Great Escape Publishing

Posted January 13th, 2012 by Bonnie Caton & filed under Travel Photography.

Think the processing in this photo of the Taj Mahal goes too far? I found it while looking through stock photos to get some inspiration for our Photo Expedition in India in March. My photos never come out this bright and colorful… but that’s because this photographer used something called HDR. You may have heard about HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography. It’s a process where you take multiple photos — some brighter, and some darker, then combine the best parts of each in Photoshop. Some argue that HDR goes too far. But when you do it well, you can come up with a photo that sells. The above shot has sold over 300 times! Here’s another one that I think uses HDR… though I’m not certain. It’s more subtle here, but the colors in this photo really stand out: When we go to the Taj Mahal, I want to try this technique. If you’re coming with me on the India Photo Expedition, we’ll do it together. Of course, you don’t need to have Photoshop or use HDR to take travel stock photos that sell. Here are some other stock shots of India that I’ve found for inspiration. These were all taken in places where we’ll be going… and they’re making me really excited for the trip! Whether you come with me to India or not, it’s a good idea to go onto a few stock photo sites and see what’s selling. Not so that you can copy those photos. But so that you can get inspired and put your own twist on what buyers are looking for today. [Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]