Keywording is probably the single most important step of preparing your images for sale on a stock site.
You may have taken a beautiful image that fits a buyer's needs perfectly, but if your keywords are inadequate, it will never be found or licensed. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your keywording skills. Here are the top tips from the PhotoShelter resident linguist, Kate Thomas.
Think like a buyer
Since of course buyers are who you want to find your images, it makes sense to keyword with that audience in mind. Try to anticipate the ways in which your image could be useful to a buyer, and reflect that in your keywording.
Buyers search for images by both subject (actual content) and concept (ideas or mood). They might also have technical requirements, such as the type of shot (aerial, close up, etc) or the amount of copy space. It's a good idea to keep all these concerns in mind while keywording.
Have a System
Keywording is commonly referred to as both an art and a science. This is because while good keywording requires creativity and flexibility, it can and should be approached in a systematic way. Many photographers find it simplest to tackle visual descriptions first, moving on to concepts and technical keywords later.
Visual Description
Imagine yourself describing your image to someone who can't see it. Try to forget any contextual information you know about how and where it was taken and focus only on the visual information. The first words that come to your mind will probably be some of the more relevant and important ones to include as keywords. Literally describe all aspects of the image:
On a second pass, list some of the items you may have missed. Continue to look at the image holistically, and do not list insignificant details. With each keyword you apply, put yourself in the shoes of a buyer. If you searched on this keyword and found this picture in the search results, would you find it appropriate... or distracting?
Do: man, woman, seniors, kissing, couch, couple, living room, Caucasian, sitting, affection, marriage, romance, retirement, love, color, horizontal, 70s
Don't: socks, jewelry, floral patterned pillow, eyes, hands, ears, nose
People
Pay special attention to any people in the image- their clothing, hair color, build, and other aspects of their appearance might be important to a buyer. Think of the diverse markets buyers might want to target, and always indicate the ethnicity and age range for the subjects of your photos. Age range is especially useful for children!
Also, describe the physical position of the people in your image. Are they sitting? Walking? Looking at the camera with their arms crossed?
Here are some specific questions to ask yourself:
girl, toddler, 2-3 years old, preschooler, child, African-American, black, bikini, bathing suit, pigtails, curly hair, black hair, smiling, looking out window, cute, playing, color, vertical
boy, teenager, young man, European-American, Caucasian, white, camouflage jacket, short hair, brown hair, hands in pockets
You may have taken a beautiful image that fits a buyer's needs perfectly, but if your keywords are inadequate, it will never be found or licensed. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your keywording skills. Here are the top tips from the PhotoShelter resident linguist, Kate Thomas.
Think like a buyer
Since of course buyers are who you want to find your images, it makes sense to keyword with that audience in mind. Try to anticipate the ways in which your image could be useful to a buyer, and reflect that in your keywording.
Buyers search for images by both subject (actual content) and concept (ideas or mood). They might also have technical requirements, such as the type of shot (aerial, close up, etc) or the amount of copy space. It's a good idea to keep all these concerns in mind while keywording.
Have a System
Keywording is commonly referred to as both an art and a science. This is because while good keywording requires creativity and flexibility, it can and should be approached in a systematic way. Many photographers find it simplest to tackle visual descriptions first, moving on to concepts and technical keywords later.
Visual Description
Imagine yourself describing your image to someone who can't see it. Try to forget any contextual information you know about how and where it was taken and focus only on the visual information. The first words that come to your mind will probably be some of the more relevant and important ones to include as keywords. Literally describe all aspects of the image:
- Are there people in the picture? If so, describe them specifically.
- What colors are prominently represented?
- What objects are prominently included in the picture - as key subjects of the picture?
- Is the location relevant/worth mentioning? If so, be both specific and general: city street, and 5th Avenue
- Are you using a special angle or other technical points worth mentioning? Panoramic etc.
On a second pass, list some of the items you may have missed. Continue to look at the image holistically, and do not list insignificant details. With each keyword you apply, put yourself in the shoes of a buyer. If you searched on this keyword and found this picture in the search results, would you find it appropriate... or distracting?
Do: man, woman, seniors, kissing, couch, couple, living room, Caucasian, sitting, affection, marriage, romance, retirement, love, color, horizontal, 70s
Don't: socks, jewelry, floral patterned pillow, eyes, hands, ears, nose
People
Pay special attention to any people in the image- their clothing, hair color, build, and other aspects of their appearance might be important to a buyer. Think of the diverse markets buyers might want to target, and always indicate the ethnicity and age range for the subjects of your photos. Age range is especially useful for children!
Also, describe the physical position of the people in your image. Are they sitting? Walking? Looking at the camera with their arms crossed?
Here are some specific questions to ask yourself:
- Age Range (newborn, baby, kid, toddler, teen, tween, 20s, 30s, 40s, senior (and/or mature adult) etc.)
- Generation (Gen X, Baby Boomer etc.)
- Ethnicity (Caucasian, White, Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino etc - cover your bases on what buyers might use in their searches)
- Gender (man, woman, guy, girl, boy etc.)
- How many people generally? (group, crowd, friends, etc.)
- Is a family role relevant? (parent, sibling, sister etc.)
- Is an occupation relevant? (postman, businessman etc.)
- What action are they doing? (sitting, standing, throwing, etc.)
- What is their emotional state? (happy or sad but also more subtle: concerned, disappointed)
- Is an interaction being portrayed? (parent, scolding, child etc.)
girl, toddler, 2-3 years old, preschooler, child, African-American, black, bikini, bathing suit, pigtails, curly hair, black hair, smiling, looking out window, cute, playing, color, vertical
boy, teenager, young man, European-American, Caucasian, white, camouflage jacket, short hair, brown hair, hands in pockets
Continue reading Keywording Your Stock Photos.
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