Have you ever been stuck for ideas on what to photograph and upload to Alamy? Wondering what sort of imagery is most popular with customers?
We’re often asked these very same questions, and some time ago we developed the What Should I Shoot tool where photographers could see what subjects customers were actively looking for.
We’ve examined closely how this has been working for both photographers and customers over the past year and have come to the decision we’re going to retire the tool. We’re exploring better ways to link customer requests with contributors’ photography that will be more timely and relevant.
In the meantime, here are some ideas about what to shoot, so you can discover what’s behind the images that perform well with our diverse and ever-growing customer base.
Shoot what you know best
Think about what’s in your local area – it could be a local event, wildlife, a particular type of architecture – and photograph what’s happening which is likely to interest others.
It could be a rare type of butterfly that’s only available in your region appearing for a few short weeks of the year, the unique features on a historic building, or an annual event with colourful characters which will never be repeated in quite the same way.
Images that capture a moment, generate interest or are informative help customers make their selection for licensing. Keith Morris, one of our longest standing contributors said it best when he advised fellow photographers to “Shoot Local, Sell Global”.
So even if you’re a creative portrait or lifestyle photographer, you shouldn’t have to travel far to find unique or suitable surroundings.
Quang Nguyen Vinh is a contributor to Alamy who captures his everyday surroundings of Vietnam exploring the connection between land and people. Traditional soy sauce factory in Hung Yen, Vietnam.
Check out the competition
Research what’s already on the Alamy site, and don’t let thousands of images of the same subject discourage you. Even some of our most universal subjects, like a Paris skyline, will always need fresh imagery because eventually those shots will turn into ‘archival’ content but still be perfectly licensable depending on the customer’s needs.
Any cityscape is continuously changing over time with new taller buildings sprouting up between the old. Likewise, fashions change so if there are people in a street scene or creative shoot, soon more modern images may be chosen over others.
If you’re a specialist subject photographer, check to see if there are images that we don’t have much content for. You may have better access to locations that are more off-the-beaten-track, photos of which are missing from our collection. Being able to fill content gaps adds value for customers.
We have three images of the Crowned Forest Dragon (Lophosaurus dilophus) because it's normally only found in Papua New Guinea and the Moluccan Islands of Indonesia. There may be other subjects which are easier to find, but could fill a content gap for a customer.
Develop your style
The same subjects can be shot in a myriad of different ways, not only according to things like the changing seasons (how does the same forest look throughout the spring, summer, autumn, and winter), but also through using your own style and the changing position, lighting and framing of the shot.
Remembering to use copyspace in photos, or to incorporate certain details or patterns where others haven’t, creates variety and interest, and may just be why one customer chooses your image over someone else’s.
Use your fellow photographers on Alamy as a source of inspiration starting with just one of our contributor spotlights. After all, creativity begets creativity, so if you can add to the mix of imagery from your own viewpoint it will add to the diversity of content on offer for customers.
Don’t duplicate
Only upload your best images from a shoot. Customers need to find what they’re after quickly, so it’s a balance between sending in enough choice, but not too much, especially if there is little variation in each of the shots.
We like to promote our contributors to customers and the more we can show to them a concise dedicated photoshoot with a clear style and framed narratives, will add greatly to the appeal of your images.
To each their own
Not every customer will be looking for all the images you have to offer (think about the difference between what an editorial and commercial customer would use). But with thousands of customers across the world, your images could be licensed for anything from newspapers to books, from adverts to TV shows.
For example, for that rare butterfly image, an editorial customer may be looking to produce an encyclopedia of insects and will use your image (if you’ve taken a clear shot with a pleasing composition, and captioned and keyworded accurately with even the Latin name), or if you shoot creatively, the same image of the same subject could appear in an advertising campaign for a commercial customer.
Keep it real
At Alamy we’re committed to featuring authentic imagery. We don’t accept AI-generated images because only photographs can show evidence of time and place, and therefore are original and unique to the photographer. The enhanced value of this (and why having accurate and relevant captions, keywords and metadata is so important) is that a large portion of customers want to know specifically the who, why, where and when of the things happening in our world.
There’s an art, knowledge, commitment, and skill that photographers possess when out photographing. Photographs are the closest we can get to real, lived experiences because they are truly taken from life. So, in recognizing a photograph’s worth, it’s important to also ensure that the photograph is what it says it is.
Taken from life, showing the physical texture and subtle iridescent patterns of the wings of a Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), this is as close as you can get to seeing the butterfly as though it were in front of you. Swallowtail butterfly resting on a yellow Iris stalk, Norfolk, England.
Photograph often, upload regularly
We’ve seen that the contributors who enjoy a pattern of sales throughout the year are the ones that regularly upload new content to their account with images that appeal to a wide variety of customers. They are also careful to only add accurate and relevant metadata so that the right images appear in front of the right customer, which helps customers easily find what’s relevant to them.
With all these tips there should be very little to stop you getting out into the real world for your next photography adventure and sharing it to the Alamy platform. We’re always looking to promote new contributors and collections, so we look forward to seeing what you upload next!