Expert Advice on Authentic Images From One of Our Top Contributors

A true visionaire will always find a way to flourish. This is the case for Aleksandr Serebriakov and Denys Golub who started their own photography business with the launch of G-Stock Studio. Today they speak on the behalf of their team about some things that deserve a spotlight in stock photography.

“In 2013, we have launched G-Stock Studio with team of four people, having our own vision on stock photography. We were doing our best to rise and increase our skills in technical and creative areas. Now we got a professional team working on the most creative projects embedding our own style in every image.”

For G-Stock Studio, creativity is a way of thinking. This alters their approach to their work as they like to be effective, work fast and excel under any circumstances.

On the photo selection process

Every photographer has their own approach to the selection process of the photographs. The first step is to remove all photographs with technical defects such as bad lighting, out of focus shots and so on.

The second stage of the selection process is it pick out the authentic, natural looking photographs from a pool of works. One of the most important aspects of successful photographs is how genuine and relatable they are.

On successful stock photographs

If you strive for success, G-Stock Studio recommends to forget about the commercial aspect of your photoshoots. This is partially due to the fact that the stock photography scene doesn’t stay in place.

Stock photography is moving towards new trends and one of them has to do with authenticity of photographs. Not many people will opt for photographs with artificial lighting, fake emotions and unnatural looking models. People want to see real scenarios with real life people. This is what makes photographs relatable.

Another good tip is to not get caught up with your target audience. Instead of constantly thinking about the final outcome of your photographs and who they’re meant for, concentrate on delivering photographs that translate a positive atmosphere and you will see a spike in client interest towards your photographs. The real secret lies in authenticity and style.

Formula to a successful stock photograph

• models that act natural
• proper outdoor and indoor locations with nice lighting
• nice modern clothing
• using appropriate views while taking photo
• good post production and color grading

Staying connected

For every photographer, promotion plays a key role in the success of your business and sales.  G-Stock Studio states that there is nothing more effective than social media when it comes to promoting your product.

Some of the most popular social media outlets are Facebook and Instagram, both of which help boost sales. He also uses Microstockr Pro to collect statistics that help with analysing data.

Don’t overlook social media as it can help you boost your sales and is also helpful in finding new customers and models for photoshoots.

Secrets of great lighting

Throughout G-Stock Studio’s career, he has experimented with all sorts of lighting setups. If anyone knows where the secrets are, it’s him and his team.

“Now we are confident that the best solution when shooting people is a natural lighting. There are several way to get it – using reflectors or indirected flashlight. But I could talk about lighting for a long time so I think perhaps we’ll write an entire article on this topic.”