How to Shoot Photos People Want to Buy

It's a safe bet to say a majority of photographers would love to get paid for their photos. Well, what photos would people want to buy?

The couple over at Mango Street teamed up with Stefan Kunz for their latest video where they discuss what you can do to take photos that people may want to buy, more specifically, graphic designers, clients, or anyone who would want to use photos for invitations, flyers, and other pieces where they will be incorporating text into the shot. 

They go over six different tips to keep in mind when shooting; some of the tips focus on the actual scene, while others focus on what lens would be best and some of the settings for the shot. 

These are some important tips to consider and not confined to only photographers that shoot for stock. Think of the different ways your photos could be used. Senior and graduation portraits could turn into the invites, engagement photos for save the dates, and product photography for ads, just to name a few. 

Are there any other tips to keep in mind when shooting photos that may be used with text? Leave your answers in the comments below.

Alex Ventura's picture

Staff writer Alex Ventura is a professional photographer based out of the Houston area that specializes in automotive and glamour with the occasional adventures into other genres. He regularly covers automotive related events for Houston Streets & Spekture with some publications in the United States.

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1 Comment

The title does not seem to be in line with the content of the video.
Calling it “How to shoot photos graphic designers want to buy” would be more honest and more relevant title. Did you create such a misleading title on purpose, to make people click on video?
Some advice you give may be confusing. Such as - you advice to “shoot with wide angle” 35mm without explaining in what cases using wide angle lens is beneficial and how to use it properly. For landscape, interior, and some other shots it’s fine but on the video you are shooting a portrait with 35mm. For many people who don’t know how to shoot portraits with wide angle, it will results in having distorted photos nobody wants to buy. The approach you suggest is great when someone shoots against clearly defined requirements for a stock, designer or a magazine, for example. In these cases, a photographer and a designer usually work together on defining requirements and creating photos that meet them. From your video, this approach is not obvious, and the feeling I had was that I have to guess what designers may like (rather than being clear on what requirements the photos should be shot against). The last minute of the video is purely to promote the creators of the video.