how do you guys sell your photos?

[stewy14]

my site has been up for a year, i have 90% off codes, and nobody has ordered anything, i even offer free shipping and free prints on insta and site. what should I do?

 

[paigew]

what is your current marketing strategy?

 

[webestang64]

All I can offer is this............

So I work in a photo lab, have been for over 40 years. We HAD a customer that was spending gobs of money on his "photo art" prints. He would order multiples of each print in different sizes and framed most of them. Bought a trailer to haul his set up to art fairs. Said he was going to sell all this stuff and come back to get more stock. We have not seen him in 2 years. Went to his web site. Nothing unique at all about his photos. Just like the trillions of other photos for sale on the web.

I do wish you luck but it is VERY tough to sell photos these days as most peeps want their own photos on the wall.

 

[cgw]

Seems a bit of expectations management is needed. Going online alone just doesn't work since you're competing with the entire planet. No "BOGO" deal will alter that. I sold car prints almost by accident after shooting cruise nights around Toronto for a couple years. Niche works. Same for portraiture. There's some truth in the old advice,"When everyone's selling hot dogs, sell hamburgers." Since you've left us out on what you're shooting, you can't expect life-changing advice here. So spill. Otherwise...

 

[Jeff15]

I have sold some on - photo4me ...Good luck ...

 

[dstreetphoto]

From my own experience, selling photos is like pushing water uphill, the market is saturated. I would let go of the idea of trying to sell and instead focus on simply enjoying photography. If you still want to sell, then do something that a lot of other people aren't. For example, the town where I live is rich in history, so I am using mixam to create a photozine to tell its story. I agree, it still might not sell, but by creating a book I am adding extra value to my images.

 

[stewy14]

what is your current marketing strategy?

instagram and giving people 90% discounts on another forum im part of

 

[480sparky]

Photography is an art form that has been devalued to nothing. After putting my efforts into actually productive activities such as cutting down trees with dead fish, writing my name in the surface of a river and herding cats, I post my body of work on pixels.com.

 

[Overread]

So the problem with giving away 90% discounts, esp regularly, is that people then treat the discount price as the "normal" price. Stores that run constant or very regular discounts find that they make almost no sales during off-months and only sales during discount months. So basically the discount price is your base price.

Now people do like to make a saving, but 90% is basically everything of what you're selling. So either you're insanely high on price and 90% off brings it into normal numbers or you're basically devaluing your own product way too much.



When it comes to photography today sale of images as art is not totally dead, but its insanely hard to get into now. There's a VAST wealth of photos out there. It means a lot of legwork marketing to make any sales. The areas where there is still work is having people pay you to take photos - events, weddings, portraits and so forth. Basically when they pay you to perform a service with the output being photos.

 

[480sparky]

So the problem with giving away 90% discounts, esp regularly, is that people then treat the discount price as the "normal" price. ....

More to the point, it creates the idea that you're initially grossly overpriced.

 

[paigew]

Have you thought about displaying your work in local shops? Around my area restaurants and coffee shops etc rotate local artwork (for sale). Maybe try that? I think farmers markets or in person is the way to go. It would help to know what you are shooitng. And I also think it helps to really be selective of what you are selling. Good luck!

 

[acparsons]

I make about 10 cents a month selling stock photography. 10 cents is better than the photos fragmenting in my hard drive.

 

[stewy14]

So the problem with giving away 90% discounts, esp regularly, is that people then treat the discount price as the "normal" price. Stores that run constant or very regular discounts find that they make almost no sales during off-months and only sales during discount months. So basically the discount price is your base price.

Now people do like to make a saving, but 90% is basically everything of what you're selling. So either you're insanely high on price and 90% off brings it into normal numbers or you're basically devaluing your own product way too much.



When it comes to photography today sale of images as art is not totally dead, but its insanely hard to get into now. There's a VAST wealth of photos out there. It means a lot of legwork marketing to make any sales. The areas where there is still work is having people pay you to take photos - events, weddings, portraits and so forth. Basically when they pay you to perform a service with the output being photos.

ive had no sales in a year which is why, once my site/business really kicks off, i will take the discount down

i do photography cause i love it, im not tryna be one of those people who always charges blah blah.... cause Im not one of those, I just want to see how good photography can be for income, and making the site was genuianly fun af, and it gvve me someting to do (off topic and not related to your post)

i agree with the last paragraph , especially wildlife, its soooo hard to get views on insta, or anywhere else that is. Its jsut that the new gen(gen z/me) are always on their phones and tiktok(i dont have socials, my insta is on moms phone, and she doesnt let me go on her phone... and no snapchat), so really no genz/gen a ever see how beautiful the world is, thats my I do this, and thats why i keep coral and wanna do marine biology, to preserve this world, or help to at least. and I think thats why wildlife/nature photography is so important and how it should be cherished!!
i had an old friend, I introduced him to photography(bear in mind this was in the beginning of september 24') I told him what camera to buy. I taught him everything, and after a couple of weeks(he uses reddit) he started saying i was wrong, he used shutter speed as iso, he didnt use iso, apueture, yeah, thats stupid, i will not buy a lens unless it has f/0.4. He did not trust me anymore, he stopped doing photography around me, and he thought he was better than me. his church started letting him do photos(for free) and his church let him help take photos(he got an $100 tip the one time he did it), so he though, WOWOWW!! i can just go around asking people for money! this was when I stopped being friends with him: in about october/november, he went to a little car meet, took some mediocre af photos, and proceeded to give the guys his email and tell them to pay or he wont send them!!!! waaatt.... thats crazy!! I take photos for my fencing club, and they have never paid me, on their insta, no credit is given... and Idc... thats the real thing driving the hobby down to ground imo. kids thinking they are better than everyone and DEMANDING payment!!
bear in mind, he also thinks iphones are better than film cameras, and its specs on paper over sensor size....

 

[paigew]

If you want people to buy your photos, you have to have photos people want. Your ex-friend is making money because he is providing a service that people are willing to pay for! Since you are in some school clubs, I'd start there.....take photos during meets, take some portraits of your teammates. Get a group photo for the team. Does your school have a photo club? If not, maybe you could photo for the other school teams.

 

[stewy14]

If you want people to buy your photos, you have to have photos people want. Your ex-friend is making money because he is providing a service that people are willing to pay for! Since you are in some school clubs, I'd start there.....take photos during meets, take some portraits of your teammates. Get a group photo for the team. Does your school have a photo club? If not, maybe you could photo for the other school teams.

thats the thing, he doesnt have a service, though, he is going up to people, taking photos, and demanding money, they dont even ask/want him too...
yes, but they meet like once every 3 months for 20 minutes
those are some good ideas! ill see if i can do that!