How do each of these photos make you feel? 
They’re very different, right? One is kind of sad and subdued while the other is bright and lively. Notice how the colors (blue vs. yellow) play a huge role in stirring emotion in the viewer. Companies and designers know how impactful color is, and they are very intentional about choosing colors to create marketing materials and represent their brands. As stock photographers, we should also pay attention to color — not only in our own images, but also in the world around us. For example, every December, the Pantone Color Institute announces it’s “Color of the Year”, which sets the tone for decorators, designers, the fashion industry, and marketing campaigns. Pantone’s 2015 Color of the year is #18-1438, otherwise known as Marsala. 
Words that get tossed around in describing Marsala include: elegant, sophisticated, earthy, nurturing, and grounded. This is great for us to know as stock photographers because the prevalence of Marsala this year in fashion, beauty, and interior design will create a demand for photos that feature this color. If you’re curious, you can read more about Marsala and why it was chosen as this year’s color here. 
Whether you decide to focus on “Marsala” in your photos or not, do recognize the feelings, moods, energy, and associations that colors can create in your images and try to match your subject matter with your choice of color palette. Shutterstock has a great page on their website where you can search images by color. This could be a fun way to get inspiration for your next shoot while studying the use of color in photography. Check it out here. Now get out there and shoot! — Bonnie Bonnie Caton Creator, Breakfast Stock Club P.S. I don’t want to give too much away, but Premium Members are going to get a chance to practice shooting images for a specific color palette in this month’s Challenge… which starts today! Become a Premium Member to get in on this one right here.
Your Weekly Breakfast Dish
The Latest from Your Breakfast Stock Club Facebook PageFrom Katrina Elena Trninich:
I had a good month at Fotolia – $421. My typical monthly payout from them is around $125. From Theresa St John: So, just on Dreamstime alone, I now have 2,011 stock images on-line with them! (gasp in glee) Less than 2 years…… I cannot wait to see where I stand on April 19th, so many months away from when we first tried our hand at The Ultimate Photography Workshop in Miami. Amazed and so grateful!