This post is our part 2 continuing on our series of best-selling stock photos and what sells in stock photography.
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My wife and I have been in the stock photography business since 2015. We have over 40,000 stock photos between us two. As I mentioned in our previous post, we shoot both editorial and commercial images. They sell equally well for us. So, do not ignore editorial images in your portfolio.
Kristina’s Best-Selling Stock Photos on Shutterstock
Let’s take a look at Kristina’s best-sellers on Shutterstock since we started uploading our photos in 2015.
The majority of Kristina’s top performers got uploaded in 2017. As you see, most of them are either photos of the International Monetary Fund or interior images. Also, a panoramic skyline of New York City at sunset has sold extremely well too. The photo was taken at Brooklyn Bridge park.
The funniest photo out of all of these is this toilet. We cannot count how many times this photo got sold on other stock photo platforms. I guess people need images of a toilet and this photo stood out.
Notice how most of these interior photos are closeups of objects. For instance, take this photo of pillows on a bed. While we have interior photos of entire rooms, closeups sell better for one or another reason.
Another top performer is this sunrise landscape with the sun behind spruce trees. There are many reasons why buyers love this photo on Shutterstock. It could be this sunburst with warm yellow colors of sunrise and the fact that this is in Colorado.
It is hard to pinpoint the exact reason, but these factors definitely come into play.
As for images of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, they are editorial. And yet, they sell very well. This is especially true when news on the International Monetary Fund break out.
Also, this image of the FBI headquarters building sells well, perhaps because the FBI logo is clearly visible. This image is often featured in articles about the FBI.
Kristina’s Best-Selling Stock Photos on Adobe Stock
Here are Kristina’s best-sellers stock photos on Adobe Stock. As you can see, they are somewhat similar to Shutterstock, but with a few notable exceptions.
The number one top seller is a photo of a pan on a gas stove. Looking at Google search results, we saw that many buyers used it in articles on natural gas topics.
The other photo is of a house in Florida. Real estate in Florida was a hot topic for the past several years, as many people moved there. Hurricanes and rising insurance costs were also contributing factors.
This photo is a surprising best seller. It depicts a rather mundane subject, which is a pile of sandwiches. But, it is not any regular sandwich. This is an Italian panini made with ciabatta bread. So, when buyers search for this keyword combination, this image immediately pops up.
The other top performer is this photo of Kristina’s late kitty named Angel. She was resting on a bed when this photo was taken. It may give you the impression that Angel is sick or sad, but she was just relaxing as I petted her.
This photo is popular among buyers who write articles on pets having health issues.
Another best-selling photo is this one, depicting aspen trees during Colorado’s autumn. The trees provide a beautiful pattern that stands out among other photos.
As for this photo, I know exactly why it is one of my best sellers. I took in Fairfax, Virginia at sunset. This photo is prominently featured in articles about living in Fairfax, Virginia. Fairfax is located in Northern Virginia near Washington DC.
Northern Virginia gained a lot of coverage since 2018. This was after Amazon decided to build its second headquarters there.
This last photo depicts cherry blossoms with the sun behind the branches. It is hard to tell who exactly buys this photo. It could be a print for a wall art or for articles writing about cherry blossoms in spring. Either way, it sells very well.
Concluding Remarks
Looking at Kristina’s photos, we can conclude that interior and real estate photos sell very well. But, do not discard editorial images. Photos of the IMF, World Bank and FBI enjoy strong popularity too.
Photos of food that are differentiated in some way sell well. The important thing is to know your subject and create the right keywords. Relevant keywords are very important for success in stock photography.
How to Keyword Photos for Stock Photography
Learn how to properly keyword and title stock photos and video to maximize your stock photography sales.