05 Jun 2009 The Secret Sauce of Shooting and Selling Travel Stock Photography

Newly crowned Microstock Celebrity Jack Hollingsworth has started promoting his upcoming stock photography cruise from Rome to Venice. I asked him if he could show us some of the shots he’s made on these cruises and give us a taste of the instruction he gives participants in a guest post. Here it is.

A beautiful face, looking at camera, shot in context of location will sell today, tomorrow, forever.

What makes this shot work is matching green background to green japanese house slippers. simple tactic. big results.

You don’t always need to show the whole body (face) to communicate your stock message.

Sometimes all it takes is a little camera/motion blur to add iconic significance to a stock photo	Three elements here: wall, musician, couple. It took me five minutes to find the wall, grab a musician from street corner, place romantic couple, frame right.. viola!
Iconic landmarks, monuments, structures are the top-selling travel stock images	World capital skylines change monthly. There is a constant and growing need for updated shots like this of the Honk Kong skyline.
More than often than not it’s the simple, quiet shot, with plenty of negative space, that is used to illustrate travel stories.	The impact of this image is strong, defining late afternoon shadows of sidewalk ,tango dancers in Buenos Aires
“White and bright” is today’s picture aesthetic. When you find it, milk it (pun intended).	Shooting iconic monuments with foreground elements is a simple stock technique for adding drama and uniqueness.

For the past 3 decades, I have been globe trotting – seeing the world through my camera lens. Commissions, stock and personal work (see a 3 minute, 900 image showcase of my work here called See The World).

I have shot and sold literally thousands of stock photos – many iconic images of this planet’s skylines, landmarks, monuments, architecture, urbanscapes, cultural portraiture, cuisine, local color, and lifestyle.

The ‘secret sauce’ in shooting and selling all this travel stock photography is seeing the world through cruising. That’s right…cruising. 30+ different itineraries, over 300 ports-of-call and thousands of logged nautical miles. I know what I’m talking about here. Whether you shoot micro, macro or both, if you focus on images that sell, you should be able to recoup your travel cost in 12-24 months (depending on how aggressive a shooter/editor you are). And do it all in pampered comfort.

Most cruises today do their traveling in the evenings, while you’re sleeping. You wake up, and voila!, you’re at the next exotic port-of-call, ready for action.

If shooting in groups is not your thing then do your own wandering, solo. Or hire a local guide and interpreter to take you on a ‘highlights’ tour. To me, it’s amazing how your frame of mind changes when you are cruising. You’re rested, alert, excited, and ready to go!

And, of course, you have a full ship staff at your disposal, each evening, to help you plan and chart the perfect excursion for your next photo adventure. I have found that most cruise staff are savvy and knowledgeable about where the best photos are.

Most modern ships are also equipped with internet and phone services. So you’re never out of touch. You shoot a full day, get back to your room, break out the laptop, download your memory cards, and begin to edit (after an absolute fabulously prepared dinner).

I am totally convinced that you can cover 2-3 times more location content by cruising. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, you can do it in style (it’s like have a floating hotel follow you around).

If you do hit the high seas, then i strongly recommend that you pack light. Small camera bag, a couple of zoom lenses, a tripod, extra batteries and CF cards, an on-camera flash and maybe a fanny pack. That’s all you need. But don’t forget those pocket-sized model releases you’ll need for shooting people (model released imagery sells 10 times more than unreleased imagery).

If you are interested in setting sail with “Captain Jack”, then consider joining us on an upcoming cruise from Rome to Venice, July 18-29, 2009. $4205.00 per person. For the latest details and the PDF brochure, email me directly at tours@jackhollingsworth.com

Take it from me, photography through cruising is the ultimate ‘secret sauce’ to shooting and selling travel stock photography.