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| MacTribe Special Report: The Jack Facts |
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| by Pat Hunt |
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25 Things To Make You a Next Generation Stock Photographer in 2010
(Part Two in our series with 'Twittermonk' Jack Hollingsworth)
13 Reduce Shoot Loads
Instead of shooting for a full day…try shooting for only a couple of hours. You’ll be surprised how that can often result in higher shoot yields.
14 Good Enough is Good Enough
At some point, especially in this economy, you’ve got to know when good enough is good enough. Stop tweaking. Start delivering. It’s good to pay attention to detail. But learn what’s important and what’s not, in regards to both production and post-production.
15 Shoot-to-Select Ratio
My shoot to select ratio is around 10-1. For every 10 captures…I usually get 1 select. So for a 1000 capture day…my goal is 100 selects.
16 Same Content, Different Context
Believe it or not, it’s the exact same popular subjects, concepts and themes that sell the most. And have been for the past 3-4 decades in stock. Shoot the same content. But change up the context (style, props, wardrobe, art-direction, location, etc.)
17 Stick Close to Home
Shooting someone exotic won’t necessarily make you a better stock photographer. Keep travel spending to a minimum. Shoot close to home. Become a local town commodity. Get to know your neighborhood.
18 Get Out of the Studio
We’ve seen enough of people and products on white seamless. We’ve got enough. Time to move out of the studio and onto locations.
19 Less Similars
It’s better to change models and wardrobe, even slightly, than to shoot the same with different expressions or different orientations (horizontal/vertical). All agencies are cracking down and rejecting “similars”.
20 RM Resurgence?
Some industry analysts are predicting resurgence in RM. I personally don’t see the evidence of this (more wishful thinking). But if that’s your thing, by all means, shoot more RM.
21 If It’s Broken…
Stop doing it. For heaven’s sake, don’t keep shooting and supplying images that no one is buying. Back to analytics. Carefully check what is selling, what isn’t. If it’s broken, fix it!
22 Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Become your own rock star. Be yourself. Stop copying others who you think are successful. Find your own vision and voice.
23 Improve Your Submission Ratio
In micro, your submission-to-select ratio should be 75-99%. In other words, 75-99% of what you submit should pass muster. It’s lower in macro – around 50%. Use these norms to gauge how you’re doing.
24 What Makes You Tick (or Click)
To shoot stock images that seem to sell over and over…you need to find that fire in the belly. Find what makes you tick. Find out what subjects, themes and concepts really enthuse and excite you.
25 Photographic Ego
A sad fact of a stock photographer’s existence is that his/her photographic ego is often determined by “rejects” rather than “selects”. Be true to yourself. Know who you are. Keep your chin up. Shoot for the moon. Learn from your mistakes. But let your photographic ego come from within, not from without. You’ll be happier and your pictures will show it.
Comment on this article at www.twitter.com/mactribe
Read Part One Here
 
(Pat Hunt is a writer and workshop leader for the stock photo industry, and Managing Director of Huntstock.com in Boston, a lifestyle image production company.)
Image Credits: Copyright Jack Hollingsworth
All Rights Reserved. Used by kind permission.
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