Stock Photography is highly competetive, your photos have to REALLY stand out.

There are hints just about everywhere as to what stock photography photos you should take, you just need to know where to look!

Read any good magazines lately? Did you see any adverts in there? What about shopping, have you been shopping lately? What pictures were on the packaging? Did you surf the internet before you came accross this site, and were there pictures on the pages?

I don't mean to sound patronising, but the beauty of stock photography, is that it is everywhere!

Wherever you go and whatever you do, look around you. This time, don't just look at the photographs from an onlookers point of view, look from a photographers (a stock photographers) point of view.

Check out what kind of photos are being used and what they are advertising. The chances are that a high percentage of them were bought from stock libraries. Think about what kind of photo would sell, or help to sell various products.

Ok! I get the message, but where can I start?

Well, why not have a bit of a play. Think of a theme, like food (food is a massive demand item for stock photography and has been greatly covered) and go and buy some. Narrow it down to say bread, and buy a rustic loaf of bread, a block of cheddar cheese, a jar of branded pickle and a block of butter. Add some things like a nice bread knife, lettuce, fresh tomatoes with a spray of water on, wooden bread board...are you getting the idea?

Stay on the rustic theme and arrange the lighting to look like morning light beaming through a kitchen window (Use a template to shine the light through maybe). Experiment with the light and maybe spray air freshener or boil the kettle to create a misty effect, maybe a vase of fresh flowers in the background...I can see it now! This photo could be used for a pickle ad, or butter, or bread, or cheese ...

Check out these Examples of stock photography to see what I mean.

My point is that once you start to think, the ideas for stock photography are endless, which is a good thing because to actually make a living from stock photography, you are going to need a lot of photographs.

Because there are so many people competing, make sure to read up on keywording your photos when you have submitted them. There's no point in having 10,000 photos online if no-one can find them!

Set up a small makeshift studio somewhere in your house, permanently if possible, that way you are ready when the still life ideas start coming.

Take your camera with you everywhere, take photos of whatever catches your eye. Go through your current library of images (if you have any) and see if any could be used. Run them through a photo editor if necessary, to get them up to scratch.

Ask a couple of friends to be models for the day (they don't have to be Kate Moss, everyday people are used mainly). Take some lifestyle shots, these are one of the biggest sellers. Shots like a couple drinking coffee in a street cafe, running along a beach, feeding the ducks, I could go on forever.

Visit a couple of stock libraries online and see what they have on their books, don't copy or plagiarise them, but use them to create ideas of your own.

Model Releases

Read the rules that are available through all reputable stock agencies before you start, and then go out and get 'em!

Don't be disappointed if your work doesn't sell immediately, or a few of your images are rejected because like anything, stock photography is a learning process. With a bit of hard work and perseverance it is possible to make a career from it, just get clicking!