How would one find out what sorts of stock photos are in demand?

Question

I know that stock photography is a very challenging market right now but it seems that certain subjects and themes do well. How would one know what sorts of stock photos are in demand versus what subjects are overshot and likely not to pay well?

(please, no doom-and-gloom-of-stock rants...)

Asked by ahockley

Answer

The microstock sites often provide charts of the most popular images or tags. Some examples:

• http://submit.shutterstock.com/top50.mhtml
• http://www.istockphoto.com/participate/contributor-lounge/trends

There's also highlighted images from agencies:

• http://www.alamy.com/showcase/latestimagery.asp

Some sites even explicitly say what they are looking for:

• http://www.istockphoto.com/help/sell-stock/training-manuals/photography/quality-standards-what-were-looking-for

The only issue with popular lists is that it shows what's popular. It might be more profitable to find a niche that isn't well represented - e.g. your local area, or somewhere with a good view that only you have access to, or your profession.

Original or very good quality seasonal images can be more popular than you might think, as long as you upload them a few months before the season - e.g. Christmas related images in October.

Answered by Maynard Case

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