Stock Image Landscape

Washington, USA. 20th Jan, 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump takes the oath of office during the inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, the United States, on Jan. 20, 2017. Donald Trump was sworn in on Friday as the 45th President of

3 May, 2017

How does the media influence stock photography?

The news stories that have dominated mainstream media over the last year have had interesting effects on the trends in stock photography. The most apparent of these effects is a powerful craving for ‘the truth’. Rumours of election interference and fake news have been flickering in front of our eyes for a long time and they have planted a certain doubt in democracy. It has even been said that we are now living in a post-truth era. And in a way that’s true – all the latest web technology is designed to give us the best user experience based on our previous online movements, and… Read more

The news stories that have dominated mainstream media over the last year have had interesting effects on the trends in stock photography. The most apparent of these effects is a powerful craving for ‘the truth’. Rumours of election interference and fake news have been flickering in front of our eyes for a long time and they have planted a certain doubt in democracy. It has even been said that we are now living in a… Read more

F0P97H Lifestyle stock photography - Young woman with large red tomatoes as eyes funny fruit and vegetable photos

Simon Dack / Alamy Stock Photo

26 April, 2017

The changing perceptions of lifestyle stock photography

There’s a phenomenon known as Woman laughing alone with salad. If you’re not familiar; it’s a collection… Read more

There’s a phenomenon known as Woman laughing alone with salad. If you’re not familiar; it’s a collection of images ridiculing the world of lifestyle stock photography and in particular this recurring theme. Originally compiled by The Hairpin, over the years it’s had different variations shared over social media, been the subject of memes and also the inspiration behind a play. It’s also the subject of derision for it’s clichéd portrayal of women, which is something unfortunately not just isolated to the world of stock photography. Customer demand… Read more

Retro analogue media: Rolls of old Kodak Kodachrome 8mm analogue film

Keith Morris / Alamy Stock Photo

12 April, 2017

Selling stock photos with Alamy – now over $350k and counting…

Back in August 2014 we caught up with longstanding Alamy contributor Keith Morris, as he hit the landmark figure of making $250,000 worth of image sales with us. It’s proven to be one of our most read blog posts and now, less than 3 years later, he’s passed another milestone – this time $350,000. We thought it would be a good time to catch-up with Keith to ask him some follow-up questions and to see… Read more

Arthur Gebuys / Stockimo / Alamy Stock Photo

8 March, 2017

Candid vs Posed Photography; is one better?

We all have a preference for a certain type of photography. Some like the black and white sultry style, some like capturing every colour Mother Nature can produce; some enjoy capturing the moment, others like to stage it. I want to see what the pros and cons are for candid vs posed photography, and hopefully get some hints and tips along the way. Positively Posed Although having your photo taken during the 1800s was quicker than sitting for an oil painting, photography started out as a staged medium. It was too risky to try and capture a moment, instead you had to create it. Due to the long exposure times,… Read more

We all have a preference for a certain type of photography. Some like the black and white sultry style, some like capturing every colour Mother Nature can produce; some enjoy capturing the moment, others like to stage it. I want to see what the pros and cons are for candid vs posed photography, and hopefully get some hints and tips along the way. Positively Posed Although having your photo taken during the 1800s was quicker than sitting for an… Read more

Panorama of the iconic Coca-Cola billboard King's Cross Sydney Australia

Iconsinternational.Com / Alamy Stock Photo

1 March, 2017

Travel photography has been lying to us for years

How disappointing, there’s me thinking the Eilean Donan castle was in the middle of a… Read more

How disappointing, there’s me thinking the Eilean Donan castle was in the middle of a rugged wilderness of Scottish landscape, soaring eagles and the faint sound of bagpipes. But when I arrived there as a young picture researcher on my first foray to the Highlands I was left ever so slightly let down. It was much smaller than I’d thought and had a very ugly car park and chip shop a kilted Highlander’s stones throw… Read more

A cosy corner in an English living room lit by candles that depict 'hygge', the Danish philosophy that embraces cosiness and simple pleasures

Deborah Vernon / Alamy Stock Photo

22 February, 2017

Ideas for your next shoot – Hygge? What’s Hygge?

You will probably have heard the word ‘Hygge’ (pronounced hoo-gah) floating around over the last few months or so. Some of you may already have Hygge down to a T, but the majority of you may still be stuck scratching your head thinking what on earth this Hygge malarkey is? Everywhere you look the definition of exactly what Hygge is differs slightly, but most commonly Hygge is translated into English as “cosiness”. There are loads… Read more

The prayer hall of nasir ol molk mosque with its beautiful coloured glass windows, Fars province, Shiraz, Iran.

ERIC LAFFORGUE / Alamy Stock Photo

15 February, 2017

Travel trends and destinations to photograph for 2017

It’s that thrilling time when travel, landscape and wildlife photographers are finalising this year’s travel itineraries, and travel gurus and experts have revealed the hot destinations for tourists to visit in 2017. What I hope to do here and with a nod to both, is highlight the top travel destinations where demand for images is likely to increase. The focus is on destinations that are slowly opening to tourism, have become safer politically, and places where there are huge efforts being made to maximize the potential of what they can offer visitors. And I promise there is one place albeit small, which I’m including, where we only have… Read more

It’s that thrilling time when travel, landscape and wildlife photographers are finalising this year’s travel itineraries, and travel gurus and experts have revealed the hot destinations for tourists to visit in 2017. What I hope to do here and with a nod to both, is highlight the top travel destinations where demand for images is likely to increase. The focus is on destinations that are slowly opening to tourism, have become safer politically, and places where there are… Read more

E0AB2R Girl carrying butterfly net in spring meadows, Reykjavic, Iceland

Cultura Creative (RF) / Alamy Stock Photo

18 January, 2017

What Alamy customers searched for in 2016

For the last couple of years, January has seen me reviewing customer data from the previous 12… Read more

For the last couple of years, January has seen me reviewing customer data from the previous 12 months; this year’s no exception and so I’ve been looking at what Alamy customers searched for in 2016. If you’re new to Alamy then you might not know about Alamy Measures; a tool that tracks the search habits of a core set of customers by recording their searches, the number of images they looked at, images they clicked on and searches that result… Read more

Rear View Of Photographer Standing In Tunnel With Camera

EyeEm / Alamy Stock Photo

16 November, 2016

Has the DSLR had its day?

Are you wondering if you still need a DSLR to shoot for Alamy? It really wasn’t so long ago that your regular stock photographer was out on the road lugging around a camera kit bag that had a comparable weight to that of airline hand luggage allowance. Two camera bodies, an assortment of lenses, their associated filters, a tripod – I could go on, it all adds up to a lot of kit. Nowadays this doesn’t… Read more

Woman eating traditional Indian food in rooftop restaurant with Taj Mahal view in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Contributor: Marina Pissarova / Alamy Stock Photo

5 October, 2016

New takes on saturated photography subjects

If you think that most subjects have already been covered in stock photography, then I’m here to tell you that you might want to reconsider that. I’m fortunate enough to get to speak to lots of photographers and agency managers. Whether it’s when speaking to student photographers just starting out on their journey or seasoned professionals looking to get the best out of Alamy, one common question is: “What shall I shoot?” One of the simplest responses I give when asked this is to suggest looking at some publications and advertisements. What kind of images are being used? Can you improve on them? Can you fill gaps? It’s… Read more

If you think that most subjects have already been covered in stock photography, then I’m here to tell you that you might want to reconsider that. I’m fortunate enough to get to speak to lots of photographers and agency managers. Whether it’s when speaking to student photographers just starting out on their journey or seasoned professionals looking to get the best out of Alamy, one common question is: “What shall I shoot?” One of the… Read more