Curious what’s selling this month on stock photo sites?
According to Shutterstock’s website, here are the keywords that are trending right now:
Notice that a lot of the images buyers are currently searching for revolve around winter and the Holidays.
You may have heard me say that designers look for seasonal images around three months in advance – and three or four months before the season or holiday is the ideal time to upload them.
It’s not too late to upload some holiday themed shots to your stock photo sites right now. But you don’t want to wait much longer1
It’s the perfect excuse to dig out your holiday lights and decorations a little bit early and create some fun stock photos.
Who couldn’t use a little extra cheer this year, anyway?
Here are a few ideas for holiday images you can easily take at home this weekend:
- Shoot from above.
You don’t even need to put your decorations up for this one. Simply arrange everything on a table or the floor and shoot from above to create the popular “flat lay” look such as the photo below.
Remember to keep it free of logos and trademarks…
And bonus if you leave a little extra room as copy space for designers to add text!
- Whip up something delicious. Not only are holiday treats tasty, they are also photogenic! (Personally, I love edible props. J) Take a few shots of just the treats on their own… and a few more with someone’s hands embellishing them.
- Light it up. You do need to go all-out for this one! So, if you’re someone who decorates early, you’ve got an advantage here. No holiday shoot is complete without adding a little candlelight, firelight, or Christmas lights to the mix. Make sure to get out a tripod for this one so you can have a stable image in a darker room.
You can make light your main subject or use it as a festive backdrop:
- Photograph words. Adding a word or two to your photos is an easy way to create images designed to spread some cheer. If you have nice handwriting or you like calligraphy, this can be a great way to get creative. Or, if you go the printed words route, just make sure they’re generic and don’t have any logos or copyrighted paragraphs or poems on them.
- Keep it cozy. Photos that evoke a sense of warmth and togetherness will always sell well this time of year. The kiddos in this shot are an excellent example of this – and adults would work well, too!
I hope this inspires you to get creative with your camera this weekend! (I won’t tell anyone if you dip into some eggnog while you’re at it.)
