Hello, I want to sell stock photos online, i want to know that which type/category of photos are bought much online.
A lot of construction photos (roofing, drywall, etc) are in demand right now. And of course, anything with a good looking girl and a computer or cell phone.
you start photo buisness?? you need a very well camera and spend a lot of time managging your photots... but gl!
If I'd be a photograph, I would make pictures of webmaster-stuff. Like a written paper that is about 'planning' and taking a picture of it. Webmasters of webmaster related blogs now it's important to give their visitors cool images along with the content so those are the people who are willing to invest in quality graphics. So I'd make pictures about: winning symbols (how to be #1 in Google) etc.
Its a good niche but has major competition. I recently started buying some photos for websites. Much higher quality and look much better. There is sites offering free picture downloads as well. You will need a lot of pictures and many categories.
I used to sell a lot of micro stock images. I found that photos in the business niche are high in demand. Regarding a camera, Anything from a canon g10 to entry level digital slr should be sufficient when starting out.
totally agree whith globegenius... for the camera I don't know, I'm not a pro, but I had a friend who have done this buisness, and he said that pictures should be as perfec and fine as possible...
I like pictures of people holding a plain white piece of paper where you can place whatever message you like on with photoshop, I find them useful
Go to the most popular stock photos websites and see which images are the most downloaded. Try to produce similar kind of images, they should sell quite well. Most in demand are business, health & beauty, portraits.
I am just hobby photographer – I shoot what I want / I do it (stockphotography) mostly for fun and thus I am faaaaaar from the top seller … but by watching this scene around microstock / stockphotography business … I found that the key seems to be in shooting things that are: 1.) Studio or exterior (properly lighted) shoots with people in various poses, shots of people in office, people working with computers, people shaking hands, medicine shoots and shots of medical equipment, tasty / nicely prepared food, etc. there are TONS of shoots like these on microstock / stockphoto websites, but they still seem to be selling very well. 2.) In addition to first way you can try also to shoot something that none else can easily shoot. Really inaccessible peaks of famous mountains for example, quality amateur astrophotography, real underwater (I mean deep under the sea or ocean) photography, etc. Or maybe exotic travel destinations, both landscape shots, but also for example images of happy woman/man on the beach, swimming, etc. (Travel agencies buy these! In highest available resolution usually licenses for prints = more expensive = more $$!) Or image of someone sitting on the palm tree could be selling well, etc. etc. Also, don’t forget regional shoots of your country’s cultural heritage (castles, ruins, historical towns) these can be selling also very well – if someone needs them for their current project! (Again travel agencies, but also magazines, book illustrations, etc.) Another advice, probably the most important, could be to try to think the way the buyers think. What would you buy if you where going to illustrate some website, etc. Watch things around you, in shops, billboards, advertisements, TV spots, just explore – what photos are used on product covers you see every day, try to think how would you shoot it yourself. I don't mean to copy – just seek for inspiration and try to do it by your self in the better way!
I agree that you should look at top stock portals, most show the most "popular" images or top 100. That should be a good indicator of what people are buying/downloading.
Just visit fotolia, istockphoto or any other photobank site and find what's the most popular and most downloadable images are. So it's free and easy method to gain all info you need!