Stock Photography Courses
Stock Photography Courses : an Introduction
At the time of writing this is an idea only. I've made a tentative start by approaching a selction of local Suffolk schools to see if their sixth form students might be interested in learning about how to apply an interest in photography to stock photography. There's also the possibility of running courses locally ( Ipswich, Kesgrave, Woodbridge) for adults who enjoy photography as a hobby and would like to have a clearer purpose plus the chance to make some money from stock. ( January 15th 2011)
To be clear from the outset stock photography is a highly competitive field and an industry, like many others, going through difficult times. It is definitely not a 'get rich quick' scheme and you need talent and in particular lots of determination to succeed. There will always be some top quality stock photographers who can make a living form this alone but into the future stock is in my view going to become more of a hobby that can pay or at best a second income stream for most. But how you define success and what you get from stock is up to the individual. For me it is what I most love to do. Have a good look through my image galleries to see what I do.
So what is stock photography?
In simple terms stock is about creating images in advance by trying to predict what there will a demand for. Hiring a professional photographer is expensive and so in very many cases a publisher or advertiser will see what is already available with a stock photography agency. The user doesn't actually buy the image, they pay to licence the image for their purpose with the fee being divided between the agent and the photographer. The same image can be licenced over and over again.
One estimate puts the global turnover of the stock photo industry as around $3 billion.
Play 'pretend buyer' on my site to explore how licensing works.
And the courses?
Having gained some eight year's full-time experience and having thousands of images licenced I have picked up some knowledge about how stock works. And also, some awareness of pitfalls to avoid, how to develop a personal strategy, which agencies are out there and which are a good fit for different types of image. It is this experience that I want to offer as a foundation of my courses. I am not able or interested in teaching you how to use your camera, how to compose photos, or how to work wonders in Photoshop. My approach is fairly minimalist and straightforward which matches my interest in producing the sort of illustrative pictures that might be used in a textbooks or reference book. With my backgound in teaching geography its not surprising that it forms the basis of what interests me - places, landscapes, people - as you can see from my website.
What is your niche?
Think about what interests you most - children, gardens, horses, vehicles, whatever it might be- and think about what you have as personal advantages that others don't have. For example, if you work in an office could you take photos of a colleague at work? Do you have access to something that most others don't? Do you have specific knowledge that others don't have?
The demand for stock images is so broad that you can surely find your own niche specialism. Having said that some successful stock photographers produce picture of just about everything under the sun. There is no one simple way. You have to decide that for yourself. And if you are happy to think for yourself and don't much like following the herd that is very liberating indeed.
Is your camera suitable?
I use a Canon 5D ( Mk 1), now five years old with a 24-105mm lens. That's it!
I do have a lovely old Mamiya medium format camera but hardly ever use it these days.
I'm not really interested in the techie side of things. I have equipment that does a job for me and will use it until I have no choice but to buy a replacement. I don't read photography mags and have no idea about the different cameras and lenses on the market. So, there's no point at all asking me for advice on that!
But here is a list of acceptable cameras produced by Alamy photo agency.
And here is a list of thise that won't cut the mustard
Want to gets started?
If any of this sounds of interest then please email me to let me know. I'll get back to if and when there is something more concrete to put to you. Clearly, I need to know the level of interest before booking up venues and committing too much time and effort.
I'm thinking of offering:
1) A one day introduction to stock course for £45 approx each depending on numbers
2) Follow that up with a group course for those interested going into more depth and detail and supporting each other as a sort of of club - discussion, practical sessions, helping each other, making submissions to agencies, and perhaps even sharing sales information! ( not sure of costs)
So for now just let me know if you are interested and what time slot ( day, evening, weekend ) suits you best
idmurrayATtotalise.co.uk
Replace AT with @
Thanks for your time and interest. Any comments and thoughts would be most welcome.