Photo © Otávio Almeida

Last month, several members of the Shutterstock team attended the World Photo São Paulo conference in Brazil. Our director of content operations, Anthony Correia, gave a presentation about stock photography that was well received, and several attendees requested copies of the presentation.

We’re happy to share the presentation with everyone interested in being a successful Shutterstock contributor — just follow the link below to download it. This presentation is a beginner-level primer to shooting photos for Shutterstock, including some helpful tips on lighting, subject selection, composition and keywording. You can download it here:

Anthony (pictured at the top of this post) also shared some of his reflections on traveling to the conference:

“I’ve traveled to Brazil four times so far, always through São Paulo to get to my destination cities. I never had the opportunity to take time to visit the city directly until the recent WPO – São Paulo event this past January. My main goal for the trip was to connect with photographers of all skill sets in their own language, Portuguese. During the Q&A time slots, attendees asked good questions which also helped me learn a good deal from the photographers as well. Shutterstock faces many opportunities and challenges, but we are prepared for the road ahead. The best part of the trip for me personally was being able to meet with photographers directly, sharing and exchanging stories as well as the basic fundamentals of photography. Overall, the WPO – São Paulo event was a great experience.”

We hope you find the presentation informative and helpful as you build a photo portfolio with Shutterstock!

Here are 5 of our favorite charts, made with words suggested by members of the Shutterstock contributor team, and what we learned from each one.

1. Dogs beat cats.

You hear people talk about how popular cat pictures are on the Internet. But doggone it, Shutterstock customers are decidedly canine people, performing more searches for “dog” than “cat” week after week. Arf!

2. Customers plan further ahead for winter than other seasons.

Seasonal searches peak the week the season starts—with one exception: Winter. Searches for “winter” peak the last week of November—three weeks early. So upload your winter images in November to optimize the exposure they get. Other seasons follow a predictable pattern, peaking the week the season starts. Searches for “spring” peak the third week of March. Summer peaks the third week of June. Autumn peaks the third week of September.

3. Customers want happy images—especially in December.

Emotions are popular search words. Compare a few such words and you’ll see “happy” and “funny” handily beat gloomier words like “sad,” “angry,” and “serious.” This makes sense, right? There’s always a demand for images of people expressing all sorts of emotions, but happiness is probably the emotion that people most want attached to their products. What struck us, though, is that searches for “happy” and “funny” peak near the end of December. For whatever reason, people are looking for good-mood images that time of year.

4. More people search for “iPhone” than “phone.”

Here’s a striking example of the popularity of Apple products in our community. In the fourth quarter of 2011, “iPhone” passed “Phone” in popularity as a Shutterstock search term. On top of that, even more people are searching for “iPad.” The word “tablet” saw steady growth in 2011, probably due to people searching for images of tablet computers. The word “Smartphone” remains popular (and more popular than “smart phone”) but isn’t growing as fast.

As an important note, Apple and other manufactures keep strict control over their product designs, so we only distribute images of these products for editorial use—in other words, news photos. However, images of generic-looking phones and tablet computers are permissible for non-editorial use.

5. Start creating images of snakes NOW.

In late 2011, we saw a surge in the number of searches for “dragon.” That’s because January 23, 2012, marked the start of the Year of the Dragon on the Chinese Zodiac. You can bet a similar spike will happen in late 2012 when people begin searching for images to illustrate the Year of the Snake, which begins February 10, 2013. Want to be ready for the influx of customers seeking pictures of snakes? Produce images of snakes now, and be ready to upload them later in the year.

We hope you find this kind of information as interesting as we do! What are some of the favorite searches you’ve done with the Keyword Trends Tool? Let us know in the comments.

Dear Shutterstock Contributors,

My name is Scott Braut and I was recently appointed Shutterstock’s new Vice President, Content.

I’ve been with Shutterstock since 2009, and I managed the relaunches of our Bigstock and Shutterstock Footage brands. I’ve also worked for major content brands including the Associated Press, Scholastic, ABC News, and Corbis. Just as importantly, I’m also a photographer, and have a lifelong passion for photography and video.

I oversee our Content Operations team, which handles our review and submission processes, and our Contributor Relations team, which communicates with our contributors. I also work to source great new content from image and footage contributors, and partner with the Shutterstock tech team to improve the submit.shutterstock.com site.

Our teams are looking forward to strengthening our relationships with you, providing more educational materials for artists, and creating new ways to share your images and footage with our customers. We’ll be listening carefully to your feedback.

Thanks for being a part of the Shutterstock community. Keep creating great content and sending us suggestions.

Best regards,

Scott Braut
Shutterstock Vice President, Content

CandyBox Images, based in the Czech Republic, has recently emerged as a major player in royalty-free image production.

This team of 15 has been a Shutterstock contributor since 2008 and now has over 13,000 images in their collection. Specializing in images for creative professionals, the Candybox portfolio covers in-demand subjects such as business, health and families.

We asked founder Jean-Marie Guyon (pictured) some questions about Candybox Images’s success. Below are his answers, along with a selection of his favorite images from Candybox.

Q: How did you get started in stock photography?

Three and a half years ago, together with my partners, we decided to start a new venture in the business of stock photography. My background is in advertising and marketing, and in my early days I shot commissioned photography and reportage for magazines and advertising companies. After the participation in two main events for the stock photo industry — PACA in New York and Microstock Expo in Berlin, where both organizations invited me as a speaker — we are really ready to expand and scale up our operations. We have a long way in front of us and just entered the market of Microstock photography.

Q: How do you decide which images to create and submit to Shutterstock?

A: I don’t take this decision alone. We have a team, which researches the market’s demand of images or themes. Based on this information and the possibilities we have to produce the shoot—models, locations—we choose themes to shoot. We submit our entire collection to Shutterstock.

Q: What kind of camera do you use, and is there any other special equipment or software you use?

A: I am a Nikon shooter. We are shooting now with the Nikon D3X, because it’s giving the maximum quality resolution in a very portable package without having to use medium format. We use no specific equipment or software beside the traditional workflow stuff with RAW processing of Images, Adobe software etc. We don’t do special tricks because we believe that the quality of photo is established during the shoot. Getting it right in front of the lens saves lots of effort in post-production.

Q: Do you ever see your images show up in finished products, like ads or websites?

A: We see them regularly mainly in Czech Republic but also when I am travelling through Europe. I was in the Netherlands a few months ago for business. We saw one of our images being used throughout the country for a national campaign promoting luxury bedroom furniture. Also in France, where I have my family, I saw regularly our images being used in several advertisements and magazines. Although we have now more then 13,000 images in our portfolio, I think I could recognize all of our images.

Q: Any plans for the future? Different subjects, or working with other new formats such as footage?

A: Yes, we have big plans and are committed to the production of high quality RF stock images. We are regularly expanding our team in order to cope with the development of our portfolio. We keep improving our quality and enlarging our collection with diversity of themes, adding more ethnic groups for example. We do not make compromises on quality. Footage is something we are seriously thinking of and will be probably one of the things that we will add to our services.

For more information, visit the Candybox Images website and see their Shutterstock portfolio.

What catches your eye when you look at this image? The warmth of the background? The bag in the center? Or the engagement between all three women? Probably the interactions of the photo subjects. That level of human connection makes this photo popular with our customers on Shutterstock Images — and its also a quality in demand on Shutterstock Footage.

Footage clips of customer-employee interaction are in high demand. To help inspire you to create footage like this, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite tips for locations shooting. You may also find these tips helpful for shooting still images, or shooting people in other environments.

Consider setting a footage shoot in retail stores, restaurants, and other places where you see business happening. Shoot footage of people exchanging money, talking, smiling, or interacting face-to-face in any way. Aim for authenticity in cast and production design. Like always, diversity in age and ethnicity are a plus.

Here are ten more tips that may help you conduct a successful footage shoot in a store.

1. Ask locally owned businesses. You’ll probably have more success getting permission from a shop owner in your own neighborhood than from a large chain with layers of corporate management.

2. Work out a deal with the shop. Instead of paying a location fee, offer to shoot a video for the store’s website, staff portraits, or other picture needs they might have.

3. Can’t get permission to shoot inside? You can still shoot entrances and exits to stores and shopping centers from public property. (Remember to avoid logos, trademarks and distinct building architecture. See tip 7 below.)

4. Survey the location beforehand and plan your shots. Get a sense of the lighting, space, and technical capabilities such as power outlets.

5. Agree to an open or closed set. On a closed set, only necessary crew and talent are allowed. On an open set, the venue conducts normal business and everyone is allowed.

6. Obtain model releases for all identifiable people in your footage. This is a requirement for commercial footage licensed through Shutterstock. Bring extra model releases and be prepared to explain your project to anyone around.

7. Check thoroughly for logos, trademarks, and other intellectual property. These could disqualify your footage from commercial licensing. Please note that some locations can be identified based on their unique architecture, so it is always best to have the property owner sign a property release.

8. Give direction to your subjects. Make sure everyone (store personnel, talent, crew) knows what to do and coordinates with one another.

9. Allow for spontaneity. The most genuine moments happen when people feel free to be themselves.

10. Have a pal who also shoots footage or images? Pool your resources and save money. Split the cost of hiring models and renting equipment with a friend and schedule your shoots back-to-back.

Good luck with the shoot!

Related story: What photo and footage subjects are popular? Check out our Keyword Trends Tool!

Photo: © iofoto/Shutterstock.

Heiko Kiera has been a Shutterstock contributor since 2009. He specializes in filming wildlife video in the Everglades. Recently he took the time to answer five questions as Shutterstock Footage’s Featured Contributor.

Shutterstock: What’s your background and how did you get started in video production?

My name is Heiko Kiera, also know as Ojatro throughout the internet community. The name of my company is Ojatro Visuals Inc. I was born and raised in former East Germany. I was trained to become a civil engineer but my inner aspiration had always been to become a filmmaker. I moved to the United States shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my way into the American film industry, so I ended up working as a handyman for the next fifteen years. I bought my first camera 14 years ago and started filming wildlife.

Shutterstock: Tell us about your passions and about your production company.

I’ve been interested in wildlife since my childhood, especially venomous snakes. The fear and misconception that people have towards these misunderstood creatures has always puzzled me. My hope is that my work will help to make people understand that snakes play a very important part in the ecosystem and that they should not be scared of them.

See one of Heiko’s clips that features a Jameson’s Mamba, an extremely venomous snake.

Shutterstock: How did you get started in stock footage? What camera do you shoot with?

I once heard in an interview with Director Ridley Scott that the process of becoming a filmmaker begins with having access to a camera. If you have this access, then it’s up to you to film, film, and film. This was my wake up call. I went out and bought my first video camera (the Canon XL2) back in 1997 and began filming wildlife in South Florida. People instantly responded to my first documentary, “Florida’s Venomous Snakes,” after I published it on YouTube. Film production companies soon began to buy my footage, and in less than two years, my work began to appear frequently on wildlife channels like Animal Planet, Discovery, and National Geographic. I’m currently filming with a Panasonic X-170.

Shutterstock: You say you have a passion for wildlife…What do you like to shoot the most about?

The natural behavior of animals is what holds my main interest. Wildlife is all about survival. The invasion of a non-indigenous like the Burmese Python in Florida (link to python hatching for egg) offered me the unique opportunity to film never before seen before images of this newly established predator into the Everglades. I’m very comfortable with filming reptiles, snakes, and crocodilians in particular.

See one of Heiko’s clips that shows the non-indigenous Burmese Python in the Everglades.

Shutterstock: How do you use social media to promote your work? Why did you decide to join Shutterstock?

I use mainly YouTube to reach my audience and to promote my work. The responses become overwhelming when over two million people from around the world tune in each week. They ask so may questions and there is always growing demand for more wildlife footage.

I decided to join Shutterstock because the platform offers me the opportunity to promote and sell my work for a competitive price around the world. This gives me the freedom to continue with my life long ambition to film wildlife.

Even if you are under an exclusive contract, we invite you to create a contributor account with Shutterstock. Once you’ve created an account and you’ve been accepted as a contributor, opting out of Shutterstock sales is as simple as clicking a button. Here’s how to do it:

1. Sign into your account (this will take you to your dashboard).

2. Choose “Your Account” from the drop down menu under “Resources.”

3. Scroll down to the section below your “Minimum Payout.”

4. Click all of the “Opt Out” boxes next to the items that apply, e.g. Shutterstock, Partners, Footage Sales, etc.

5. Click “Change Account Information.”

It’s that simple. While you’re in “Opt Out” status, you may upload your content for review. Any images or clips that are approved will be unavailable to buyers until you change your status.

As soon as your exclusivity contract has expired, you may return to your account and switch all items to “Opt In” in order to sell your images or clips through Shutterstock, right away! Since your content is already approved, there is no need to wait. Opt-In, and your images and clips will be available for download immediately.

As a reminder, Shutterstock never requires exclusivity from our contributors, so you’re free to maximize your revenues from your creative work however you choose. Contact us at submit@shutterstock.com to let us know your situation and we’ll do what we can to make this process easier. Good luck!

Shutterstock footage can offer several benefits:

• Access to a large pool of buyers.
• Competitive royalties for your accepted submissions.
• A reputation for fairness and transparency with our contributors.
• Powerful marketing tools that will help you sell your submissions.
• Up to $15 per sold clip.

If you are already a successful image contributor for Shutterstock, we invite you to give footage a try. You can earn larger average payouts and you’ll be part of a young but growing business. With so many high-quality DSLR cameras available these days, it would be easier for many photographers to seamlessly shift from photographing stills to recording video and you can find some tips and tricks on how to do so by reading this recent Shutterbuzz post.

On the other hand, if you are an existing videographer with a large collection of clips that you’re ready to upload for review, we want to simplify that process for you. If you plan to upload 500 or more clips, email us at 500clips@shutterstock.com and let us know how many clips you have and what type of content it is (business, lifestyle, animation, etc.). If you have a link to your work online, please provide it.  Based on the nature of your request, we may be able to provide some submission assistance.

Please note that all submissions will still be held to our video review submission guidelines. We look forward to reviewing your creative clips.

We’re happy to introduce a new tool for Shutterstock contributors that includes some of your most-requested features. It’s called the Catalog Manager, and it makes it easier to organize, track, and share your Shutterstock portfolio. It’s easy:

• Sort your images into sets.
• Share sets with anyone—and earn referral fees from new customers.
• Track your statistics from each of your sets.

When you publish a set of images within the Shutterstock Catalog Manager, you’ll get a unique URL you can use to share the set with anybody. It’s a great way to promote your work and potentially boost your sales. All public set links include your referral code, so if you bring a new customer to Shutterstock, you’ll get paid for the download PLUS 20% of that customer’s first purchase, up to $200!

Once you’ve created sets, you can also keep track of your sales by set and see which types of images are most popular with customers.

You might create sets by subject, or group images together featuring the same model or from the same shoot.

The new Catalog Manager tool is available right now, and we’ll improve upon it based on your feedback. Log in to submit.shutterstock.com and you’ll see the new set tracking tool on the homepage. It’s easy, it’s useful, and you won’t find it on any other stock image site.

Watch the video tour below, give the tool a try, and please tell us what you think!

Catalog Manager from Shutterstock Contributors on Vimeo.

Here’s what you need to know:

• For the first time, we’re offering customers in certain markets the option to purchase one Shutterstock image download at a time.
• Our current packages and their royalty rates will not be impacted by this change.
• We’re using a percentage-based earnings model for this new standard license single-image product, and other products we may test and or launch in the future. This will let us experiment with new offerings in a way that remains fair to contributors.

The Details:

Under the new single-image pricing we are testing, customers can download any Shutterstock image with a standard license for a set price. We designed this product to attract new customers who aren’t currently making purchases at Shutterstock.

Royalty rates for this product range from 20% to 30% depending on your lifetime earnings at Shutterstock. We designed these percentages to be very close to what you currently earn for On Demand downloads. You will see these sales recorded in the “Single & Other Downloads” column of your Download Stats page.

Here are the royalty rates:

These rates apply to our new single image product and to any future products that we test or roll out, unless we create a new earnings category to support a new product.

For more details, please see our Earnings Schedule.

These changes are designed to serve customers better and to increase your sales. As always, thank you for being a part of the Shutterstock community.

— Your Shutterstock Team