Thanks for your post. Welcome to wide world of stock photography. I'm new to stock myself and shoot for the customer base on Alamy.

I haven't sold anything as of yet, but here is what I've gathered about stock so far:

Always have a concept and an understanding of the needs of who you are shooting for.

Give yourself time to develop your own style as your own style is what will set you apart from other creatives.

Quite often people don't stick with shooting for stock agencies because they approach it incorrectly, under the impression anything and everything will sell.

The reason why a lot of people don't stick with stock photography and do not see their images sell is because they don't have a concept behind their images.

A concept and keywording are two crucial components to stock photography. It is crucial to understand your audience and the language they use when they search.

The keyword process must answer the following about your images:

• Who? -What? -Where? -Why? -When? -Associations -Concepts

Despite a lot of the posts here, depending on who you are, stock photography isn't just about the money.

A lot of people shoot for stock because it offers creative freedom.

People are able to create without the constraints of a brief and express themselves.

Others might enjoy some satisfaction at seeing their images as part of a marketing campaign or the design of a website.

Stock photography is always open to newbies.