Portraits vs. Stock Photography

August 29th, 2008
Published in Photography
Tags: inspiration, Photography, portrait-photography, stock-photography

I never really picked a niche for my photography. It picked me. Or rather, I sort of slipped into it by doing what I enjoy doing most.

Most of my photographs are easily classified as portraits, and the work I produce is not necessarily what you’d call good stock. Not because the image quality is lacking, but because I didn’t have stock in mind when I shot and processed it. This is what can happen, once you find your niche. Mine happened to take me down this path, and I’d be fighting a losing battle, if I didn’t go along.

Sometimes I will create photos specifically with stock in mind, going for that clean, saturated look that sells so well, but most of the time I’ll just go where the photo wants to go. This creates more images that I like, but not ones that are as generic, as good stock should be. I know this, yet I do it anyway. I will even look at an image and think: If I did this and that to it, it would sell really well. And then I’ll do something completely different and upload it anyway.

The two photos used in this post are examples of the difference. The guitarist is a typical stock shot, whereas the guy in front of a rusty wall represents my personal style. Both are from my iStockphoto portfolio.

Why don’t I just go with what sells? Because ultimately, photography is not about making money for me. Nothing really is (probably why I’ll never be a hugely successful businessman, but that’s a whole other topic). The artist part of me always wins over the entrepreneur. And just to clarify, I like it that way.

Doing what I love is essential to my very being. If I were to shoot for my portfolio all the time, like a lot of my peers do, I would soon grow to hate photography. Once I start doing anything for money alone, I immediately lose interest. That’s why I always tell other people to shoot what they love first, then think about making it profitable second. The aforementioned peers happen to love creating images that are also awesome stock, such as Kelly’s food or Aldra’s women.

The obvious thing to do for me, is to market myself as a portrait photographer who also shoots stock. Coming to this realization has helped me a lot. It’s improved my work, because I’ve stopped trying to be everything all at once. It’s boosted my confidence, knowing what I’m good at. And finally, in a backwards kind of way, it has strengthened my stock work too.

These are some thoughts on my niche and how it ties into business. From a microstock shooting point of view. I’d love to hear what others have to say about this – how did you find your niche, and what does it mean to you professionally and personally?