So after much careful consideration you've decided on an agency that is going to give you a fair share of the profits, is going to work well with your portfolio, and you are keeping the rights to your photos! Fantastic! Now, how do you increase your chances of your work being chosen by clients?
Upload often – The bigger your library the better you’ll do. You want to saturate the market with your photos. This will show the client and the agency that you are continuously updating your portfolio. The agency is going to want to market a photographer that is constantly bringing in new work because you’ll have a more diverse portfolio for clients to choose from.
Keywording – Though a lot of agencies now do the key working for you, if you are able, it is the best opportunity you have to get your work seen by the clients by increasing your chance of discoverability with what they are looking for. If a client has a book about a girl on a swing, they are going to search for a girl on a swing. If your photo is of a girl, put girl. Is there a swing set? What is the mood of your photo? For example if I had a photo of a girl on a swing in the woods in a blue dress in the winter. I will keyword like: girl, alone, woman, alone, young, swing, swingset, nature, forest, brunette, scared, eerie, scary, blue, dress, snow, ice, frozen, winter, dark, moody, mysterious. Anything I could possibly use to describe the photo.
Do your research – Go to the book stores, check out the new releases and see what is selling. Keep up with the latest trends and be aware of what your agency is going to want, they often send out newsletters with what clients are looking for.
Keep your releases on hand – You can upload photos without a release but there is a possibility it will dissuade the client due to legal liability. They don’t want a property owner or model coming to them with a lawsuit for the awkward product billboard just as much as you don’t. If you need one, it's best to make sure you have your permissions in line before you upload. Who knows what the future holds and friends don't always stay friends, verbal may not be enough.