Best place to sell pictures?

Artemis · Jul 30, 2004

Where would be the best place to sell my pictures? Should I put them in the frame? or just a mount?
Also how would I go about becomming professional, and should I set up a website?

Sorry Ive asked a mouthfull, but these questions I really need help on from my best source for photography.

Artemis · Jul 31, 2004

Please I need some help

AIRIC · Jul 31, 2004

I began taking photos at a young age of aircraft. My father and grandfather were both avid photographers but never sold images. I have a passion for aviation handed down from my father and about 15 years ago I started submitting images and articles to aviation magazines, I had instant success but the pay was little to nothing. However, I did get press passes and got to participate in shows and sell prints to pilots and companies.

The website has been a good source of income with calendar companies, magazines, book publishers and private individuals wanting photos. I have a great love of photography and I find it very relaxing so I still treat it as more of a hobby than a business but the money I make pretty much pays for the hobby. My D-70 was paid for by a wedding shoot.

I have met many angry aviation photographers that complain they can't make money in the business and all I have to say is I do it for the fun factor and not the money. The same for photofinishing, it pays very little until you can move up in the company. The best you can hope for is the company will give you a good discount on photofinishing.

Not sure if that helps or not,

Eric

Artemis · Jul 31, 2004

It was very helpfull.

Bosscat · Jul 31, 2004

Find some type of an event like say a motorcylce race and shoot some pics........let people see your workand perhaps you will then have people interested in having you photograph them. I raced for 13 yrs and have very few pics of myself that are any good. If there had been somebody that could wield a camera and take great shots i woulda bought some.Now i will take pics of others since it is much easier on my weary bones.

Artemis · Jul 31, 2004

Great ideas, I do go to work at local Drama groups for free, and have been asked back, but not been paid.

AIRIC · Jul 31, 2004

Let them know they can buy photos. I usually double the price I pay to get the enlargements done.

I often go to races like Bosscat mentioned and take pics. I give everybody my card and tell them to check out my site for the pics. This has resulted in $$$$$ from sales. It is easier now as I shoot digital and don't have to pay a cent for processing, just when I make an enlargement for a customer.

This is a motocross race I recently shot
http://www.airic.ca/html/motorcross.html

This is the same guys ice racing
http://www.airic.ca/html/motorcycle_ice_racing.html

Eric

StvShoop · Jul 31, 2004

AIRIC said:
I often go to races like Bosscat mentioned and take pics. I give everybody my card and tell them to check out my site for the pics. This has resulted in $$$$$ from sales.

that's pretty clever.
the hard part about selling stuff with a website is getting the site known.
if you're shooting an event, no problem, just give all the attendees a card. nice idea. i bet all the attendees who visit the site will check out your other types of photos too.
if it's not event-related stuff, you're probably out of luck. maybe try a mainstream photo sale website. i helped a guy make a site to sell his pics from his trip to europe. yeah... that was pretty much a wasted effort. we started on the mechanics of the endeavor before thinking about the marketing

good luck with biddness

Artemis · Aug 1, 2004

Hehe wow, great ideas and info from all of you.

I like the events one, I just gotto re pring my buisness card...which is unfortunatley....reeeeaaallll tiny at the moment

Bosscat · Aug 1, 2004

Just look for any type of event,be it racing,dog shows,car shows.......anything where people might want pictures of themselves....since very few end up with professional looking pics when they retire from their hobby,,,me included :cry: :cry: :cry:

Artemis · Aug 1, 2004

Well I have a great idea now, what im gonna do, is buy the prints for the drama group I did.
Then, if they want re prints, I will add some money on the picks to earn back cash, the guy at the head of the drama group said thats fine.

ksmattfish · Aug 1, 2004

Having a website, and having lot's on links to it out there on the web is some of the best nearly free advertising you can get. I spend $10 a month for hosting, work on my own site, and I'm always searching for new places to link to.

My site averages 43 visitors a day (32 unique visitors a day). It's way cheap as far as advertising goes, although many of the visitors may not be local. Depending on what you are selling this may or may not matter. I don't get any wedding biz from my visitors from Europe, Asia, or even a few states away, and that's my main income. But my site has been found by people looking for photographs for their homes and offices, and even a few advertising firms found my site, and hired me. The site costs me $120 a year, it's been up since March, and it's already brought me over 100 times that amount in business. It's a no-brainer; get a website!!!

Artemis · Aug 1, 2004

How did you make it? and how do you advertise so well?

AIRIC · Aug 1, 2004

Yup, Get a website and market it. I have a whole list of guys who want to see the next aviation pics I take. I have had my website for two years and it is the best money I have spent on the business.

Eric