Photographer of the Month – March 2009
I get a lot of emails asking me how to make a living at stock photography. Mostly these notes are from nature photographers hoping to make a living from selling landscape and wildlife photos. Nature photography is the most popular photography to do but the least popular to sell! Advertisers want photos of people doing everyday things (lifestyle photography) or photos to illustrate concepts(messages, moods, and feelings simply illustrated). Few advertisers want photos of sunsets and mountains! So, if you want to make money in stock, forget nature; lifestyles and concepts are the photos that bring in the cash.
I am not a good example of a stock photographer. I shoot what I want, not what the market demands – no wonder I still eat Kraft Dinner! If you want to see what a real stock photographer does and one that does it well, then check out Bill Frymire’s work! Bill is based in Kamloops BC and shoots for the powerhouse agencies of Getty and Masterfile.
Photo by Bill Frymire
Not only is Bill incredibly creative, he is a master at illustrating concepts. I am constantly blown away by Bill’s photos but more so by his fantastic ideas! Bill must love the challenge of creating a great concept photo because his work shows heart and soul besides illustrating a great story. Bill thanks for the inspiration!
Darwin Wiggett 
March 7, 2009 at 12:08 AM
Good points Darwin. I have read your articles on selling photos. I have to learn to think about how a photo can be used in advertisement when I shoot. A photo of an impressive mountain range is nice, but if it includes hikers or campers, it can be used for, perhaps, a sporting goods ad. A good photo of a bear is nice, but if the bear is doing something unusual, then it can relate to a product being sold. Good thing we don’t have to get a bear to sign a model’s release eh?
Dennis
March 19, 2009 at 10:17 PM
Very good points Darwin and you’re absolutely right. Bill’s work is absolutely brilliant. Thanks for sharing that with us. He’s a creative genius. What I like about Bill’s work is that he has figured out ways to put preconceived concepts into photos rather than just making photos of what he sees. He has the ability to previsualize what he wants to do. Being talented with photoshop is a plus with this type of photography also.