I sold my first image...

So I sold my first photo for … a grand total of … $1.88 USD and, possibly to your surprise, I am quite chuffed about it.

It may not sound like much, and it was not one of my landscapes that completed the deed, it was a random image, taken within the garden of three roses positioned in an interesting way. Welcome to stock photography. Taking images that express modern, interesting, current, chic themes provides a great way to stock pile possible images that may one day sell through a stock agency. These agencies provide the end user with a platform in which to search for and find images to buy. The ultimate aim is time, content and content quality, and appropriate key wording for searches. The idea around time is the longer the images are available, the more likely they will be picked up. A large stock portfolio will ensure there is a greater chance of an income stream and quality content guarantees that whatever is photographed is of particular interest in the immediate or distant future. Finally, key-words are essential to ensure that my images appear for the correct buyer or even those searching for semi related content.

The image below is the photo I recently sold. As the copyright holder, I am still able to use this image as is the new owner of this image. This photo works due to the lighting and the simplistic nature with little to no distractions. With a edit to darken shadows and a colour grade, I was able to create a fantastic little image I knew would work.

The internet is filled with stock sites. I am aligned with Shutterstock and Adobe stock. These sites will host the image and pay the photographer a small percentage of the profits. It takes years to develop a portfolio that can one day start generating a decent income, and thousands of images later, I may just end up there.

In the meantime, it is about trying different things, being creative, and trying to figure out where the next fashionable themes will resonate from and capture images that will assist businesses to delve into and immerse themselves within them.