Selling Landscape Photos as Stock Images
January 22nd, 2011
A lot of times many stock photographers have to think of ideas that would make a great shot. It’s not a secret that almost all aspiring and well seasoned photographers have a whole folder of landscape or nature images hoping to find some use for them later on. With stock sites being swamped with landscape images, you might assume it is difficult to gain a foothold in this genre. In fact, there is always a need for beautiful sunsets, mountains, woods and beach settings. With a few helpful tips, you can turn your landscape shots into money makers:
See through a buyer’s eyes – catching the buyer’s attention should be of utmost importance to the stock photo seller. Look at your landscape photos with objectivity and see how they would appear if you were the buyer. Are they useful as a background image for a magazine or as a photo example for a brochure? Can you imagine seeing them in print advertisements or as desktop wallpapers? Buyers have various reasons for acquiring an image and yours should have some selling value that hooks the clients’ interest.
See through a buyer’s eyes – catching the buyer’s attention should be of utmost importance to the stock photo seller. Look at your landscape photos with objectivity and see how they would appear if you were the buyer. Are they useful as a background image for a magazine or as a photo example for a brochure? Can you imagine seeing them in print advertisements or as desktop wallpapers? Buyers have various reasons for acquiring an image and yours should have some selling value that hooks the clients’ interest. Use your landscape as the background – landscape images often become cliché and generic since most sunset and mountain images look alike. One effective way 
to make a landscape shot more unique is the addition of a foreground subject. Instead of just a plain beach in sunset scene, why not include a person or an object in the foreground. This gives the viewers something to focus on while also appreciating the beautiful landscape background.
to make a landscape shot more unique is the addition of a foreground subject. Instead of just a plain beach in sunset scene, why not include a person or an object in the foreground. This gives the viewers something to focus on while also appreciating the beautiful landscape background. Always tag your images – the chances of your photograph being viewed by the public are greater if you tag your images appropriately. For example, a sunset doesn’t always have to be just a ‘sunset’. You can also tag it under ‘sun’, ‘dusk’, ‘twilight’, plus additional tags for elements that can be found in the image such as secondary subjects or the location of the scene. The more tags to describe your images, the more views you can have. Most buyers are usually very specific when searching for an image, and they may have the tendency to only use one word to search for a specific image. If you don’t use that word, you lose your chance of selling that image.
Show people in your landscape shots – people images sell like hotcakes in stock sites. By including people in your scene, you immediately increase the chances of getting a sale. Your landscape may be stunning with perfect composition and lighting, but it can garner more interest with the addition of a person, even if it is just a small silhouette. If you want to play it safe, have a shot that is just purely landscape and another that has a person or some people in it.
Landscape photography can be one of the most competitive niches to penetrate and be known for, but the demand for it is always high. There is never a lack for the need for landscape images. Just always make sure that in a market saturated by the same type of scenes, your images have better quality, your composition is immaculate and that the image has depth. These are what will make your work stand out, these are what will always sell.
