Sunday, September 6, 2009

How To Sell Digital Photos And Make A Career

By Danny Haberg

Making a living from knowing how to sell digital photos, or anything which stems from a passion or a hobby can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling achievements in life. People have a vast array of talents within them, and being able to express them as well as making money can instil an overwhelming sense of pride. Getting up every morning an knowing that your are living the life you want thanks to something you have a great talent at can make the mornings that much brighter.

Talent often comes naturally, but for some it will be a practiced art, but either way, an eye for photography is something that is awe inspiring to others. Making a career of being a professional is largely down to the skills behind the camera. But another skill is needed, and that is how to sell digital photos to make the work you do viable, and hopefully profitable.

The starting place is having an impressive portfolio, a place to display you photographs to any customer who may be looking to buy. Having a full spread of your pieces of work on show, will allow potential buyers to see the extent of the artist's abilities.

Organising your portfolio into themes can make knowing how to sell digital photos much easier. Being professional and organised, sorting things into categories will let the customer find what they want and find it quickly. Having to search through hundreds of randomly organised pictures to find what they want is not an appealing chore.

Taking advantage of the demand for stock photographs is a great way of knowing how to sell digital photos. Why? Because the digital photograph format allows people to receive what they want quickly and efficiently. Customers may want your photographs for usage on their website and will want them quickly. By gearing some of your portfolio specifically towards stock photography, it can help generate extra money for you.

Stock agencies exist for this very purpose. They will want to purchase your photographs, usually on a commission basis so that they can promote and re-sell them on by licensing them for particular uses. Graphic designers, advertisers and publishers for example, may benefit from this process instead of paying a professional to get the shot they want. This may not generate the kind of income that selling professional digital photos yourself, but it can be a great way to subsidise any income.

Be careful and fully aware of what the legal requirements are when using models for your compositions. Your models will need to sign a contract or a standard model release form for each person which is recognisable in your photograph. There have been many a high court case won, and companies and individuals sued for misuse of a model's image without full consent.

When trying to sell your photographs, always be sure that they are the best you have to offer. They will need to be sharp, focused and be free of any imperfections such as noise from high ISO settings. Pictures need to look professional, and need to express the skill of the person behind the camera.

Taking as many photographs as you can will increase your selection of your best work. While this will build up hundreds of prints, be sure that only the very best ones find their way into your portfolio. Any potential buyer will not be looking for quantity, they will be looking for that one quality shot that suits their needs.

Never be afraid to step into the limelight to promote yourself. Grab every opportunity and hand out business cards where possible, or even start a workshop where being can benefit from your professionalism.

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