If it’s got whipped cream on it, I’m all about it.
Bonnie here for your last stock photo food trend tip of the week. In case you’re just joining us, this week we’re talking about fun and easy ways to take high-selling stock photos of food… right on your kitchen table.
Today I’m shooting – and then drinking – one of my favorite pick-me-up snacks. A green tea (or matcha) smoothie.
Matcha – a Japanese-style green tea – is another superfood that’s said to boost metabolism, burn calories, calm the mind, and enhance mood, among other things. The whipped cream might negate a few of those benefits, but I love whipped cream!
Here’s how my matcha smoothie looked before it disappeared:
Mmmmmmm…
Today, two stock photo tips for you:
Tip #1: Prep the scene. When you’re photographing food that melts or separates – as these smoothies do within minutes – it’s a good idea to get your whole scene set up first.
To set the scene, I pulled out some matcha powder, a wooden scoop, and a Japanese-style bamboo mat. Then, I added the glass without the smoothie… just to see how everything works together.
Next, I added the smoothie and took my shots, trying to work quickly to get some variety.
Tip #2: Include copy space. Photo buyers often need images with some space to write text over the photo. That’s called copy space – because it’s a space in the photo where they can place “copy,” or text.
Once I got a few shots of my scene, I took away some of the props so that I could have a few options with copy space, like these:
By then, my whipped cream started melting into my drink which can only mean… it’s time to dispose of the prop. I’m sure you can guess how that happened.
After devouring my smoothie, I uploaded these and a few other shots to my agencies. Now my work is done. All that’s left for me to do (besides washing my blender) is wait to see how many sales come in.
I’ll leave these photos up on my stock agencies… indefinitely. Which means they can sell over and over and over. And I’ll collect the royalties on them as long as they sell.
That’s one of the best parts about shooting photos for stock, besides the fact that you can set up and shoot pretty much anything you like. Once you shoot the photos and get them ready, you can go do other things while they sell. It’s a great way to make a nice side-income while you work on your travel stories, or sell other photos to magazines or as fine art.
Travel Photography Resources
5 Dos and 2 Don’ts for Travel Photography
Take Great Photos And Get Paid More For Your Travel Articles
Turning a Photography Hobby into a Monthly Income
The Pros Of Selling Your Images As Stock Photography
16 Mobile Photography Tips And Tricks Every Photographer Should Know
