photo by Jon Ragel


1. OVERVIEW
In our recent buyer survey, business was cited as one of the weakest categories across all of stock - and the buyers we spoke to in person seemed to agree.

Buyers told us that much of the available business stock is lifeless, homogeneous, dated, and overly-corporate. Most photographers don't even consider shooting in this category. Why is this?

If we look to the real world, we see rich source material: people of all shapes and sizes are working on building their personal futures and the future of our society in every industry and working environment imaginable. And we know that commercially speaking, high quality business imagery is one of the most in-demand and lucrative categories in stock photography.

Photographers, we're giving business a bad rap -- and missing out on huge sales potential. Let's bring this diverse and energetic world alive for our buyers, and capture humanity at work!




2. DEFINITIONS
The sky is the limit here - the definition of a business person is really just someone who is performing a perceivable role in a professional capacity of some type. People portrayed can range from mid-20s to early 60s. The category includes concepts (teamwork, working against a deadline) as well as literal situations like meetings and working on a computer.

You should also consider a range of occupations and scenarios:

• A local realtor outside with clients.

• An edgier person working in a creative field.

• A Baby Boomer providing advice in a suit from behind a desk.

• A local shop keeper dealing with risk.

• An IT worker or the concept of global connectivity.

• The concept of problem solving.

• The concept or demonstration of excellent customer service.

• Blue collar workers are also generally needed - especially construction + builders.

10. The image that came straight out of your camera is probably not good enough to be sold
Since the advent of photography, photographers have toiled over their images after the image was taken. In the film days, this meant hours in the darkroom. Today, it means Photoshop. That doesn't mean you need to manipulate the image beyond the point of recognizability (in fact, that's usually a sign of a bad photographer), but it does mean you need to understand about the basics of contrast, curves and levels.

Take time to retouch skin blemishes, fix fabric wrinkles, and remove the stray twig or gum wrapper.  Advertising agencies will pay more for these images, not only because they'll save retouching money, but because they just look better in the first place. Image sales are all about perception. If the image is perceived as being professional, the price will be received as being reasonable.

9. You need to become proficient in editing (and get a second opinion)
National Geographic photographers typically shoot 10,000 images per assignment for stories that only use 30 images in publication, and these are some of the best photographers in the world. If you are submitting the bulk of your images from a given shoot, you probably need to have a professional edit to unemotionally select the best images and get a dose of reality. Picture editing is as much an art as photography, and you can't get good at it without practice.

8. Have patience
Sales of some types of images can take months if not years. That's not to say that you will be waiting ten years for a sale, but think of your photos as some sort of farm crop. Depending on what you plant, they may be sold soon, like lettuce, or they may take years to mature, like Christmas trees.  Just remember that they are of no value at all if they are not online. And they're of even less value if you don't shoot them at all. Get out and plant shoots.

7. Real people love to sign releases
Really, they do. It makes them feel like "models".  It makes them feel beautiful. Don't hesitate to ask for a release because it opens up more avenues for licensing your images. They might not always consent to sign, but the worst they can say is no...

6. Consider the lowly thumbnail
How many times have you seen a store or restaurant with a crappy sign, and wondered why they don't realize that cleaning it up is the most important thing they could do to increase sales? It's just like that with your photos. The thumbnail is the first thing the client sees before "entering" your beautiful image. If it doesn't pop, it won't get a click. Start thinking about this when you are composing the image. Then think about it again when you're processing RAW's. Look at the thumbnails as you adjust for color. Make' em pop.