Check out this video:
Fun, right? A mother and daughter playing with bubbles. Well, it’s also one of the best-selling clips on Shutterstock.
This type of simple video is something anyone could do. It doesn’t require any special set-up or high tech gear. Yet, buyers love it because it conveys a genuine moment and interaction between mother and daughter.
Stock video is big and there is a strong demand for footage of a wide range of subjects across most every stock photo agency right now.
The best part is that video footage for stock doesn’t need to be long. Clips in the 10-30 second range are all you need to get started.
There’s no reason to wait. Here’s three tips for shooting stock quality video:
- Manually focus. Switch your lens to manual focus so that you are in complete control of what is sharp in your scene. Be sure to nail your focus before hitting ‘record’.
- Hold it steady. No one wants to watch videos that are shaky. Put your camera on a tripod to rule out this problem.
- Dial in your settings. Check with your stock agencies to see what their technical requirements are. Most sites prefer high definition video, which is a setting you can select within your camera.
What do you have to lose? The next time you’re shooting still images, try pressing the record button on your camera to capture some video footage as well.
Stock video brings in a higher royalty rate and it’s really not that hard to do!
We’ll be exploring this topic further in the year ahead, so stay tuned!
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about getting started selling your photos online in stock agencies – no matter how much or little photography experience you have – in the Breakfast Stock Club e-newsletter. It’s once a week, and it’s free to join, here.]