Selling stock photos and footage:
how I shoot, tag and upload
I have been uploading stock photos and stock footage to Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5 for eleven years. This post collects everything I have learnt along the way: what is worth shooting, how to write titles and keywords, which category to upload to, and the upload itself, step by step.
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How I got into stock
When my daughter was born, I was at home for three weeks before and three weeks after. By then I had a huge pile of drone shots, so I started sorting and uploading them. Drone footage was still a novelty back then; the sites were not yet full of aerial shots of cities.
Later, in 2020, when nobody could go anywhere, I felt that the empty city was something the world would keep talking about, then and afterwards. I graded it in beautiful morning light. One of my clips climbed to number 59 out of 18.8 million on the popularity list, and another one made it into a David Attenborough film and a Queen tribute video.
I love it because you put the energy in once, and then it keeps working on its own. Meanwhile I keep improving: I shoot better footage, grade it better, practise. And it feels good to see that someone on the other side of the planet needs exactly your shot: Shutterstock even shows you which city bought what.
What kind of stock photos and footage should you make?
Buyers, agencies for example, buy footage ready-made. They do not set out to produce it: they have the credits, they download it instantly, and there is no risk. Start from what is not available on the other side of the world but is available to you, and cover that.
When I see a subject, I first try to give it a title, and I compose, choose the camera, the lens and the camera support around that title. In practice you get into this stock mindset quickly.
My shots are born in two ways: either I see something that I think will be in demand, because it is popular or precisely because it is missing, or I sense a gap in the content and we produce it together with talent and crew.
Shooting stock footage: pretty is not enough
Here you have every chance to reach maximum quality, more than on a commissioned shoot. If you rely on light and nature, pick the ideal time and give it as much time as you can. Wherever I go in the country, I always have a camera with me, and I stop when I see a subject. If I cross Budapest in morning light, I add fifteen minutes: the city's landmarks in soft light are sought-after subjects.
An example: in winter I figured that slider shots of a snowy, sunlit forest must be in high demand. I took a Sony FX30 up the hill with a fixed 50 mm f/1.4 lens and a slider. I shot 4K at 50 fps, so that if the slider movement stuttered, the clip could be slowed down and stabilised on a 25 fps timeline. I did a minimal grade in Premiere, exported at 100 Mbit/s CBR, and it was ready to upload. The keywords included: winter, forest, melting, sunny day, nature, snow, soil, closeup, filmic, europe, hungary.
Titles and keywords: how buyers find your clip
Everything comes down to quality, the title and accurate keywords. Buyers are comfortable: if they pay, they expect finished material, so upload beautifully graded photos and videos.
- Title and description: describe exactly what you see in the picture. Keep it simple, and think about how you would search for it yourself.
- Keywords: whatever is visible in the picture, plus the moods that go with it. On Shutterstock it is worth using all fifty slots.
- Technical data: 4K, the frame rate, gimbal or steadicam can all go in the description; it is useful information for the buyer.
- Photo or video: photos sell more often, but if you can do both, give video priority and take stills along the way. I have a subject where the photo sold a hundred times and the same thing as video not once: it is hard to predict, but videos certainly pay a lot more.
An example from a clip I shot at Dobogókő. Description: Danube Bend view from Dobogoko, Hungary. Popular tourist area near Pilisszentkereszt. Gimbal, steadicam smooth 4K shot. Keywords include: danube bend, dobogoko, hungary, landscape, panorama, viewpoint, gimbal, smooth, sunny, visegrad.
Let your imagination run, too. We once shot aerials from a police helicopter for a corporate film, and I had a GoPro on me as well. I pulled a still from it, gave it a trendy title and keywords, and that sold too. Give your shots fresh titles and keyword them so that they are on trend and in demand.
Commercial or editorial upload
- Commercial: usable more widely, so this is primarily how you should upload. Already when shooting, make sure there are no logos or out-of-place elements in the frame.
- Model and property release: required if a recognisable person or property is in the picture. It is easy to fill in online, and a Shutterstock release can be used on Pond5 too.
- Editorial: used by news sites and newscasts, and it cannot be modified. It can be used in fewer places, yet it is valuable: if you cover a current event or a new product, anyone in the world can use yours.
- Shutterstock: editorial descriptions have a fixed format, for example: Budapest, Hungary - May 5, 2020: followed by the title. If something is not accepted as commercial, upload it again as editorial.
Uploading step by step: Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, Pond5
I show the upload on a dynamometer test shot, recorded in 4K at 50 fps. I put the same clip on Adobe Stock, Shutterstock and Pond5.
Preparation
In a note I write the title, the description with the technical data and the keyword list in advance, so that I only have to paste them everywhere.
Adobe Stock
I tick that there is no property issue: no logo, no face, no recognisable building. I type the title, paste the keywords, submit.
Shutterstock
I paste the keywords from the clipboard. The system flags a few words as typos: I confirm the correct ones and remove the unnecessary ones. Category: Transportation, commercial use, location does not matter here. Submit.
Pond5
After the title, 4K 50 fps goes into the description. Country and camera model do not matter, and there is no sound. I delete the suggested keywords and enter my own. I fill in: no people, slow motion. Submit.
Review
On all three sites a reviewer checks the upload. Once it is accepted, the clip is searchable and can be bought.
How to sell more
- Upload the same material to every site: buyers usually stick to one platform and buy credit packs there. If you are present in several places with the same portfolio, you can make more sales.
- On Shutterstock, group clips of the same subject into a set. Someone looking for an aerial of Visegrád then sees your other Danube Bend clips below the result.
- If there is non-English text in the picture, add its translation to the description like this: Translation: "..."
- Read Shutterstock's rules on prohibited content: anything that slips through review can still cause trouble later.
What people ask about selling stock
Which stock site should I upload to?
I upload to Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5, the same material to all three. Buyers tend to stick to one platform and buy credit packs there, so being in several places means more sales.
Can I upload the same photo or video to several stock sites?
Yes, as long as you do not upload it as exclusive. I put every clip on all three sites, with the same title, description and keywords.
Should I upload stock photos or stock footage?
Photos sell more often, but videos pay a lot more. If you can do both, shoot video and take stills along the way.
How many keywords should I add?
Shutterstock allows fifty, and it is worth using them all: what is visible in the picture, plus the moods that go with it.
Do I need a model release for stock photos?
If a recognisable person or property is in the picture, yes. It takes a few minutes online, and a Shutterstock release can be used on Pond5 too. Without a release you can still upload it as editorial.
What sells on stock sites?
Whatever is not available elsewhere in the world but is available to you. City landmarks in beautiful morning light, seasonal subjects like a snowy, sunlit forest, and current events as editorial all do well.
Join Shutterstock and Pond5 with my referral
If you sign up through these links, I can see your portfolio and help you. After your sales the platform gives me a little from its own commission: it does not come out of your earnings. Deal, thank you!
I talk about it here
Need a crew in Budapest?
Stock is something I do alongside my main work: filming for companies and productions: corporate films, event coverage, live streams and drone work in Budapest and across Hungary, in English.