Lessons
Class Introduction
15:28 2All About Stock
18:52 3Finding an Agency
13:12 4Model and Property Releases
19:00 5Briefs, Trends and Inspiration
11:25 6Interview: Gallery Stock Creative Director, Jen Fox Freeman
43:55 7Production
14:09 8Self Producing
11:57Archiving, Storage and Back Up
10:01 10Ingest Images
11:46 11Culling Images
29:24 12Keywords
08:45 13Editing Images in Photoshop
24:43 14Equipment
33:14 15Gear on Location
08:56 16Location Scouting
05:18 17Shoot: Working with a Model, Wardrobe and Direction
27:13 18Variation of Angles
03:40 19Final Image Review
05:38Lesson Info
Variation of Angles
Unlike a lot of other aspects of photography where you're focusing on one subject or the picture is about a subject, for the stock stuff, it's not so much about the subject, it's more about the feeling in the environment, and being able to place yourself in those environments. Don't ever feel like you need to put on a 50-millimeter lens and stand there and frame a person up in the middle. And the rule of thirds, you don't even have to really pay attention to that too much. I mean, do both of those things, put somebody in the middle of the frame, put somebody in a third of a frame, but also cut somebody in half, take a picture of just somebody's hands up in the air, climb up on top of a ledge, on a bench, bring a ladder with you so you can shoot overhead. Put your camera on a monopod, hold it up in the air to get overhead, put your camera on the ground. If you're shooting the beach, dig a little hole and shoot up out of the sand. There's no limit, there's no right way, wrong way, just a...
lways be trying to find different angles. And then another angle that's really important, the POV, the point-of-view angle. Shoot over someone's shoulder. Put the camera right next to them, and get a picture of their hands out doing something. You really want to invoke the feeling that you're joining them. Don't hesitate to go right up next to somebody, shoot behind them, shoot their back, shoot the back of their legs, shoot just their feet, body parts, it's not about the person, it's about the feeling, and that's one thing that's real important for stock, is just have these variations, and realize that the picture is more, for the moment, for the feeling of it, rather than the subject. So I think that's probably one of the most important lessons that I'd like to share, is that stock photography is a way to really just try new things, and experiment, and just keep yourself creative and motivated. You're not under some kind of strict guidelines. There's not the pressure of having to perform when you're doing something where somebody's actually, has money invested in you. This is something that you do for yourself, so just getting out there and always taking pictures, and just always trying new things. And, after a few years of it, you really will see, it's odd what sells and what doesn't sell, and how stuff that was just kind of a, yeah, let's give it a try, or just a quick snap ends up being something that's really successful. Even when you're out on a stylized shoot and you're putting some money into it, don't just be like, I have these pictures that I saw that I like from this angle, and I'm gonna copy that, I'm gonna duplicate that. Sure, shoot that, maybe that's what you think's gonna work best, but don't feel like you can't get up high, get really low, crop into people, do some detail shots, just shoot as much as you can. Don't overshoot, don't complicate it too much, but just always be trying new and different things. And that's what I find the biggest joy in stock photography is, that I get to take a picture of anything that I want and try anything that I want.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Amy Vaughn
Personally, I really liked this class, but I can see why it wouldn’t be for everyone looking for information about stock photography. I’ve already researched and started doing microstock, but now I’m looking for more information about other options. This class was a good fit for me. Although Geo seemed new to public speaking and used too many fillers like “uh” and “um”, I found him likable and surprisingly relatable considering our different photographic niches. This class may be best suited for: Learning more about boutique galleries, rights managed stock and alternatives to microstock Seeing how this particular stock photographer works, gets inspiration and has been successful Getting ideas about current trends and sources for inspiration Getting the perspective of a creative director for a boutique agency Those interested in lifestyle photography May not be as suitable for: Broader and more in depth information about the variety of options in stock photography Those who want to focus on microstock New photographers who want detailed information about getting started and meeting technical requirements Those who prefer a more polished speaker
Christina Biasi
I loved this class! I cannot agree with some other reviews below at all Geo gives so much valuable information, and in fact I love his style much more than many other over-self confident speakers. He is sympathetic and likeable, and most importantly give very much valuable insights into stock photography. I just started with stock and got all my questions answered. I watched it already three times. The only part which I did not like so much was the post-processing part, because he could have explained better his workflow and why he chose certain actions. But that does not impact on the overall quality of the course. I can only highly recommend this class
Carol Totaro
I thought this was a great class and have to disagree with some of the comments from the hands down viewers. The audience was listless and did not seem to be interested in being there. Do you know how difficult it is to stand up in front of a bunch like this and keep your mojo racing? Very difficult. Hardly anyone asked questions and they all just gave a lot of nods most of the time. If your read ahead of time the info on the class, you would see that he was going to go into Lightroom and workflow. Yes, some of it was a drag especially all those pictures taken from the condo at a FL panhandle beach. But nothing's perfect. Maybe I got a lot out of this because I am newer at photography. I was glad to know about his equipment. Everyone's personality is different and for all the talent and success Geo has enjoyed, he remains a humble and very likeable guy.