Even though so far this year it has been a disaster in terms of actual sales (just one), my motivation for this niche photography business is certainly not slowing down. In this blog post I’ll discuss five achievements (with a few examples each) from this year and conclude with a few that I’m aiming to achieve soon, as well as a discussion on sticking to a niche. Let’s get started!

1. I’ve started shooting more model-released content

To diversify my portfolio away from my thriller street/travel photography niche, this year I’ve started to shoot more (model-released) people, starting with my nieces (2 and 5 year old)! I’m not so used to working with kids but hasn’t been so challenging. Jelena Petrovic offered some great tips in her interview.

Even though I have model releases, I’ve been advised that it’s best not to show the faces of the kids as to leave a bit of mystery to the story. Here are some examples:

2. Turning day shots into night shots

One tip I received from Elite Arcangel Contributor, Ruben Ramos, is to think about turning daytime images into night as well as lighting windows and lamp-posts (Ruben has mastered this technique). Easier said than done! I’ve begun experimenting this using Photoshop and learning the ropes.

3. Shooting with my drone at night

During the past month, with extra caution I’ve been shooting locally at night with my drone, which is great to capture more dramatic thriller-light scenes using a longer exposure setting. Here are my top five so far:

Flying a drone at night isn’t recommend though as the collision-avoidance sensors don’t work, which means you need to know the terrain extremely well.

4. Using light overlays

Back in May I invested in a lighting/sun flare/texture/brushes pack at Pixel Monkey and have been using the tools regularly since to accentuate the subject/story. Here are some examples:

5. Using more props

This year I’ve started using more props regularly, even if they are impromptu, such as the Medieval Fair in Obidos. Here are some examples of using props:

Three achievements to (hopefully) unlock soon

I feel like I’m doing well as the quality, salability and relevance of particularly my last 1,000 images is quite top-notch. But I cannot slow down…the learning continues. Here are three achievements that I hope to unlock in the next few months:

• Improve my blending and colour grading techniques on Photoshop (Dave Wall has excellent tutorials on the Arcangel app). In addition, Sudha Peravali and Elaina Daley have been super helpful with their tips – much appreciated, ladies!;
• Do more shots of my nieces, particularly interacting with each other. Will need to brainstorm some concepts; and
• Related to the above, I need to do more research on what I want to shoot. There’s already an abundance of information out there in the libraries, book shops, social media. I’m past the point of just walking around looking for random street shots.

A note on experimenting with new stuff

I’m served humble pie on pretty much a monthly basis at Arcangel as the majority of my content is rejected, although much less so than years back. Nevertheless, whenever I try a new concept/technique, since there’s a learning curve, the vast majority (sometimes all) of the batches are rejected. The lesson here is that Arcangel are a professional agency and not a school/university/think-tank to experiment. They offer enough resources as it is to improve but the responsibility to upload high-quality professional content lies strictly with the contributor.

Sticking to a niche

By now I know what my niche is and by sticking to it I can pretty much guarantee “success”, which at this stage is getting images accepted/showcases which may lead to sales. My niche being in the thriller genre related to street / travel photography and drone.

Supposing that I start venturing into some other genres, god-forbid model-released period stuff (because maybe I heard it sells well), I would have to compete with the top-performers/masters in those areas who have been doing it for years already. The learning curve would be too great for too much effort and little reward. Or computer-rendered art stuff like Kerem!

I have enough trouble as it is trying to shoot studio stuff such as these that were all rejected:

My point is that I think it’s OK to experiment with new concepts but I need to do it slowly and with confidence…baby steps…and never abandon my niche, in fact, adopt it to another genre.

Speaking about niches, if you don’t know what yours is then find out ASAP!

StrengthFinder 2.0

One self-help book I read about 20 years ago called StrengthFinder really resonated with me and I would actually like to re-read it.

Here’s a summary:

5 Key lessons:

1. Work on yourself: Stop focusing on your shortcomings and work on your strengths
2. What are your strengths? Find out using the method
3. Pick talents using the method
4. Narrow down your talents to Top 5, these are the themes you need to work on
5. Ten action plans for every theme

Until next time!

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About Alex

I’m an eccentric guy, currently based in Lisbon, Portugal, on a quest to visit all corners of the world and capture stock images & footage. I’ve devoted eight years to making it as a travel photographer / videographer and freelance writer. I hope to inspire others by showing an unique insight into a fascinating business model.

I’ve gone all in on submitting book cover images to Arcangel Images and flying my DJI Mavic 2s drone regularly.

I’m proud to have written a book about my adventures which includes tips on making it as a stock travel photographer – Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock Photography