Stock Photography in Korea

2012/09/10

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The Korean stock photo industry is robust and competitive. Driving the huge demand for stock photos is a combination of strong ad spending, and advanced internet access and use.

These factors have led to the development of a strong stock photo industry dominated by a few large Korean stock photo agencies, but also populated by niche local stock photo companies. In addition, a few of the global stock photo agencies offer limited Korean-language access to their sites.

So, what types of photos and illustrations do Korean customers look for? The answer is ‘a wide variety’. Without a doubt, local content is in strong demand. Yet, ‘non-region specific’ images are also popular. After all, customers can’t tell where a photo of a computer chip, an apple, or a blue sky with clouds, was taken.

Interestingly, demand for ‘western’ images – of caucasians, and of western locations – is strong. These images are commonly used in Korean ads, promotional material, and websites.

Korean image buyers are sophisticated, and have access to many stock photo sites. As a result, for an image to be selected, it must be high quality, unique, and tailored to their needs. As in any market, these needs vary from project to project. Overall the demand for stock images in Korea is too strong to ignore. Visit www.photokore.com to browse a selection of high quality stock photos.

 

CandyBox Images (Czech)

2012/09/10

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http://en.photokore.com/featured_artist/main/index/5196

Three and a half years ago, together with my partners, we decided to start up a new business venture in stock photography. My background is in advertising and marketing. In my early days, I was doing more commission work in photography, reportages for magazines and mainly for advertising companies. Stock Photography was maybe not the most logic step however, we thought, we could build a serious business and do something nice with stock images. We have a long way in front of us; we have just entered the market of stock photography. With our highly motivated & professional team, we are really ready to expand and scale up our operations.

What motivated you to join Photokore?
The expansion to Asian market.

What do you find to be the greatest challenge in photography?
The greatest challenge is to make a living out of producing stock imagery while supporting the company’s growth and still having fun doing that every day (almost…).

 

 

Do you have any tips, suggestions, or thoughts that you’d like to share?
As a photographer and contributor to many agencies, I do believe that image buyers should not pay according to size of the photograph (in pixel). The work for us (producer) is the same if it is a small or XLarge size. Selling cheaper small photos does not bring any added value and will not probably generate more revenue. The current development and all statistics for advertisements and budgets are showing huge shifting from print media to online (digital) usage – tablets, ipads so why keeps an old price model alive?

What is your favorite thing about photography?
As a commercial photographer, to take the challenge to shoot a theme (shot so many times already) and get a unique/different use out of it. I love challenges.

 

What is a Digital Camera Back?

2012/09/06

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A digital camera back is a device containing an image sensor that can be attached to certain film cameras, enabling them to take digital photos. Digital camera backs either clip onto the back of a medium format camera, or slide into the back of a large format camera.

Primarily used by professional photographers, digital camera backs are quite expensive. They come in two types, depending on the image sensor they contain: single shot backs and scan backs.

Single shot backs use an area array sensor, which is similar to that used in most digital cameras – a square of rectangular mosaic made up of millions of pixels, enabling the photographer to capture the whole of an image at once.

Scan backs use a linear array sensor and work like a scanner – moving across the image area scanning one row of pixels at a time. Scan times can be anything from thirty seconds to a few minutes, which makes scan backs suitable for shots of products and other inanimate objects but not for live subjects. Due to scanning times, shots taken with scan backs also require continuous illumination.

Professional photographers use digital camera backs for a variety of reasons. Most commonly, those with large investments in existing film camera equipment use digital camera backs to convert their equipment to digital use – saving money and allowing them to continue using equipment they are familiar with. Other pros like the high-resolution images that digital backs give them. At present, digital camera backs offer higher resolution than any other digital DSLR. As a result, their higher quality electronics enable them to captures more dynamic range per pixel.

 

The Influence of Art Directors on Selection of Stock Images

2012/08/27

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Art directors are found in many industries. Regardless of the industry, art directors are responsible for the visual components of a finished product – whether it’s a book, advertisement, movie, video game or periodical.

Due to their role, art directors are highly influential when it comes to determining what images are to be used. When stock photos or illustrations are to be used, art directors have a strong influence on the choice of image.

In advertising agencies, art directors are responsible for the overall look of an ad – whether the medium is print, electronic, or even TV. Typically, the art director can make the final decision regarding whether a stock photo/illustration is to be used in the ad.

Art directors in the publishing industry tend to specialize by media. Book art directors mainly focus on book covers (unless the book contains images between the covers). On the other hand, art directors employed by magazines oversee page layouts and ensure the images used for each article match the tone and feel of the entire magazine.

Art directors are highly familiar with stock imagery, and have a strong influence on the final decision to use a stock photo or stock illustration. That’s why many stock photographers upload their stock photos to www.photokore.com.

 

How to Begin Taking Stock Photos

2012/08/21

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The microstock photography industry’s continuous growth has captured the attention of many photographers. With marketing and advertising budgets continuing to be reduced, and businesses becoming more and more familiar with microstock photography, the use of images from microstock agencies is increasing dramatically. Many photographers around the world have noticed this trend, and have discovered that microstock photography can be a valuable source of income.

One of Photokore’s goals is to encourage, and help, aspiring stock photographers to enter the stock photo industry. Here’s a few hints for photographers who want to enter the stock photography industry:

1. Before you even take a stock photo, remind yourself that 99% of stock photos are used to promote/sell a product or service. Will the image you are about to capture do that? Proper focus, lighting, composition, and avoiding noise is all important – but so is the subject of your photo, and how you take it. Everyone enjoys looking at beautiful photos. But end-users purchase ‘useable’ photos… your image needs to be useable by commercial end-users.

2. Before you even go to shoot an image, do a little research. What types of images are being used in print ads, billboards, brochures, websites, etc? Do they evoke an emotion? Do they portray a concept? Are they composed and cropped so that there is room for text? Doing a little research prior to shooting will give you more chance of success.

3. If you’re going to take a stock photo, do your best. Sound obvious? Take a step back and consider what you are about to shoot. Do you have the right equipment? Do you need a reflector? (Don’t panic… making one out of aluminum foil and cardboard is easy). What about lighting? Can you use natural light? If so, where should you place your subject (object or model)? Should you shoot in the morning or evening? There’s a lot you can do to get your shot right, regardless of the equipment you own. Photokore offers many tutorials for aspiring stock photograhers, you can view and download them at http://www.photokore.com/tutorials/main

4. If you’ve been studying the stock photo industry, you are aware that people photos tend to sell well. But that means you need to deal with model releases – how do you approach people and explain model releases? How do you convince people to sign them? Start by asking family, friends and relatives. As you gain confidence, you’ll be able to approach strangers. Learning about, and dealing with, Model releases takes a bit of extra effort, but the returns can be worth it. You can download Photokore’s Model Releases here http://www.photokore.com/help/legal/index

5. Be realistic, and don’t waste your time. Microstock has been around for a while, and there are thousands of pro and weekend amateur photographers submitting photos. The days of submitting ‘anything’ (snapshots taken on vacation, snapshots of flowers in your garden) passed several years ago. But, if you put some thought into the subject of your photo, and some effort in how you capture it, you could join the ranks of photographers earning an income from stock photography. Join Photokore http://www.photokore.com and upload your photos now!

 

Take Better Cell Phone Photos

2012/08/14

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Camera phones are probably the most widely used type of camera in history. Chances are that you have a camera in your pocket right now.

Photos taken with your cell phone’s built-in camera won’t be high enough quality to upload to most stock photo sites. But let’s be honest, there’s times we want to capture a photo just for sheer personal enjoyment. All of us, including professional photographers, regularly take photos with the built-in camera on our cell phones to share with friends, and/or post on blogs and social media sites.

Without a doubt, mobile phone manufacturers are continuously improving the quality of the cameras offered in their phones – better lenses, more megapixels, and higher storage capacities. Indeed, some mobile phone cameras are even approaching the quality of low-end digital cameras.

However, the quality of photos taken with cell phones is still lacking. Unfortunately, this is not always due to the quality of the cameras built into today’s cell phones. It’s often due to poor photographic technique! Yet, in capable hands, a camera phone can capture compelling images.

To get the best results when using your mobile phone’s camera, keep these simple tips in mind: 1) hold your phone as steady as possible (if possible, brace it against something steady or use two hands) – keeping still is especially important in low light situations; 2) get as close to your subject as you can (cell phone cameras are low resolution, so a far-away subject could be tiny in the resulting photo; 3) avoid using ‘digital zoom’ as it will decrease the quality of your photo (it will be more pixelated); 4) if your phone allows you to choose the resolution you want to take photos at – use the highest resolution (you’ll get more detail in your photo, although it will result in a larger file size); 5) Simplest tip of all…. be sure your lens is clean!

While you are not going to get ‘fine art’ shots with a cell phone, they are great for capturing spontaneous moments and memories. They are especially handy to have when you are going somewhere where you don’t want to carry around your huge, and heavy, DSLR! By following the tips above, and adhering to basic photography composition and lighting rules, you can improve the shots you capture and get more enjoyment out of your cell phone’s built-in camera.

 

Shooting Conceptual Photos for Stock Photography

2012/08/06

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Many photographers take photos that present the subject in a straightforward manner – with excellent composition and lighting. Unfortunately, these photos are often nothing more than another beautiful photograph. Conceptual photos, on the other hand, evoke an emotional response from the viewer.

Shooting conceptual shots begins with your approach. First, you must decide what message you want your image to convey. Next, you need to consider your audience and how you want them to react to the message in your photo. Finally, when shooting, you must ensure your shot is based on emotions, and tells a story.

While conceptual photos require both technical skills in composition, as well as creative flair for ideas and metaphors, the latter is the most difficult part.

It can be argued that conceptual photography is one of the least technically demanding types of photography to get into. After all, the emphasis is not on how low your f-stop can go or how quick of a shutter speed you can get, but the concept itself. This makes conceptual photography much easier to get into for amateur photographers than, say, sports photography or portrait photography.

That being said, as with any other field of photography, clean, well-executed photos are a must. Lighting, exposure, focus, and noise must all be controlled properly.

Conceptual stock photos are often used in advertising and marketing. Many print ads make use of clever conceptual photos to get their message across and entice the audience to buy their product or use their service. Conceptual photos can also be found in fine art galleries where they are hung on walls to be admired by artists and analyzed by critics.

 

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