Taking your own stock photos is pretty easy to do. You can also use this exercise as a way of improving your photography skills. You may also find yourself coming up with new ideas for content. Either way you end up with photographs you own and no worries about buying photos or using someone else’s image without permission.
Why Take Stock Photos
For bloggers, images are essential to telling and sharing our content. We use images to illustrate our topic. We include pinnable images in our posts to help our pins go viral on Pinterest. The bigger the image the better on Google+. Instagram is all about images. Even Twitter is including images!
Stock Photos are basically generic images. More conceptual and vague stock photos can be tweaked to fit the topic of a blog post if you don’t have the perfect photo already. They can help illustrate a point being made in the post visually.
When you own the stock photo, you can tweak it to your heart’s content. When you purchase a stock photo, you are limited by the restrictions placed by the photographer on their work.
Photo Composition
Before you start, study other bloggers’ work. Find images that stick with you and try to understand how the blogger composed the picture to capture your attention. Go outside your niche and study photo-rich topics like food, home decorating, and crafts.
Save yourself editing time by composing the image in your camera. If you’re doing a close up of an object, crop as much as you can out of the picture. Take horizontal and vertical versions of the image. The horizontal version is good for blog posts, Instagram, Facebook, and Google+. Vertical images do better on Pinterest, plus they lend themselves better to titles.
Landscape/horizontal
Portrait/vertical
Become familiar with the rule of thirds. Imagine a photo being divided into thirds horizontally and vertically like the example below. The most visually pleasing composition is when the subject is placed where the lines intersect. Looking at the photo below, I should have moved over to the right to shift the chairs over to the left.
Avoid centering your subject in the photo. Use leading lines to draw the eye to the subject. The best leading lines are diagonal ones crossing the photo rather than going perfectly horizontal or vertical.
Stock Photo Images to Take
- objects in your niche
- colors – bright ones, items with unusual colors
- animals/pets
- words
- letters
- objects appearing as letters
- patterns
- textures
- action shots of your relatives (hands reaching, brushing teeth, dog-walking, etc)
- close up shots of everyday household objects (coffeemaker, bathtub, fireplace, comfy chair)
- artsy things (craft corner, hobbies you’re working on, original paintings, sewing table, yarn collection
- Computer keyboards
- notebooks & pens
- holding hands
- kids playing
- balloons
- empty street
- traffic
- field of flowers
- birds in sky
- kids reading
- kids crafting
- kids cooking
- SIGNS: Stop, one way, caution etc can be used in a lot of ways.
- Stairs, windows, doors.
- Cars whizzing by
- People on phones
- Tunnels.
- Joggers, start lines and finish lines
- Birds in flight or in nests
- vanity plates on cars
- old cars
- Every time you see something and think, oh that’s neat, take its picture.
- The 4 seasons – traditional and nontraditional activities for each one
- When you are vacation or traveling, look at architecture, and abstract items
- You can do pictures of your kids, however, do it in a way that the face isn’t in the picture. For example, if they’re in a group, do the back of their heads. Or the details like the hands and feet.
- books
- money, coins, cash register
How To Blog For Profit: Without Selling Your Soul
Photography Inspiration: Blogs
Mammasaurus
Making Lemonade
Design Life Kids
Centsational Girl
On Sutton Place
White On Rice Couple
Savory Simple
Running to the Kitchen
Great ideas! I am currently working on a stock photo file for Spring pictures. It seems like you can’t have enough of those!! Maybe each day I can use your suggestions and take 20 min to find things to photograph.
Jennifer @Making Our Life Matter recently posted..Simple Woman’s Daybook 04.28.14
I love the 20 minutes a day idea. It keeps the process more manageable plus you should have time to organize the photos for finding later.
I am sooo photo challenged. These are good tips to get started. Great post.
Thank you! Feel free to email me if you need help!
Great tips!
Stephanie recently posted..Morning Coffee with the Best Coffee Maker
Great tips! I love how easy it is if you just remember to pull out the smartphone on a walk, or, well, anywhere! After all… I know I always have my phone and therefore camera with me!
Stephanie recently posted..Morning Coffee with the Best Coffee Maker
Simply awesome article! Thanks for the list of suggestion, now if only I had a better camera!
Gina B recently posted..Easy, Safe Snacking with The Gluten Free Bar #ad
That looks like Parrish Beach at Swarthmore. I graduated there in ’85 and have fond memories of the campus, especially in the Spring.
LydiaF recently posted..Classic Cheese Souffle
If it’s the area in front of the main hall at the top of the long walkway, then yes! It’s a beautiful campus.
These are excellent reminders!!
Dana recently posted..Special Rates on Disney Cruise Line!!
I planned on taking pictures this week with my new camera – I will remember these tips
thanks!!
Kristina & Millie recently posted..12 Kid Crafts for Mom’s Day
Pinning this to help make all of my images more pinable!!! Such great tips!!
Lindsey @ sisterstosons.com recently posted..I’m Free!
Thank you!
What a great list! I tend to just go looking through my iphoto for pictures when I need them. This would save tons of time!
carrie recently posted..Get Outside – 5 Benefits of Sunshine! #MotivationMonday
I think the key is organizing them when you download to the computer. I’m tagging everything as stock photos and then including other tags like kids, gardening.
Great advice as always. I always try to all my own photos.
Sherry recently posted..5 Great Plus Size Workout Pants
Thanks for sharing this great information. I am going to share w/ my son. He loves to take pictures.
Pinning ~ Thanks for linking up at the Bloggers Brags Weekly Pinterest Party
Tamara recently posted..No Fail Crock-Pot Roast, Recipe
I did this once a really long time ago. Those photos lasted me a long time. I guess now that it is finally spring I should do it again!
I love this post Barb! I got a new camera last year and love it..but I have yet to actually sit down and figure out the ton of stuff it does or how to take really awesome pics. with it!
Thanks for sharing!
shari lynne @ faith filled food for moms recently posted..Salisbury Steak with Frozen Burgers
If you get really stuck, look for a Dummy manual for your camera. The manual that comes with the camera may not explain things too well.
Thank you! Some great tips! I try to take most of my pictures, but definitely can use some tips! It would save me a lot of time in editing if I could just take a better picture!!
Elizabeth recently posted..Top 10 Posts from April 2014
Thanks! Just give yourself time to practice and take multiple shots from different angles. Some stuff may look good in the camera, and terrible on the computer screen.
Found you from LWSL Thrifty Thursday. Love this post, what a great idea! I know what my new project will be for the next month or so! Thanks!
Susie recently posted..13 Ingredients to Avoid When Buying Cosmetics Free Printable
I love taking my own photos for my blog simply because I can do what I want with them and not worry about copyrights. These are great tips–pinning this to my blog board!
Carrie This Home recently posted..Sugar Body Scrub (With Free Printable Labels)
Great idea! I have lots of my own photos to choose from, but every now and then I need a quirky one, like a stop sign. Your list is excellent. Visiting today via A Delightsome Life.
Diana Petrillo recently posted..Ten Decorating Ideas Using Vintage Buttons
Thank you! It does help to have those in your back pocket as it were.
I probably have a ton of potential stock photos in my photo library! Thanks for the reminder to take a look around, and for the great tips!
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life recently posted..The Non-Designers Guide to Graphic Design
Great post, funny you should blog about this as I have been taking pictures to do a similar post and as well to sell to iStock.com
Allie recently posted..Worthwhile Wednesdays #15
I haven’t tried selling mine yet. I’d love to read your tips!
Thanks for the great tips! I’m fairly new to the blogging world and it hasn’t taken me long at all to realize how important great photography is. Your ideas will go long way in helping me to create my own photos.
Candy recently posted..What…Me Worry?
Glad to be of help! If you need more tips, the #learntoblog hangouts on G+ are a fantastic free resource.
I really need to start using my camera again I have gotten so lazy with my phone thank you for the push
Amberjane recently posted..Slug Wars – 10 Ways to fight slugs organically.
Great tips! I really need to take more of my own. And I love Ruth’s book. Just read it last month and it totally helped me organize my site into much more manageable categories! I didn’t know about the updates though.
Katelyn F recently posted..Six Values I’m Teaching My Son to Prepare Him for the Future – A Guest Post
These are great ideas, thanks for sharing and linking up with us at the #WWDParty. Have a wonderful week ahead.
Antionette Blake recently posted..You’ll Never Own A House
What a terrific post! I absolutely love taking pictures and always use my own photography on my blog, but you have given me even more ideas for photos. Thank you! I’m definitely pinning this so I can refer back to it for inspiration.
Lila recently posted..Co-Sleeping – Shhhh. The Baby’s Sleeping (…in our bed, *gasp*!)
Thank you! And, I just made a free printable and added it to the post for folks to put in their blog planner or camera bag.
Thank you! The printable will come in so handy.
Lila recently posted..10 Breastfeeding Tips, Tricks and Experiences
This is a great idea! Thanks for sharing…this will be useful!
Jodee Weiland recently posted..Baked Ham with Pineapple and Orange Glaze
Excellent ideas! Thank you for the inspiration and tips. Also, I didn’t know about the upcoming updates to Ruth’s book – thank you for the heads up! Enjoy your day
Leanne Wrench recently posted..Chocolate Orange Oat Bars
Great, informative post! I’m saving for reference
I appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
Kathy
Kathy recently posted..Surrounded by Roses
Barbara,
Thank you so much for this great post. I learned a lot and now know where else to turn with your suggestions for photo inspiration. This is really helpful information. I am going to start bringing the camera with me much more often
Sheila
Sheila recently posted..Alphabeasties, A Must See Alphabet Book
Be careful! You’ll get addicted to taking photos!
I love this, found you on ‘Thursday Favourite Things’ and as a relatively new blogger this is a great post. I have spent considerable time working on my product photography for my jewellery, but now have to learn to move outside my small studio lightbox setup so I can take pictures for my blog. Thanks for the tips. xxx Rachel
Rachel @ Craft, Art & Mess recently posted..Outrageously Impractical Jewellery…
I’m glad my tips could help!
Thank you for sharing your sweet blog at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop ♥
Katherines Corner recently posted..Mothers Day Wishes
Great post, lots of good tips! Thanks for sharing at Link it or lump it. Pinned pinned pinned!
Great ideas! I have been trying to snap extra pictures to use as stock photos. This list will come in handy!
Stacey recently posted..If Only
I love these ideas. I hope I can remember them for the future!
Beth McIntire recently posted..Gifts for men, gifts for grads: Father’s Day & Graduation gift guide
Great tips! I always feel much better using my own stock photos even if they’re not as good. Otherwise, I feel like cheating. Silly, I know
Thank you so much for linking up with Thursday Favorite Things
20 minutes a day idea is really good. I would surely use them from hence forth.