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Selling photos online. How to find what is in demand?

I've heard some people make a great living selling photos online. I'm interested in turning my hobby into a part-time job. Does anyone know of good resource to find what type of photos are in demand? Does anyone know of a good resource of how to take quality stock photos?

Public Comments

1. Call your local library and find out if they have a copy of the Photographer's Market at the reference desk. The 2009 edition came out in October 2008, so your library may still be offering the 2008 edition. The Photographer's Market lists publications and websites that are looking for photos and gives info about quidelines, format, submission, rates, etc. It is a comprehensive resource for any photographer. Check it out.
2. Try a google search for stock photo agencies. Those are the companies you are looking for, and almost all tell the kind of pictures they are looking for. In general, you will have more success if you concentrate on business style photos. Those tend to be in more demand, as stock agencies are flooded with too many general photos. You will also need model releases, which are available on the stock photo sites.
3. There are essentially 2 ways to meet market demand. Supply what everyone is currently seeking & find your place in the supply & demand line, Or Create the Demand & Have the Market Seek Your Supply. But above all Seek to Supply That Which You Yourself Would Seek to Possess. Quality Photos are taken with adequate equipment & Superior Perspective & Vision. Zeno Alma Harpist Composer
4. I am a member of istockphoto.com and while I haven't made a ton of money, I have found that are pretty good at specifying what they are looking for. They have a rating system as well, so you can get an idea of what is hot at the moment. Good luck!
5. If you're relatively lazy, like me, and don't want to hassle with customers, I also recommend iStockPhoto and the whole microstock industry in general. The trick to microstock is to consistently upload a number of images per week (I upload 10-20 and now have around 2000-3000 online - per site). My photos don't sell all that well, since I shy away from typical corporate images - and put up a lot of editorial stuff (because that what I like to shoot), so I only made $10,000 this year. Other with a 3000 photo portfolio who really try for marketable images will easily make a lot more than me. You can easily go onto one of the sites I list below, and look at their top 10 sellers to see what's in demand. Since, I'm lazy, I'm pasting a previous answer I gave on Fotolia It's on the low end of the microstock sites I contribute to. Since they're all non-exclusive, you can send the same image to multiple sites. My top earner is ShutterStock ( http://submit.shutterstock.com/?ref=5054... ref link ) where I make 10 times that much. The other top earner is iStockPhoto. Problem is, but SS and IS require an application process where you need between 3 to 10 images approved first. Fotolia, DreamsTime, and BigStockPhoto (my other sites) don't require an application, so are pretty easy to start contributing.
6. Yes, it's true. I am selling pictures at a number of microstock agencies, see a list here: http://www.microstockphoto.co.uk Photos sell at a very low price (a few cents to a few dollars) but what counts is quantity and since you can sell your pictures hundreds of time you can get a pretty good revenue; with a few hundred pictures online i earn $500+/month My best earners are (in order) shutterstock, fotolia and dreamstime; on shutterstock there's a test to pass (7 out of 10 pictures accepted) but it's worth it since you will earn more there than all the other sites together. Best sellers are objects and objects isolated on white, backgrounds, people (model release required in this case); landscapes and nature are less in demand; architecture: only famous landmarks sell well; a picture sells better if there's a concept behind (people at work, people smiling, office scene and business in general) The best way to find which pictures are needed is to register (for free) to these agencies and see the list of best sellers. As to how to take quality stock photos: - good lighting is paramount: a good amount of daylight if possible; if artificial lighting is needed, use many (at least 2 or 3) lights and a light tent to avoid shadows; - for isolated objects, a perfectly white background is required; good lighing as usual, and photo editing if required; - set your camera at highest resolution and highest quality / lowest compression; - edit your photos, adjust contrast and lighting (but be careful to avoid blown out whites or other visible artifacts); since each saving reduces the .jpg quality always save at highest quality - use a tripod, try to avoid flash;