Great Escape Publishing

Posted November 28th, 2012 by Bonnie Caton & filed under Travel Photography.

If you want to remember something, look at the color yellow. It’s said to stimulate the memory part of your brain. And if you’re trying to eat less, surround yourself with the color green. It’s said to calm the nerves, inspire hope, and help control over-eating. (Note: Orange has the opposite effect, so don’t buy an orange tablecloth unless you want to stimulate your appetite.) What does this have to do with photography? Bonnie Caton, here — creator of the Breakfast Stock Club, where we talk about selling photos to online stock agencies. (You can join for free, here.) Stock photo superstar Lise Gagne has more than 1.1 million sales on iStockphoto.com, and she says that designers and photo buyers are drawn to the color blue. So let’s look at some easy ways to include the color blue to sell more stock photos: ** Blue Sky ** Here’s one of the easiest ways to include lots of blue in your photos. This photo by Lise has sold nearly 7,000 times. Of course, it has a lot more going for it than just the blue sky, but if the sky had been gray or even sunset orange, the image wouldn’t be as powerful. ** Blue Props ** If you’re planning a shoot, it’s easy to coordinate props. In this photo, also by Lise, notice that all of the props are blue. This one has sold over 2,600 times. ** Blue Wardrobe ** Blue shirts look clean, corporate, and professional. If these two men were in orange, red, white, yellow, or any other color, the image would have a different feel altogether. Shot by stock photographer Shelly Perry at one of our live events, this one has sold more than 900 times. ** Blue Background ** If you like to shoot indoors, get a roll of blue paper from a camera supply store (under $20). This photo by Lise has more than 2,200 sales on iStock. Imagine how it would look with a red, green, or yellow background — not nearly as effective. The blue background makes the milk look clean and healthy. If you look through the high-sellers on stock sites, you’ll see a lot of blue. Start including it in your photos and see if you sell more. [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.]