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The Storyteller of Stock

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Stephan was one of Fotolia’s top contributors of 2013 – quite an achievement when you remember that Fotolia has over 250,000 global contributors! He generously agreed to answer some questions for us and offer his advice for achieving success in stock.

Fotolia: Why do you think your images are so popular and have led you to become one of Fotolia best-selling contributors of 2013?

Exclusive Luxury Penthouse Bathroom InteriorStephan: In my opinion, good professional microstock artists are storytellers. A good image can transfer information within seconds. It is the only global and universal language, spoken around the world and understood everywhere.

Every memorable image creates a feeling: sympathy or antipathy, happiness or anger, and the stronger these emotions are, the longer the picture will survive in the microstock market. Therefore, I always try to deliver a clear message with my pictures and focus on the most relevant aspects. I always ask myself: What do I really want to express with that image?

Today, my portfolio is a potpourri of photography and illustrations, portraits and landscapes, interiors and conceptual photography. This balanced mixture is surely a trigger for consistent sales figures. Unfortunately, there is no secret recipe that can guarantee success. But nevertheless I guess there are three aspects that can support the popularity of any image:

First, very good keywords, so images can be found. My simple rule: As few keywords as possible, as many as necessary.

Concept picture of two chairs | Beyond gravitySecond, the pictures need to be of very, very high technical quality. I not only spend time improving my retouching skills, but money to improve my equipment. State-of-the-art software helps, and a couple of days ago I bought a new camera that now can shoot pictures at 36 Megapixels.

Let’s be honest: Size does matter!

Third, I need a good subject, a truly amazing picture. Here, creativity is the key. I try to give a picture a unique selling point. This is undoubtedly the most difficult part of all.

But again: if the good keywords are missing, that image will never be found and bought.

Fo: When you first started selling your images on stock did you know what kind of images you would produce or was it a case of trial and error and adapting to market trends?

I started with photography when I lived in Beijing for a year. My surroundings were full of picturesque places and I tried to preserve those impressions and feelings in the pictures I took.

Modern abstract energetic wallpaper backgroundIn March 2007 I joined Fotolia as a contributor, as I was curious to see whether people would like my images or not. Shortly afterwards, I sold my first license. This boosted my motivation as I now had proof that there ARE people that like my “view of the world” and are willing to pay for it.

In the following years I bought better cameras and invested money in educational books and video tutorials. From the beginning, landscape photography was my passion. I got addicted to travelling and inspiring places, which has now taken me to 63 countries around the world. I absorb all the impressions and have literally never stopped to look behind the walls (unless I want to shoot textures) to seek new inspiration.

Before my academic studies, I did an apprenticeship to be a design draftsman. Therefore I have always been familiar with CAD/3D programs like 3ds Max. I used those skills to extend my portfolio with illustrations, and these perform very well today.

Modern white living room with wooden furnitureThe microstock business always involves some sort of trial and error. But one good thing is the real-time response. You see whether an image starts to sell or not and use that insight to spend more time on the things that work best for you.

But keep trying new things – it might open up a whole new area of expertise.

Fo: How do you stay up to date with current trends and forecast what will be popular in the future?

St: I’m employed as an engineer in the innovation department of a big German company. Therefore I often use creativity techniques, and really recommend using them as a microstock contributor. There are sometimes thousands of images dealing with the same topic, so the essential question is: “How can I tell the story of my image in a way that hasn’t been done before?”

I always try new things and techniques, and keep an eye out for new trends that are  on the horizon. My recommendation for everyone: Be up to date and be fast! Read the newspaper daily and try to see what is happening around the world. The Winter Olympics are coming? Create some winter sport icons! The world worries about spying and NSA reading your emails? Then it might be a good idea to create illustrations concerning data security.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

Endzeitstimmung / Weltuntergang  - Düstere Stadt in der  ZukunfI benchmark my images and try to learn from other best-selling artists and images which are popular at the moment. What makes them successful? I see critics as a feedback and as a chance to improve my work. If an image doesn’t sell, I don’t put the blame on the customer. It is definitely not their fault.

I’m always hungry to improve and accept the fact that it takes time to be really good. For the past few years I have never been 100% satisfied with my work and keep on learning more. There is always space to improve.

Finally – the best thing about illustrations? You don’t need to wait for the future. You don’t really need to forecast. Be creative and set your own trend.

Fo: Thank you so much for your time, Stephan!

You can see (and buy!) a lot more of Stephan’s work in his Fotolia portfolio.


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