To a great many photographers, the market is attractive because of its democratic nature. Images go on sale online, and attract viewers and buyers across the globe, infinitely expanding photographers' networks of potential clients with - in theory - less preference towards established photographers. If this sounds just a little too good to be true, then that is because it is. While the best quality work will always sell, this  democratic nature is the market's downfall. As the last twenty years have shown us, stock sites' quality control is rigorous, but often only in the technical sense. While some sites, such as Getty Images, keep close relationships with their contributors to maintain the quality of their libraries, others allow clients to make those decisions for themselves, which leads to markets extremely crowded with images of varying quality - and some very strange concepts indeed.

 

It seems that, in the rush to differentiate themselves, some photographers will go to any lengths. Competition is supposed to drive up quality, but in stock photography, it has also driven up quantity, with some contributors competing not just to provide the photographs that best match the requirements of potential buyers, but also to provide the funniest (intentional or otherwise), the most bizarre and the most grotesque. (A notable example of this is the wonderful Tumblr feed, Women Laughing Alone With Salad.)
 

Given this variance in the quality of stock images, what could photographers do to improve their work? Here are some top tips from Mike Harrington.

 

1) Research. Before shooting a subject, take a good look at what has already been done in that particular field, and think about what has been missing, from concept all the way through to technique. 

2) Avoid the obvious. Given the amount of competition, shooting the first things that come to mind can often be a waste of time and effort. Thinking of niche areas takes time, but eventually pays off.

3) Pay attention to style. Photography is an ever-changing medium and the style of images has altered drastically over the years. It's always worth considering the feel of an image, whether that is contemporary or otherwise.

4) Shoot ideas that will be big in the future. The most obvious application for this is technology, where new devices are always coming onto the market. Successfully predicting trends will always put a photographer at an advantage.

5) Don't worry about investing large sums of money. While it is true that spending on professional models and make-up artists can lead to successful and more marketable images, it certainly isn't always necessary. There are other ways to give stock images an advantage.