See It, Shoot It, Sell It!
by
Lawrence Sawyer
edited by
Joy Carlson
See It, Shoot It, Sell It!
Copyright © 2011 by Match-Needle Press, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0276-5
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To Lucas and Julian, who remind me every day of the power of photography.
Acknowledgements
This book is my first, and writing it proved to be far more time consuming and difficult than I ever imagined. It doesn’t help that I sometimes have the attention span of a five-year-old and I jump from one task to another. That should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, but it requires my friends, family, and business associates to tolerate my often-bizarre working style of flitting from project to project.
First and foremost, I need to thank my wife Jonell for putting up with me while I worked on this book over the past eighteen months. Actually, she should really be recognized for believing in me all these years, and not laughing at me every time I come up with new ventures that she knows in her heart will consume hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars. They always do.
Second, I want to thank my fellow photographers in the stock photography industry, many of whom shared their experiences in detail with me and agreed to be quoted in the book. Their willingness to share their knowledge makes this book all the more relevant to anyone just starting out in photography.
I also need to recognize my dear friend Barry Howell, with whom I have been photographing and enjoying the industry since we were twelve years old. Barry is, and always has been, there to weigh in on all things photographic. Any guy who trips a shutter well in excess of 100,000 times a year has my attention and respect.
Finally, my editor, Joy Carlson, deserves special recognition. Her writing and editing skills are without peer, but beyond that, her organizational skills far eclipse anything I could ever hope to possess. Joy kept me on track, pushed me to improve and expand, and to eliminate the weak spots in the book, and fleshed out my rough concept into what we both now feel is a pretty decent book.
Lawrence Sawyer
June 2010
Author's Note: Photo reproduction and resolution are not always consistent between eReaders, and every effort has been made to ensure quality reproduction across the various eBook formats.
Foreword
What began with shooting pictures for my high school yearbook has turned into 30 years of portrait, wedding, sports, action, commercial, and scenic photography. I started shooting with old-school 35mm film cameras, advanced to medium-format cameras, and today I use professional DSLR camera systems.
My experience spans the years, and I’ve been honored with state and regional professional photography awards, including the top wedding album award from the Minnesota State Professional Photographers Association. Photography has been my passion and source of income for years as I’ve taken hundreds of thousands of images for paying clients. Today I enjoy the opportunity to share my experiences with up and coming photographers through a variety of venues (for example, visit www.prophotoshow.com).
Even with all these years of experience as a professional photographer, I have had to make adjustments along the way to expand income channels and meet the digital age head on. Microstock photography seemed like a good expansion point. I logically thought I could be a successful stock photographer right out of the gate, but my friend and author Lawrence Sawyer showed me otherwise. He knows the secrets of stock photography that would have taken years to learn on my own.
Lawrence clearly explains why it takes more than technically sound images to gain acceptance into stock libraries. I was surprised to learn how high the standards are for image submission. See It, Shoot It, Sell It will save you time – and produce an income stream faster – if you carefully pay attention to the good advice throughout the book. It is sure to be an invaluable guide into the profitable work of stock photography.
Lawrence and I embarked on our photographic journey as childhood friends, and we’ve both come a long way from shooting pictures by our favorite lake with our trusty Canon FTb QL (film!) cameras. You, too, can benefit from Lawrence’s vast expertise in the world of stock photography and his technical excellence in creating spectacular images.
It’s easy to take a picture, much tougher to make a photograph. As the great Ansel Adams said, “There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.” So settle in, read the book, sharpen your concepts, and see what develops!
Barry Howell, Photographer/Owner
Picture Place Photography
Introduction
This book is for people with a camera who have wondered if there’s a way to make money with the pictures they take. This book is also for anyone who has an interest in photography, and is looking for a way to pick up a few bucks. Plus, this book is for newcomers to the world of stock photography – folks who may have already taken the plunge and signed up with a microstock agency, but are still pretty new to the game and want to learn more. It’s time to get on the fast track.
I got started in stock photography while pursuing my college degree in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I knew only two things: I loved photography, and I had a strong bent toward business. While I took classes and moved toward my eventual split major in photography and business, I researched the industry and began shooting photographs with the goal of being represented by a major photo agency. It was a long journey – it took eight years to become a good enough photographer to amass a library of images large enough to convince an agency to give me a contract. In the meantime, I shot black and white film, did my own processing and printing, and submitted my work to magazines and local publishers. And they started buying.
All the while, I was reading books to learn everything I could about the stock photography industry. I learned what I needed to know to get started shooting color for my own image library