If you think that most subjects have already been covered in stock photography, then I’m here to tell you that you might want to reconsider that.
I’m fortunate enough to get to speak to lots of photographers and agency managers. Whether it’s when speaking to student photographers just starting out on their journey or seasoned professionals looking to get the best out of Alamy, one common question is: “What shall I shoot?”
One of the simplest responses I give when asked this is to suggest looking at some publications and advertisements. What kind of images are being used? Can you improve on them? Can you fill gaps? It’s this last point that usually generates the biggest response:
“But virtually everything has already been photographed! There’s hardly anything left to shoot.”
Well, I always think, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The best thing about stock photography is that there’s a constant need for content to be refreshed. New takes are always needed on the same subjects. And when those images become outdated, that’s fine, because you’ll also usually find a buyer who is after that outdated image too. Say you shot New York extensively throughout the 90s, your images will always be perfect for customers looking for images of New York in the 90s! Should we have stopped photographing around New York in the 90s because there were already so many photos of the city? Of course not – buyers want images of New York as it looks now as well as then.
The Selfie Stick Rule of Trends
I’ve come up with a rule, and have called it the Selfie Stick Rule of Trends. It backs up my argument perfectly. Love it or hate it, the selfie stick craze swept the world a few years ago and became the go-to tool for tourists wanting to document their travels. Travel imagery has always sold well within the world of stock photography and something that sells particularly well is travel imagery containing people, usually proper tourists doing touristy things. Still with me? Great. Now, rewind back to the pre-selfie stick days of yore, say, pre 2014. How many stock photographs existed of tourists in front of Big Ben (or more accurately Elizabeth Tower) back then? I don’t know the answer, but it would be hundreds of thousands, if not millions. However, how many images of tourists in front of Big Ben holding a selfie stick existed then? None. Selfie sticks then sweep the world and picture buyers want images of tourists using selfie sticks. Opportunities appear! And it’s all up for grabs. Every travel destination and landmark needs to be documented again, this time showing something new and of interest.
The point is, you can apply this rule all the way through stock photography. Yes, lots of subjects may have been done to death, however a new take is always needed. Fashions change, things look different and there’s a constant need to refresh what is already there. There are countless stock images of business people using smartphones, but as soon as the latest handset comes out those images need taking again – clients want to see images of people using the latest technology and wearing the latest fashions.
Also, never underestimate your ability to provide a completely new take on a saturated topic. You can usually find a new viewpoint or a different angle on something in order to provide a unique take. Photographer Oliver Curtis produced a really interesting series of photographs showing the . It’s a really interesting idea and the spirit of it can be followed through to stock.
Next time you’re planning a shoot, bear all of this in mind – and if you’re a seasoned photography veteran or a student photographer remember, there is always another stock image to be made!