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Archive for January, 2009

With low digital camera prices, anyone can become a beginner photographer.  And for dedicated amateurs and hobbyists, there is a push for better pictures with better equipment.  And increasingly, these amateurs have taken to selling their digital works on the internet. This is an easy way to earn some extra money from home doing what you love.  You could make several hundred dollars a month with just the right photo.  Here are some tips on how to sell photographs. 

Selling photographs online means that there is less of an overhead, and potentially more exposure.  But before a picture can be sold, there are several criteria a buyer would look for:  sharp pictures with clear details; high-resolution (multi-megapixel) upwards of 10 megapixel; not grainy and without any artifacts; and if possible, in TIFF format and not JPEG;  and the picture has to be interesting and unique.There are only so many nature photos that people want to buy.

The pictures can be sold online as prints.  The buyer can choose which sizes and which print media he wants, and once printed, this is delivered to his doorstep.  This is usually the case for collectibles, like posters, or fan art, etc.There are several legit photo sites like shutterstock, fotolia, and dreamstime that make selling photographs easy.  These are some of the best places to sell photographs.

On the other hand, those with established websites sell picture compilations.  These compilations are on CDs, or even on DVDs.  They may not have the same high resolution as prints, however, the pictures in the disk might be of multiple copies of the same pictures but different sizes, for different PC screen resolutions.  The disks are ordered and sent via courier or post to the buyers address.

For stock photography, there are additional requirements in order for a picture to sell.  These should be generic, concept pictures which depict an idea, concept or a story; or travel pictures for tourist destinations or attractions.

Art photography is the practice of taking photos of art works. And selling art photography is a good niche market for anyone who wants to earn from photography. People are avid collectors of art and art photos.  You can carve out your specialty and demand higher prices if you focus solely on selling art photos.  Here’s how to sell photography…

This is a different market from stock photography.  Instead of selling to designers or ad agencies, you are selling directly to consumers who will probably want framed prints. Find a local company who you can work with to print your images. You could also find partners online which may have cheaper prices than local framing companies becuase they don’t have expensive offices. Then you could sell photography online.

Try to get photos from local art works and those made by local artists.This should get you cheaper prices on the pieces of art you are shooting.  Or you can coordinate with a printer and have large poster-size prints of these artworks. 

Think local.  People love to collect and show off their hometown.  You would make it easier for them to do so.  These may be pictures of local paintings, or sculptures, or even of the local architecture, like old churches and their interiors.

With paintings, you can talk to the museum shop and sell your prints there.  This would help the museum as well as become a steady income for you.  You can also talk to local art galleries about having them putting your prints up for sale.

You can also get in touch with local sculptors and have their sculptures taken.  This could also serve as an advertising medium for them.  These are just some tips to help the beginner photographer.

Alternatively there are also online companies that specialize in selling prints of photos.  Of course, these are quality clean, sharp, high resolution art prints. This market focuses on aesthetics and do not necessarily follow the requirements for stock photography.  In this case, common scenes or subjects like garden flowers might turn out to be sellable items.

Selling a picture is like selling a book.It takes a lot of time and effort.  The photographer owns the rights to the photo but he can sell the rights or he can sell prints of the picture. This article will help you learn how to sell pictures.

Selling the rights to use the picture is best done by submitting to a stock photo agency. You could sign up and submit all your photos.  In effect the photos are on display in the shop waiting for a client with a requirement.  If the picture fits the requirements, then the buyer can sign up for using the picture.  This can be for a single or specific use, or for use of the photo for a specific length of time. This is one of the best places to sell pictures.

Alternatively, like a book, the picture can be sold as a print.There are several sites that will help you setup a portfolio to sell pictures.  The buyer chooses what size prints he wants and these are sent via courier. 

Of course, the photographer can also have his own website, where he can sell the prints themselves.  This might be a good idea if he has a sizable portfolio.You would need to be promoting your website and this takes a lot of time.  He can do this via the use of internet marketing and SEO techniques.This may be hard for photographers who have experiencing taking pictures but not selling them.  This is where it would be wise to hire someone better than you if you can afford it. 

Having your own website where you sell prints would be particularly useful if you have a brick-and-mortar shop or studio.  The website can be a venue for advertising, as well as a source of additional income where he can have his clients order prints instead of going to the studio.  You could use other stock photo sites to start small and then expand from there as more people become aware of your work.  This would be an option for aspiring photos with limited capital.