We analyzed the characteristics of stock images with high subscriptions during the First Half of 2023. Comparing this article with another one covering the Second Half of 2022 would help create better content.
[Don’t forget your passport!]
The very first trend is ‘Don’t forget your passport!’. As you can see from all the travel reality programs covering the public, terrestrial channels, and even OTTs, people’s interest in travel has increased overall and affected the stock image market.
From the subject’s point of view, it was clearer the better – landscape images were highly subscribed. For domestic travel, the scenery of Jeju Island with an emerald green beach giving a significant contrast between the basalt; on the other hand, for international trips, it was Japan that recorded the highest amount of downloads; the place with the highest preference followed by last year.
Therefore, to create stock content that suits the need of the customers, we suggest you research the changing trend in travel destinations and their famous spots.
[Keep It Clean and Safe]
Do you remember Fukushima Daiichi Accident that happened on March 11th, 2011? On July 4th, IAEA(International Atomic Energy Agency) came up with a review that the radioactive water caused by this accident meets the safety standards. Accordingly, the radioactive water will be released soon and people from all over the world are voicing their worries about this issue.
Since the distance between South Korea and Japan is not so distant, a lot of Korean customers are showing concerns about the safety of seafood. Especially considering South Koreans are intaking sea salt made with seawater, there was even a salt shortage due to this matter.
According to the issue stated above, the images that give the mood of a healthy and safe sea made a considerable number of sales; notably images of fresh seafood that have a direct relationship with our daily lives. Keep yourself updated with the live issues just like the release of treated radioactive water and the possible outcome due to it, which will give you a spark of inspiration.
[AI and Chatbot]
Another main character of the first half of 2023 was Artificial Intelligence. Notably, the customers of TongRo Images were highly interested in the aspect of A) its hardware including a semiconductor and a circuit, B) the visual of the dataset created with image composition C) examples of Artificial Intelligence that can be found in everyday lives in agriculture or industry.
Additionally, the stock image portrays the characteristic of AI which ‘thinks’ and ‘learn’ based on the given data visually by giving it a ‘personality’ such as a robot or human brain also showed high preference. Take some time to do research on constantly evolving AI which will be in continuous need.
If your images contain a recognizable face, a model release must be submitted together with the images. In addition, if your images contain a place, an object, pets, or other properties that require consent from ownership, copyright holders, or property rights holders to use them, a property release must be submitted with the images. Not submitting such releases may result in content rejection by the editor.