Make Money with Your Hobby in Photography
Digital photography is becoming quit the hobby. As cameras come down in price and there are more and cheaper computer programs for getting your picture online it just stands to reason that many will pick up this great form of fun.
Why not make some money with your hobby?
Photography can be expensive to pursue. And if you like to go to different places to take your pictures the cost can really mount. However you may have a great way to cut your expenses right under your nose.
Have you ever looked at the different sites on the web? See all those great pictures the webmasters use? How about the graphics on some of the advertisements. You may have even seen that great family enjoying the beach on a couple of different sites. Where do all these pictures come from?
Stock photo agencies are sites that hold many of the pictures that you see on the web. They sell the right to use the pictures on sites, newsletters, blogs, etc. These rights are purchased for a very minimal fee so they are readily available to those who need them.
The best of these photos are used by many sites. That’s why some pictures show up in a number of different places. These agencies become a great deal for people who need pictures or for folks who want to make some money selling their photographs.
How to start earning money with your pictures
As a person who has photography as a hobby, you really can make some extra income with very little additional effort. I am not showing this as an opportunity to get rich or a way to drop your current job but simply as a way to see some extra dollars. In a future article I may show how photography can become your full time profession.
How do you start to realize this little nest egg? Probably the best way to get started is to spend some time just looking at the types of photography that people are using on their websites.
This should be followed up with a study of a number of stock photo agencies and what they offer in the way of pictures. See what’s there, but don’t be afraid to try something new once in a while. Sometimes different is what really sells.
Next you’re going to want to study the restrictions and rules of each site. Make sure that you are not going to sell the copyrights for your picture when you sell the right to show your image on another site. Most agencies will let you do this, but just make sure.
Now is the time to go out and do what you like to do the most, take pictures! After you have a large number of photos you feel may sell, it’s time to get them ready.
Submitting pictures to sell
The first thing you need to do is organize your photos. You need to be sure you have a system that will allow you to find any pictures you desire with a minimal amount of effort. It’s important that each photo has a name and is assigned one or two key words.
As an example suppose you have taken a great picture of a tree on a mountain side. You can simply call this picture “A tree”. But try to use your imagination to come up with a great title. Say “A mountain side tree” or maybe “My favorite pine”.
Once you have the right name you must also assign one or two key words to your photo. For our example you might use “wilderness” or “mountain scenes”. Once again, just let your imagination run wild and see what you can come up with.
Your pictures may be displayed on a number of sites. If you have a website it would be well to show them there also. The key words you have assigned the photos will help them to be located through a potential customer’s search.
Not all of your photos will be purchased. One of the great things about submitting them to different agencies is they will tell you why they did not buy certain pictures, letting your work be analyzed by professional photographers. This process you are using becomes a win – win situation, either your photos will be purchased or unpurchased pictures will be professionally critiqued.
There are no overnight millionaires
When your pictures are submitted you will find the general purchase price is between $.20 and $1.00 each. Great photos by a well known photographers may get quite a bit more (up to $10.00 or higher). But you’re not getting rich overnight.
I suggested earlier in this article that you should take a large number of pictures. The more you sell the more your transactions will mount up to offset the low prices. Also remember that I made it clear this system was just to earn a little extra money, not to become your fulltime job.
You have a great hobby so enjoy!