By Photodynamx
☼ In my ten years of supplying stock photography, I have read many useful blogs about keywording and providing metadata for your photos. Much of the advise has been about using appropriate keywording that actually relates to the specific content of the photo, and not to overdo the use of keywording etc...all of which is good advice!
☼ There is however a type of stock photo that requires a little more 'thinking out of box' when it comes to keywording, and that is conceptual photography!
☼ A photo that has been designed with a particular concept/s in mind will require metadata or keywording that goes beyond what the eyes see in the actual photo!
☼ For instance, in the photo example above, typical keywords could be: rainbow - weather - rain - waterdrops - zip and so forth. Whilst these keywords describe what the eye actually sees in the photo - they do NOT describe the concept of the photo.
☼ A photo that has been designed around a conceptual idea or thought needs to have keywording that relates to the concept. So in the example of the photo above, the concept I designed was around the idea of a positive future or outlook. So metadata or keywording needs to be applicable to this thought or idea!
☼ When publishers or authors are looking for a stock photo to use in their publication or in web content, and they want to address the idea of a positive outlook concept, they might not entirely know what stock photo will suit their needs best. So it is very important for you - the designer of the concept - to use the best keywords that will convey the exact message of the concept to the potential buyer.
☼ The publisher or author looking for a conceptual photo might well type search words in that relate to their subject matter such as : positive - future - outlook - mental awareness - business solutions . The conceptual ideas that this photo can portray is very generic, and therefore can be used in many different scenarios, whether business, healthcare, education and so on. The more generic your photo design the more potential for sales!
☼ The most important thing to remember is trying to get into the mind of the buyer or publisher that you want to target. They won't know about your concept photo by just typing in words such as rainbow - weather - zip etc, although these words can be used as metadata. The most effective way to get sales is by using concept words for concept photos.
☼ Again, with the photo example above, if you wanted to get across to your audience a conceptual idea of green energy - climate change - ecology - renewable energy, then you will need to use keywords other than just - lightbulb - windfarm - turbines - electricity - power etc.
☼ The potential buyer does not want to spend hours upon hours looking for a photo to suit their subject matter. So it's up to you to present YOUR concept idea to THEM by using well thought-out keywords and metadata to suit the concept/message that your photo is portraying. You have to put YOUR idea into THEIR minds if you want to be successful at designing and selling conceptual photography!
☼ Designing conceptual photography is one thing - selling them is another!
☼ If you want to go down the road of designing conceptual photography, just make sure that your keywording is appropriate to your concept, and NOT just what is seen by the eye! In so doing, you will give yourself more of a chance at having your sales increase. Potential buyers will also know where to come in the future when they want a photo that covers a conceptual theme.
☼ Most of my portfolio contains concept photography. Not only do I love designing this type of stock photo, but it also makes them unique and very desirable to buyers who are looking for something a little bit different from the rest, something that will make their work stand out from the crowd!
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