Great Escape Publishing

Posted February 5th, 2013 by Bonnie Caton & filed under Travel Photography.

This simple photo has sold over 300 times in online stock photo agency iStock: Bonnie Caton, here, creator of the Breakfast Stock Club, where I share tips on how to start selling pet photos online in stock photo agencies. These days, it seems like everyone is looking to make a little extra money, especially if it’s doing something they love to do. One concern many readers have, though, is that it’s complicated getting started in online stock photography. And yes, it can be…until you figure out the system and what sells. For example, there are a lot of things that make the above photo saleable… from the human-pet interaction, to the colorful sunny day, to lots of copy space on the right side. But there’s one small thing that makes this photo even more saleable: the dog’s collar. Many photographers remove collars when they photograph pets. But as it turns out, some pet shelters can’t use photos of dogs if they’re not wearing a collar and tags. Take a look back through your photos to see if you have a photo of a pet interacting with people in a clean, clutter-free environment. If the photo is well-exposed, in-focus, and the pet is wearing a collar, you might have a stock photo winner on your hands. I’ll share another saleable stock photo subject that you might already have in your collection tomorrow.