6. Symbols are used to add meaning.
Quite often there’ll be carefully selected objects visible in the frame that subtley add to the message the photo conveys. These will be carefully selected and positioned to make their inclusion believable and logical.
7. Simple props create variety of meanings.
The more prolific photographers will incorporate a variety of simple props to capture dozens of different storylines from a single situation. Each carefully developing a different message for a different potential buyer type.
8. Empty landscapes still have strong visual elements.
There’s little demand for the big empty landscapes, seascapes, sunrises and sunsets. When they are required, buyers have a lot ot choose from, so if you’re going to shoot them, make sure there are ’strong’ visual elements to keep it interesting. (Turn the camera around and shoot some verticals when appropriate). And always remember a strong foreground subject is a safer bet!
9. Life, movement, action … all add to the marketability of a shot.
A buyer will almost always choose the action shot over the bland portrait … of anything.
* The child engrossed with a toy will always outsell the child holding to toy looking at the camera.
* The galloping horse will outsell the horse standing still in the middle of a paddock.
* The sailboat underway, canvas full, tilting from the wind will outsell the shot of the moored boat.
* The lion stalking it’s prey will outsell the lion sleeping in the shade.
* A couple ejoying a glass of wine will outsell the still ife of the wine bottle and two glasses
… and so on.
10. People are the key!
No matter that field of work interests you most, if you want to sell stock photos, you need to be including people in your images to develop ‘mini-storylines’ that buyers can use to help convey their own messages.
Get people into the scene every chance you can get, and when you can’t, make sure you look for ways to get some life or activity into the shot. Yes there is definitely a market for quality still life photography, but generally the demand is considerably higher (and the competition considerably less) when you start telling stories.
The Golden Rule of Shooting Photos That Sell
The one thing that will increase the marketability of your images more than any other, is simple to stop and think about who is likely to use the subject matter …
Who uses photos of this subject?
What do they do with the images?
What do I need to do to create an image they can use?
Make that thought process a habit … before you even look through the viewfinder … and you’ll be shooting the kind of stock photos that sell themselves. Guaranteed!
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Have I missed anything? Please post your ideas below and we’ll see if we can build the ultimate guide to shooting ‘photos that sell’!
Stock Photography Pricing
How to Make Sure You’re Paid What Your Photos Are Really Worth
A lot of photographers feel they’re ‘ready’ to dive into stock photography — they’re up to speed on quality & content, they’ve got a good starting volume and they’ve got the time to work on it – it should be all systems go, but one thing holds them back.
They just don’t know what to charge for their photos? They are worried that they’re either going to ask for too much and lose a sale, or that they might ask for too little and the buyer will take advantage of them. Either way they are worried they’ll lose money and look a bit stupid. Does that sound familiar? If it does, what follows is a crash course in Stock Photography Pricing that will take the stress out of the process for you.
Rule #1. Professional photographers don’t sell their images, they license them
When you sell an image you are actually giving your customer the permission to use that image in return for a license fee. Usually this is for a single specific use. Usually it is for a fixed period of time or a fixed number of reproductions.
Rule #2. Professional photographers never give up the copyright or ownership of their work
Because you are licensing a single use for a limited time, it’s important to note that the image remains yours and the copyright remains yours. You are allowing the Client to use the image strictly on your terms. You can look at the Photo License as a rental agreement. Just as a car-rental company will tell you where you can go, what you can do and when you have to have the car back, your Photo License tells the Client exactly what they can do with you image and when they have to stop using it.
So How Do You Determine A Price?
The cost to license a photo is generally a product of the value of the use to the Client and the value of the photo in question. The photographer evaluates the value of the use of the specific image to the Client and then determines a fair and reasonable price that covers costs and allows a margin for profit.
This is standard in any business. The operator studies their customer, they assess their product, and they determine a price that covers their costs, delivers value for money to their customer, and leaves them a reasonable profit margin for their efforts. Rights Managed photo pricing is no different EXCEPT the value of a photo depends on how the customer wishes to use it. So based on that, prices to license the same photo will vary depending on the use.
The Value Of The Photo Use To The Client
In simple terms, a photo used on the front cover of a magazine has a higher value to the Client than say a small reproduction in the back of the same magazine The photo on the cover is actually going to help sell the magazine, which is obviously of immediately cash value to the Client. The photo in the back of the magazine still has some value, but it’s size and placement suggests it’s not of overwhelming interest to most of the magazine’s readers, hence it has less value to the Client.
Of course if the same photo was used instead for a double page advertising spread inside the magazine, it would be worth even more to that Client. The advertiser would be paying a premium price for the space, so you can rest assured they selected that particular photo because they believe it will get them the maximum return for their spend.
These are very simplistic examples, but what you need to recognize is that in each of these examples, the photographer isn’t selling the photo … they are selling the less tangible ’service that photo provides’ the Client.
A lot of photographers find it difficult to justify charging different customers different prices for what they consider the same ‘product’. The key is to remember you aren’t selling a product; you’re selling a service.
You are not selling the photo itself. You are selling the Client the rights to profit from the use of your photo. And since the return to the Client on each use will vary, the purchase price must vary as well.
The Value Of The Photo Itself
Every photo has an intrinsic value based on the uniqueness of the content, and the quality of execution. In simple Supply-Demand terms, a great photo of a rare subject is always going to be worth more than a poor shot of a common subject.
A commercial photo also has a residual value, based on it’s freshness. The more exposure an image gets, the less appeal it will hold for future Clients. An example would be if a photo was used internationally for an extensive advertising campaign. Once the image has been seen by millions of people there is little chance that a different Client would ever use it to promote their own product. They wouldn’t want to risk sending a conflicting message to their audience by using a ’second-hand’ image. It’s easier and safer for the Client to just find another image.
So every time you license an image, it has an impact in the future sales-potential for that image. A textbook publisher in need of a simple illustration probably won’t be too concerned where the image has been used before, or where it might appear in the future, but that usage will become a factor the next time someone considers using the image.
If a Client wants a new image, it doesn’t matter if the previous use was a thumbnail in a textbook or double page spread in Time, they will still consider the image used. Of course there are many situations where previous use isn’t an issue, but when a Client does need an unpublished image they will usually be paying top dollar for it!
So while the temptation might there to write-off smaller sales as insignificant and not worth a lot … that one small sale could disqualify your image from a much larger sale down the track. As a business person you must make sure you are compensated for that at the time.
If you are someone who struggles with the idea of charging different prices for different uses, remember this … If you were to license the best photo you’ve ever taken for a high profile advertising campaign, the future customer pool for that photo is immediately reduced to one. It is highly unlikely that anyone else will ever purchase that image again.
Unless the original Client decides to re-license the image later on, it’s residual value is virtually gone. So your initial license fee should represent your evaluation of the residual value of that image!
The Mechanics Of Pricing
Rights managed licensing takes into account a lot of factors and can be confusing at first. It’s a whole lot easier if you can remember the following; All the usage factors you are ever going to see come down to one thing … evaluating ‘exposure’. How prominently is the image going to be published and how many people are going to see it.
The books and software and calculator websites will talk about dozens of different factors:
- Print run
- Circulation
- Reproduction size
- Screen display size
- Screen duration
- Number of issues
- Regional rights vs world rights
- Electronic rights
- Time in use
- Placement & positioning
- … and a whole lot more.
All they are really asking is how prominently is the image going to be published, and as a factor of that, how many people are going to see the image. And as we’ve already discussed, at the Exposure goes up, the Profit Value to your Client goes up, and the Residual Value of the image goes down, so you charge more. Your price is the product of those elements, applied to the Intrinsic/Residual Value of the image.
- Low Exposure X Low Profit Value => Low Impact on Residual Value = Low License Fee
- High Exposure X High Profit Value => High Impact on Residual Value = High License Fee
Of course there are any number of degrees for each of these values but the key is not to get caught up in too much detail. When you use the various calculators and print guides, be as accurate as you can but don’t panic if you don’t know a specific detail or the options offered don’t exactly match your usage. In most cases it won’t have a major impact on the final price.
My only other suggestion is to use the Price Calculators often to develop a feel for what different uses are worth before a buyer comes knocking on your door. If you are new to the business a Print Price Guide is highly recommended as well. Most of all, don’t be intimidated by the process. Always value your work and your time. Never give up ownership or copyright and remember, you can always say ‘no thanks’ if the price just isn’t right.
The Stock Photo Price Calculator
A free online price calculator for any photographer wishing to know just what their photos are actually worth. Just follow a few simple prompts to select the usage criteria and the calculator does the rest. Now serving over 40,000 possible usage combinations!
This calculator is constantly updated using real-time feedback from hundreds of photographers around the world, so it is getting more accurate every day! Try it out, bookmark it and tell your colleagues!
The Stock Photo Price Calculator is an initiative of OzImages Stock Photography Agency. The 100% Stock Photography Solution For Independent Photographers
How To Shoot Stock Photos That Sell
This is a book we’ve been recommending at OzImages Photo Stock Agency for quite a few years now … so long in fact that it’s actually gone out of print in that time.
You can usually find a copy on Amazon if you dig around a bit, and if you do it’s probably the single best investment you could make in your stock photography business.
The information is timeless, and it includes a series of self-assignments to really get you thinking ’stock’ while you build up your collection.
There is a fair emphasis on working with people and the right way to incorporate human activity into your iamges for better sales potential. While a lot of nature/landscape shooters prefer to avoid this, when you include people you automatically increase demand and lower competition, so you should always be open to these possibilities.
All in all, if you only ever buy one book on ’stock photography’ I’d recommend this one without hesitation!
Digital Stock Photography
Digital Stock Photography is a comprehensive how-to manual with everything you need to know to create digital stock photography that will sell in today’s competitive marketplace.
Stock photography is no longer a matter of posting ‘anything you have on file’ to a library, and these days the best stock is almost always shot with a buyer in mind. So this book covers everythnig from organizing a shoot to raking in the profits as the pictures sell and sell and sell again.
Sections cover capturing commercial quality digital images, working with scans from your film originals, digital delivery of images to buyers, equipment, organizing your digital files and more.
Other sections cover how to market, how to negotiate and quote prices, and tips on managing a business, obtaining model releases and protecting your copyright.
It includes 30 self-assignments, designed to get you thinking stock and understanding the latest trends in the industry, all while building up your collection with quality images of commercial content.
This is the long-awaited follow up to How To Shoot Stock Photos That Sell and it totalyl delivers. If you’re new to the business of stock, this is possibly the best $20 investment you could make in your new business.
Digital Stock Photography: How to Shoot and Sell
Photos That Sell: The Art of Successful Freelance Photography
This is another great primer to really get you thinking about ‘why’ photo buyers use specific images. It covers a broad range of photo uses, and provides many insights into that photo buyers are actually paying for.
It covers the elements you should be working into your compositions and the styles & moods that really sell. All up a very handy book for anyone getting started in stock photography and wanting to target their efforts and start shooting more marketable photos.
Photos That Sell: The Art of Successful Freelance Photography