Another trip, another wildly optimistic attempt to turn travel photos into profit. This time I went from a cruise ship drifting across the Atlantic to gun shops in Florida, chasing everything from junk food aisles to Teslas to suburban clichés and theme parks, all in the name of microstock and book covers.

Somehow I’ve convinced myself that maybe this batch will finally pay off. Will it? Probably not. But it makes for a good story.

Uniquely to this case study I’ve included six concepts that I researched / brainstormed before arriving in Florida. Then what I actually captured. Let’s get started.

My latest cruise

A Surprisingly Productive Cruise

Somewhere between the sunsets, buffets and gym, I actually got work done. I even managed to publish my drone rules eBook ahead of time thanks to the ship’s great WIFI.

Now, if only I could make an actual return on investment with these photos, it would be the dream job. Otherwise, just another nice vacation.

Will I Finally See ROI?

Let’s be honest, probably not. The last few trips have really struggled to pay even partially off, although my 2024 South African trip is showing some glimpses of hope.

But you can’t fault me for trying… or for being a bit insane about it. I really don’t want to go back to my office job. Like a degenerate gambler at the buffet, I keep convincing myself, “This time it’ll be different!” Will it? Unlikely.

But let’s pretend otherwise while I show you my expenses, a few favorite shots, and make another, in hindsight, wildly optimistic forecast that I’ll laugh at in two years.

This time, I’ll focus on my workflow, in particular what I planned to capture in Florida versus what I actually did.

But first, some visual highlights from the main stops:

Malaga, Spain

Funchal, Madeira

Phillipsburg, St. Marteen

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Arriving in Florida: 6 Themes I Wanted to Capture (and What I Managed)

Before arriving, I made a small list of what I wanted to shoot in Florida. Time was tight, only had four days but I did my best.

1.🥤 Supermarket Sugary Junk Food and Giant Portions

• Why: There’s nothing more visually (and symbolically) (North) American than aisles full of diabetes-in-a-box. Headed to bunch of supermarkets with all the options in the world. From a microstock perspective, these images sell endlessly for articles about obesity, consumerism, inflation, or nutrition awareness.

What did I capture:

Might be difficult to see from the snippet above, but here’s a closer up of the excess.

Good sign that right after uploading some of the images started selling…

A note on shooting in “public” in Florida:

I must admit that it was surprisingly easy to photograph in the supermarkets in Florida. Nobody bothered me, including security. Friendly people everywhere. It was as if I was a ghost and everybody was hypnotised…strange feeling but I don’t mind. I’ve had issues shooting supermarkets in other countries. Also at the theme park I visited. Maybe I got lucky, I’m not sure.

2. 🔫 Guns and Ammo

Political note: For the record I’m against civilians owning guns, in particular those that should only be used in wartime! But who am I to judge, I’m just a lowly stock photographer documenting reality and different cultures. I’ll leave the politics to the politicians, plus I don’t even vote in the US!

• Why: These are gold for both editorial and book cover markets. A discreet exterior shot of a gun shop or a close-up of bullets under harsh light can fit crime novels, thrillers, or political commentary pieces.

What did I capture:

I headed to the local Walmart but as it turns out since 2018, due to political pressure, they no longer sell high-powered arms, only hunting ammo and non-lethal weapons. Definitely a good thing.

So with the help of my hosts, I went to a local shop and the owners were kind of enough to let me shoot (with my camera that is). Extremely friendly and helpful staff who offered to take me to a gun-range next time so I can shoot, both with my camera and a real firearm.

3.🏡 North American Suburbs

• Why: Perfect for book covers, especially domestic dramas, thrillers, and dystopian fiction. Florida’s endless grids of manicured lawns, mailboxes, and cookie-cutter homes create the ideal backdrop for stories that begin with “everything looked normal until…” Think American Beauty and Desperate Housewives. Just wish I had my drone with me.

What did I capture:

A note on shooting US suburbs

I got some suspicious looks from locals, I must admit while I carried around my gear!

4. 🚌 Yellow School Buses

• Why: Pure nostalgia meets universal symbolism. Plus they’re everywhere. They instantly evoke themes of childhood, routine, innocence, or coming-of-age, all highly usable for book covers and editorials.

What did I capture:

5. 🎢 Theme Parks

• Why: On the microstock side, theme parks are commercial candy. You get families, excitement, colour and motion, everything that screams fun and tourism. They also double as social commentary: a blend of escapism, consumerism, and over-stimulation. But I just didn’t have enough time (or really patience or budget) to visit DisneyWorld and/or Universal Studios. Opted for a smaller free-to-enter Disney Springs instead.

What did I capture:

⚡ Tesla Self-Driving Cars

• Why: Because they’re the new zeitgest cultural symbol of tech obsession meets reality check. Plus it’s the future as Tesla rolls out self-driving cars everywhere…soon there won’t even need to be a steering wheel! I had a weird flashback of the very first time that I saw the Internet in 1995…and how it was so up-and-coming. It’s only a matter of time before in the developed world we’ll be surrounded by self-driving vehicles.

What did I capture:

Only six clips total during the trip, but I managed a clean Tesla Autopilot dashboard shot with nice background bokeh. Shot at 105mm, too tight for full context, but maybe I’ll upload the wider phone version too where it was at wide angle.

Wrapping Up: The Brutally Honest ROI Check

Type of asset	Quantity
Microstock photos	140
Footage	6
Book covers accepted	144
Total	290

Expenses	Expected ROI after two years
$2,700	$1,000

Back in Europe!

A fun trip overall and not too expensive for three weeks of food, sunshine, and “work.” These reposition cruises are huge value…as long as you don’t spend anything significant onboard.

Now I’m back in Europe, currently wandering medieval Toledo, Spain, which is a nice break from the superficiality of Florida!

Stay tuned for my November earnings and news update where I’ll probably discover whether any of this madness actually paid off.

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About Alex

I’m Alex, eccentric, based in Lisbon, and on a mission to explore every corner of the globe while capturing stock images and footage along the way.

For the past 12 years, I’ve been grinding as a travel photographer/videographer and freelance writer. Along the way I’ve also written The Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock Photography, a book packed with war stories and practical tips for anyone crazy enough to enter this business and more recently, The Brutally Honest Guide to Drone Laws in Europe.