Have you ever felt stuck and uninspired when it comes to stock photography? I know I have. Sometimes I just don’t know what to photograph.
But in reality, opportunities are everywhere and inspiration can be found in our daily routines.
We often think that the best photos are taken in exotic places and everyday life is not interesting enough. It’s in our human nature to disregard our daily routine since it’s often on autopilot and doesn’t seem important enough.
But if you keep your camera close by and observe the scenes that unfold throughout the day, you might be able to capture some great photos that could work for commercial and editorial stock.
Here are a few examples of daily life that you can photograph:
Hanging out with friends
Since the world is slowly reopening, people are rushing to meet up and socialize.
Take advantage of those reunions to document the gatherings of friends and family. Whether it’s a meal shared together in the backyard or a casual hangout to catch up, have your camera at the ready to capture those genuine moments of interaction.
Meal preparation
Photos of food are always popular and never go out of style. Next time you or someone else is preparing a meal, grab your camera and snap away!
Put a little extra effort into the presentation and take a few shots of the finished meal, but don’t forget to document the different steps of the preparation as well, including photos of the ingredients.
This is exactly what I did with this stack of pancakes I prepared one morning at home. Not only was it delicious, it also brought me some money on stock as well!
Grocery shopping
Grocery shopping can seem uninteresting. But it’s also a great place to take stock photos. In fact, any shopping spree can turn into a photo opportunity, especially if you have someone tag along with you.
Ask your model to pick items and move around to find different angles. You can use a shallow depth of field to blur the background and hide all the product names and other shoppers.
And here’s a little tip: Take photos at the vegetable aisle. It’s easier because there are often no obvious product names standing out.
Movie nights
Having a movie night with your kids, grandchildren or just friends? Grab that camera and capture their expressions during the different scenes.
You can underexpose the image to darken the background and hide all the distractions. Just make sure you pay attention to your shutter speed to avoid getting blurry shots. A tripod is highly recommended.
As you can see, opportunities are everywhere in our seemingly boring daily routine. You only need to have your camera close by and watch for those candid moments to capture small snippets of life and hopefully turn them into extra cash.
— Daniel
