How to Turn Drone Photography into Stock Imagery that Sells
Drone photography makes for great stock imagery. But how can you make your drone imagery stand out from the crowd? This post explains who is buying drone stock imagery, for what purpose and which imagery types are most popular.
What are stock photos?
Stock photos are existing images that can be used by third parties for multiple uses. Stock photos are used to yield a higher impact with the target audience and simply catch the viewer’s attention. What makes stock photos different from regular photos is that the original content creator allows others to use the imagery as they wish, while maintaining the copyright of the photos. The money that is paid for stock photos goes to the original content creators, while the platform that offers the imagery also gets a commission.
Stock images are released under different licenses that define how you can use them. Rights managed licensing applies to specific and exclusive usage. You can use imagery under this licensing model once and for a limited amount of time only. A cheaper and more flexible licensing model is called “royalty free”, that allows you to use stock imagery as many times as you want while paying only one licensing fee.
Why do people buy stock photos?
Stock photos will save you time, money and effort. Stock photos are ready for use, so you don’t need a photographer to go out and shoot and process the images you want, or invest in expensive photographical equipment and software. Stock images are relatively cheap, as a result of fierce competition among different image providers. For consumers of stock images, this is good news as you can now get high-quality stock imagery for a good price. Also, a large supply of high-quality imagery that is searchable means that it’s easier for users to compare and select imagery that meets their needs best.
Who is buying stock drone imagery?
There is no shortage of examples of the many commercial uses of drone imagery, such as marketing touristic locations, giving a unique high-level overview from the air. Location-based advertising makes use of drone imagery to show how far a certain location is removed from the nearest amenities, putting things into perspective. Businesses can market their outdoor events using drone footage that is disseminated through social media channels. Branding a company’s location and surroundings has become much easier using drone footage. Additionally, the value of drone imagery for editorial use has been acknowledged by news agencies and publishers, that use it for illustration materials for earth science textbooks.
Which type of drone imagery is most popular?
Drone photography is the capture of still images and video by a drone. Because of the flight abilities of drones, their small size and their ability to tolerate harsh environments, it’s possible to capture unique footage and imagery. Additionally, drone images provide a unique perspective from the air about a geographic location, establishing a connection between the viewer and the location. Therefore, it’s no surprise that high-quality drone photography makes great stock photo material.
One might wonder what type of drone imagery is popular among stock photo users. While there is no such thing as an official list of top drone photography topics, certain types of images keep popping up in overviews of popular drone imagery. According to this blog, eye-catching drone images feature appealing subjects, such as shorelines, (interrupted) patterns and shadows.
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