Selling Stock photos is a great way for photographers to make money. The trouble is, there’s a lot of competition on stock sites. And many photographers find themselves uploading hundreds of images but making very few sales.
The key to success on stock image websites is understanding the market. You need to build your stock photography strategy around knowing what images buyers are looking for. Uploading your favorite random shots simply won’t work. You need to be calculated and clever.
This article explores some of the hottest stock photography trends right now. All the themes and styles we look at are top trends in the stock image world. This is just an introduction to selling stock images, but it’ll give you a fighting chance in a busy stock photo marketplace.
Making money as a photographer is not easy. But it’s not impossible if you have a professional strategy with diverse sources of income.
One of those income sources has to be selling stock photos. It probably won’t be your main bread-winner because of the low margins. But it is a great way to supplement photoshoots, print sales, and commissioned work.
There are many excellent stock photo websites you can sign up to. Free sites like Unsplash are great if you’re looking for exposure. But you should opt for a pro-level stock website like ShutterStock if you want to make money selling stock images.
Selling images should never be taken lightly. You can’t just upload a random selection of your work and hope it sells. You need to have a strategy that incorporated the hottest trends in stock imagery. You need to offer the types of images people want to buy.
You can read our full article on how to make money with stock photography in this link. Or you can see our full guide to running a photography business here.
Now we’ll look at the best selling stock photos, looking at themes and styles that are bang-on trend.
We’ve broken the list down into categories, so you can find a theme that suits your photography. You might find some topics that fit with the work you’re already doing. Or you might find something new that sparks your creativity.
They also give you insight into what’s happening in the photography and content market at the moment. It’ll give you a better understanding, allowing you to move with the ebbs and flows of market changes in content.
Lifestyle has become one of the most in-demand stock photography trends. The rise of influencers means our social media streams are flooded with images of smoothies, bunch, and yoga.
A clear aesthetic has developed, and companies have been co-opting it for marketing and internal materials. Companies want to be seen to help their employees, and this type of stock imagery lets them tap into the wellness space.
More and more, people are becoming conscious about the type of food they eat. Ultra-processed foods are being replaced by healthy alternatives. And we can see this in the type of food photography people are buying.
Good images of fruits and vegetables do quite well on stock websites. But users are looking for more trendy food items, like vegan cakes and smoothies.
Smoothies are very photogenic, and you can include some of the original whole fruits in the images as well. This allows you to show the ingredients and the final product in one image.
Healthy food is also more exotic these days. Westerners love to use ingredients and recipes from other parts of the world. Things like quinoa and acai bowls are all the rage with trendy socialites. That’s exactly the type of thing stock photo buyers are looking for.
Looking after yourself has become an industry in its own right. Led by influencers on social media, it is now fashionable to take time to pamper yourself. It’s true, there’s nothing quite like genuine R&R time to de-stress from our busy lives.
As with healthy food, this is something companies are trying to tap into. And they need images that exude the self-care aesthetic we’ve all become familiar with.
Whether it’s a face mask and slices of cucumber or a candle-lit massage, these images promote wellness and contentment. Get that right and buyers will be snapping up your self-care images.
Yoga has become a part of many people’s and companies’ wellness programs. It’s the perfect remedy for a stiff body that’s been stat at a desk day after day.
Every town and city in the western world now has at least one yoga studio. And for many, yoga has become a full-on way of life. It has its own set of values and an east-meets-west style with a specific set of accessories. This is all photogenic stuff.
Thanks to its popularity, there’s no shortage of potential models. You can snap some picture of their yoga practice, building up your catalog of lifestyle images.
Yoga is a great subject for photography. With dynamic poses and a positive energy, it’s easy to snap some eye-catching yoga photographs.
You should make them as original as possible. There’s no shortage of yoga images on stock sites, so yours need to stand out from the crowd.
Meditation or mindfulness is a growing trend in the west. It’s similar to yoga as an eastern import, but more and more people are finding a mindfulness practice helps them de-stress and recharge.
Much of the paraphernalia is also similar to yoga, with lots of Asian artefacts and Buddhist symbols. These are things you should incorporate into your meditation images. It isn’t just about the person meditating, it’s the style and aesthetic that goes with it. That’s what buyers are after.
As wellness becomes more of a priority, more people are joining gyms or hiring personal trainers. That’s why this another area you can exploit for your stock photography collection.
Gyms are great locations for photoshoots. You have hunky men and women getting in shape, there are fitness classes, and there are plenty of props you can incorporate in your images.
People use the gym in different ways. Some want to build muscle, while others want to slim down and lose weight. You can explore both with your photography.
And fitness isn’t limited to the gym. Many people work out in public spaces like parks. These are great locations for a photoshoot.
With more companies offering flexible or fully-remote options, the home office is becoming a common feature in people’s lives. That’s why the home office is such an important topic in stock photography.
Getting your home work environment right is important. You need a space that’s professional but doesn’t feel like a corporate office. It’s should be a blend of comfort and professionalism.
That’s what you need to achieve with your home office stock photos. You need to show what someone’s home office could potentially look like.
This theme is more traditional, but good family photos still perform well on stock websites.
Traditional nuclear families still top the charts, but buyers are looking for less conventional family models too. Images of interracial families or families with same-sex parents are growing in popularity. That could be a lucrative niche to tap into.
Including grandparents will also broaden the appeal. Three-generation images do very well, as do photos of grandparents with grand children.
People want photos of happy families. Sad-looking families or families in strife don’t sell. Smiles produce all the money when it comes to family photos.
The popularity of images representing inclusivity have shot up in the last few years. Whether they depict the LGBTQ+ community, cultural diversity, models with non-conventional good looks, buyers are snapping them up.
Plus-size models have become standard, even in the world of high fashion. It’s now common for curvy women and men to grace the covers of prestigious magazines like Vogue.
Many companies want content that promotes more realistic beauty standards. They need their promotional materials to represent their workforce, which for most companies is a variety of shapes and sizes.
The era of the size zero is over, so search for a wider variety of body types when model scouting.
Similar to plus-size models, we’re seeing a growing demand for images of models with unconventional good looks. They often have features that might previously have been seen as issues. But now people want unique faces with interesting features.
We’re seeing more images of people with freckles and birthmarks. Sometimes scared faces can also draw a lot of interest. Even unusual haircuts or facial hair can add an element of unconventionality that buyers are looking for in their stock images.
Cultures around the world are more welcoming and accepting of the LGBT+ community than they once were. Things are not perfect, but more people are out and proud than ever before. That’s why stock photos relating to this theme are doing so well.
Pride celebrations are always vibrant and make for eye-catching stock images. You can also do more personal photo shoots with gay couples or members of the trans community. This links to the topic above.
Shoot happy, celebratory images, but avoid stereotypes with negative connotations. People are not buying stock images to offend or harass the LGBTQ+ community. The images need to express positivity.
Most major cities around the world have become melting pots of different races, ethicities, and cultures. We see it on the high street, in our offices, and in our personal lives. Stock images are also moving in that direction.
Stock image websites used to be dominated by Caucasian faces. And to be honest, they still are. That’s why a good collection of stock images with multi-ethnic models could improve your sales.
As with most of these topics, people are looking for positive energy. They want pictures that show harmony and friendship between peoples. Interracial tension and aggression won’t generate any income.
Photos of all styles can be used a stock images, as long as they stick within the site’s guidelines. However, there are a few modern trends that are proving particularly popular with buyers. These include drone images, images that use bold colors, and more conceptual photos.
Flat lay is a popular photography style with influencers and content creators on social media. Now stock image buyers want to copy that aesthetic for their content.
The concept is simple. You lay your props out on a flat surface and take an overhead picture. The key is in the choice of props, the arrangement, and the colors.
You can use the flat lay style for many themes, like food or lifestyle photography. It’s ideal for recipe-related content, as you can show ingredients and utensils on your surface.
Leaving some negative space is a good idea when shooting flat lays for stock websites. This allows buyers to add their own to the image without the image looking cluttered or unprofessional.
Aerial photography is similar to flat lay, only on a much larger scale. Now drones are readily available (if you have the budget), aerial photography has never been easier.
You can capture epic overhead or high-elevation landscape shots, which are incredibly popular with corporate buyers. Open spaces and winding roads evoke feelings of exploration, aspiration, and freedom. That’s why people love them.
You do need the budget to buy a good drone camera, but it will prove a worthy investment if you get some good aerial shots.
Film photography is all the rage right now, and content producers are jumping on the bandwagon. They are clamoring for grainy film photography images with a retro look.
You can dust off your old 35mm camera and shoot a few rolls. Or you can use software like Luminar Neo to add a retro film look to your digital images. Most buyers won’t care if the image was actually shot on film. They just want the film look.
Using bright, bold colors is a great way to get your work seen on stock photo websites. Often, buyers are looking for images that feature a specific color. They might even use words like “yellow” or “blue” in the keyword search.
Don’t use too many colors in one image. Use one color and use a lot of it. Try this with a variety of different colors.
You can mix and match, of course. But stick to just a couple of colors, complementary colors, or a few different tones of the same color. You want colorful images that pop.
Open your mind and make some conceptual images. Stretch your imagination and make images that are wacky and out of the ordinary.
If you were making conceptual images for your own project, the images would have to have a meaning. But that’s not true with conceptual stock images. Buyers are looking for images they can add their own meaning to.
This can be tricky to get right, but it can be a money spinner if you get it right.
The eerie glow of neon lights is a visual we’re seeing more often in stock libraries. People are looking for moody images of inner-city nightlife.
Neon signs and flood-lit underpasses are popular visual elements. And the grainy effect of high-ISO images adds to the mystique of the images.
Busy night spots are also good locations, buzzing with people. You want to capture the sensation of the after-hours experience.
Images of specific locations or types of locations have always been popular on stock photography websites. But there are a few trends that set your images apart from the competition.
There’s nothing new about cityscape images. But they are still popular with stock image buyers.
The trouble is that people already have stock images of the most famous cities, like New York and Paris. But there is a gap in the market for less iconic cities. And these images are popular because the cities are not iconic. Often, they want a generic-looking city.
You can shoot classic, broad cityscapes. But also look for new angles and perspectives to make your images original.
Images of famous places still do well on stock websites. But we’re all feel a bit jaded by the cliche images of Paris, Rome, or New York.
You can still use those locations. But find ways to make your shots original. Someone might be creating content about Paris, but they don’t want box-standard image of the Eiffel Tower. You can include the tower, but take the photo from a different angle.
That goes for any famous location around the world. Look for new perspectives without losing the essence of the place. Buyers will want people to recogniae the location immediately, but they don’t want a shot they’ve seen a million times before.
Beaches might be an obvious location, but beach stock images are always popular. The beach represents vacations, relaxation, and tranquillity. Any holiday-related content will have a picture of a beach on it somewhere, so creators are always looking for original images.
Aerial beach shots have become very popular. But more traditional shots of yellow sand, blue skies, and turquoise seas are still in demand.
Tropical beaches are always the first to come to mind. But other types of beaches can prove popular too. Everybody loves the beach.
As well as full-on landscapes, people are looking for elements from landscapes. They are looking for symbols that represent a feeling or an idea.
One common example is palm trees against a blue sky. People are also looking for other images of foliage. Single clouds or interesting cloud formations also fit this category.
Simple images that evoke feelings of relaxation or freedom. That’s what people are looking for. They should be simple and uncluttered so buyers can add text or other information to them later.
Selling stock photos can be a good earner for photographers. But you have to get it right. You won’t have much success adding random pictures to your account. You need to have a strategy and upload specific types of images with a high selling potential.
As we’ve seen, you have plenty of themes and styles you can choose from. Topics within the lifestyle genre are doing very well. But more traditional subjects like families and cityscapes are still popular too.
The key to selling on stock photo websites is offering images that people want. Get that right by following the stock photography trends, and you’ll see the money rolling in.
