already shooting the right kind of material, it’s worth having a go, but if you’re just starting out there are more lucrative avenues that are worth trying first.
THE ‘AHHH’ FACTOR
Greetings cards usually have some kind of emotional element, so pictures are required that make buyers say ‘Ahhh’.
The best way of starting is to do some market research. Spend a day visiting as many outlets as you can. As well as large high-street stores, go to smaller locations, such as local shops and post offices. It is also worth dropping into garden centres and DIY stores, which often stock ranges of cards. If you can afford to, buy at least one card from each publisher – remember that you can claim the cost as a legitimate research expense – so you have their name and telephone number. Make notes about what is in each of the ranges. As you study the cards on offer, you will soon notice that the most popular subjects by far are animals and flowers. These represent probably 80 to 90 per cent of the photographic cards on sale.
CAPTIONING POTENTIAL
The most saleable animal pictures are those which have the potential for a witty or amusing caption to be added.
The most popular animals are cats, pigs, dogs and – somewhat surprisingly – orang-utans. If you want to get published, those are the best animals to photograph. You can try others, but you would be swimming against the tide of demand, and less likely to be successful.
The market divides into two main areas: cute and humorous. Any picture that makes people go weak at the knees and say ‘Ahhh’ has the potential for greetings-card use. Think big, ugly boxer dog sniffing tiny, gorgeous kitten, or a fluffy young duckling held in the palm of a hand, and you’ve got the idea.
Jokey cards are common these days, and many use animals to provide the humour. Sometimes the picture is comical in its own right – a pig with its tongue out or a monkey parading its bottom – or it becomes funny once a caption is added.
If you have pets of your own, it’s worth having a go – but don’t be surprised if the results are disappointing. The secret of success lies in finding subjects that are supremely photogenic, and your long-in-the-tooth moggie or mongrel may no longer cut the mustard. If you are serious about shooting to sell, you will need to find a source of winsome kittens or puppies. Perhaps a local pet shop would be willing to help, or someone who breeds cats and dogs. It might be worth suggesting a quid pro quo arrangement – you provide them with images they can use promotionally and you are free to sell them. If they won’t go for that then you may have to pay. As long as the fee isn’t too high this can make sense financially, especially if you think about shooting for other markets at the same time, such as picture libraries or local magazines.
Farms can also be a good source of subject matter, particularly in the spring, when you will be able to photograph ducklings, piglets and lambs. At that time of year, some farms have open days, when you can go along for free or for a modest payment. You may find yourself jostling for position with children on a school trip, however, and it is probably better to arrange a private visit, when you will have more control, and are therefore more likely to end up with marketable images.
PASTEL COLOURS
Pastel images with blues and purples –such as these bluebells – are extremely popular with buyers.
Providing you have a powerful telephoto lens, it can also be worthwhile spending a day at the zoo. If the weather is good, and the animals active, you should end up with a number of appealing shots, one or two of which might be suitable for greetings cards. You will need a reasonably strong zoom because it is essential to crop in tight, for two reasons. One is that the expression on the animal’s face will be crucial in whether you make a sale. The second is that you need to exclude anything that reveals the fact that the creature was in captivity, such as mesh fencing or a glass enclosure.
The other common subject for photographic greetings cards is flowers – or ‘florals’ as they’re often called in the trade. The pictures can be of individual blooms, arranged bouquets or ‘country living’ still-lifes, which might include props such as jugs, vases and crockery. In other words, everything from a bunch of flowers in a vase to a garden scene to a field of poppies is required. Pastel images with blues and purples, such as delphiniums and foxgloves, are extremely popular, as well as bright images based around primary colours. You can’t go wrong with roses, tulips, daffodils and lilies.
It’s no good shooting a straightforward record of the subject. There needs to be some kind of emotional component arising from the way the picture is taken. The flowers need to be carefully arranged, beautifully composed, atmospherically lit and skilfully photographed to stand any chance of success. That doesn’t necessarily mean fancy studio lighting, but it does mean you can’t just knock the images out quickly. You need to spend time getting things right.
FLOWER POWER
Pictures of this kind can be used to illustrate cards for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or birthdays.
Before having a go yourself, look at what is already available. You’ll find that there is a lot of fine stuff out there, so think carefully about how you can match the quality and, ideally, come up with something equally good, but different.
The worst thing you can do is to shoot pictures that you think would look good on greetings cards and then submit them to publishers. There is no surer way of getting rejected. Companies already in the market know their business. They know exactly what sells and what doesn’t, and they choose their subject material accordingly. It’s not enough for an image to be attractive; it must work as a birthday, Easter, Father’s Day or general-purpose card.
Keep abreast of what is being published, because the range of subjects and treatments continually changes. Right now, quirky, arty images are popular. These are sometimes just stylish, creative treatments of everyday scenes and situations – often in black and white. You will also see atmospheric landscapes, humorous shots of children, and ‘male’ subjects, such as cars and still lifes featuring sports equipment, wine and the like.
MONO FINE ART
There’s currently a trend towards ‘fine art’ monochrome images.
Considering how demanding they are in terms of quality and content, greetings card publishers don’t pay especially well.
