The
GDUSA Survey of graphic designers provides a list of subjects in greatest demand by image buyers. The top 25 listed appear in more or less the following order. I searched the five major stock photo distributors – Getty Images, Shutterstock, AdobeStock, iStock and Alamy – to determine the number of images returned when each keyword is used.
| |
Getty |
Shutterstock |
Adobe Stock |
iStock |
Alamy |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| People |
8,547,498 |
25,347,000 |
11,369,371 |
16,292,617 |
15,120,239 |
| People, Ethnic |
4,759,070 |
1,202,783 |
167,631 |
8,076,846 |
457,996 |
| People, Multicultural |
434,903 |
44,421 |
21,928 |
445,974 |
33,904 |
| Business |
1,407,496 |
21,536,651 |
11,640,602 |
6,264,438 |
6,174,436 |
| Industry |
543,723 |
5,962,092 |
2,385,864 |
3,321,691 |
2,213,097 |
| Concepts |
14,530,747 |
25,314,404 |
11,065,946 |
42,759,189 |
5,426,153 |
| Ideas |
473,633 |
5,931,927 |
3,710,522 |
2,364,137 |
452,470 |
| Technology |
1,225,999 |
11,996,512 |
5,833,560 |
5,251,205 |
3,411,551 |
| Computers |
517,100 |
6,582,181 |
3,366,612 |
1,889,215 |
2,195,805 |
| Lifestyle |
2,455,515 |
11,046,284 |
7,056,730 |
7,758,165 |
4,269,654 |
| Health |
1,300,981 |
10,237,587 |
6,377,826 |
5,574,047 |
3,096,535 |
| Wellness |
271,295 |
1,923,341 |
1,108,598 |
740,887 |
494,454 |
| Ethnic |
4,870,743 |
3,054,357 |
729,206 |
9,117,902 |
827,196 |
| Multicultural |
436,678 |
61,314 |
35,403 |
456,428 |
69,015 |
| Family |
763,179 |
3,355,427 |
2,251,471 |
1,765,597 |
2,418,125 |
| Nature |
5,765,148 |
43,057,887 |
17,298,537 |
16,426,219 |
12,337,655 |
| Food |
1,726,378 |
19,504,737 |
12,004,578 |
11,839,665 |
6,641,905 |
| Arts |
329,254 |
27,323,021 |
8,579,807 |
2,495,683 |
2,612,678 |
| Culture |
2,192,693 |
6,691,469 |
2,773,847 |
7,376,315 |
4,812,734 |
| Entertainment |
615,279 |
3,028,873 |
991,610 |
3,612,511 |
3,203,061 |
| Education |
334,902 |
4,304,695 |
2,589,380 |
1,466,534 |
1,674,572 |
| Holidays |
2,433,578 |
15,037,506 |
8,113,519 |
9,922,922 |
1,496,090 |
| Sports |
1,048,651 |
6,128,574 |
3,613,949 |
3,357,425 |
6,553,454 |
| Fitness |
970,742 |
2,845,058 |
1,633,984 |
4,231,397 |
1,019,761 |
| Animals |
2,475,081 |
8,482,544 |
4,415,968 |
7,044,209 |
2,175,370 |
| Pets |
337,584 |
2,364,051 |
1,322,623 |
958,611 |
421,529 |
| Travel |
4,487,481 |
16,764,042 |
8,019,248 |
8,057,798 |
12,591,012 |
| Retail |
233,411 |
1,824,939 |
847,004 |
717,529 |
714,052 |
| Architecture |
2,546,963 |
10,095,960 |
4,924,711 |
4,183,276 |
7,836,025 |
| Baby |
263,828 |
2,863,478 |
1,779,296 |
739,537 |
1,225,266 |
| Children |
1,578,940 |
5,642,332 |
4,231,670 |
3,083,556 |
1,871,973 |
| Beauty |
4,225,991 |
39,489,894 |
10,235,352 |
11,885,089 |
4,663,315 |
| Fashion |
461,268 |
13,824,011 |
6,009,847 |
4,039,587 |
3,709,261 |
| Transportation |
1,950,417 |
4,469,838 |
1,620,843 |
4,546,440 |
1,755,351 |
| Religion |
744,455 |
2,930,422 |
1,512,321 |
1,756,224 |
2,327,693 |
| Miilitary |
67,975 |
824,991 |
334,215 |
244,146 |
1,333,824 |
| Interior |
5,017,804 |
5,147,727 |
2,147,274 |
6,966,685 |
2,404,215 |
| Hospitality |
128,865 |
70,800 |
33,886 |
827,443 |
69,215 |
| Hotel |
117,194 |
1,354,004 |
603,652 |
413,036 |
2,366,085 |
Obviously, all these distributors have many more images in every category than any customer will ever have time to review. Most customers will not review more than 500 thumbnails – in rare cases up to 1,000 – before revising their search, or going elsewhere.
Distributors try to use algorithms to bring the most appropriate images for each customer to the top of the search, but if you do a search for most of these subjects there is a question as to how effective these algorithms really are.
Of course, with each of these broad category words, customers will add additional words to narrow their searches. Even then, the customers are likely to get many more returns than they will have time to review.
It would be very helpful to contributors if distributors would isolate the searches which include each of these primary words and then make available to contributors a database of all the other words that were use along with these primary words in the search string.
For example, take the word “Business.” Look at every search string that includes the word business. Then create a database of all the other words included in any of the strings where business is one of the keywords. List these other words in the order of frequency they are used.
Then photographers planning a business shoot could search this database for business and get an idea of the factors that should be included in images that relate to business. This would make it easier for photographers to focus on producing images that customers want to buy, help them use their shooting time more efficiently, and probably generate more sales for the distributor.
The same strategy would work for all the other categories. It would also be helpful if the photographers were given information as to the number of times each of these other words were used, but if the distributors don’t want to expose that information just knowing the words used would be extremely helpful.
Such information would also help contributors do a better job of keywording their images and make it easier for customers to find appropriate images.
It would seem the industry does not need more images of any of these categories. However, the industry may need more of what customers are actually trying to find.
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