| If
you enjoy photography, a good logical step is to try and make
money from your hobby. Then you can spend more time doing
what you enjoy. Selling your photographs takes time and dedication,
but it is possible. Lots of people do it, and you can too.
The nice part about selling photography is
that anyone can do it -- you're not dependent upon physical
ability, age, or background. It's more about art and energy.
The photographic market is so open that every photographer
and publisher I've met is pleased to give ideas and suggestions.
Copyright
A popular question is: How do I copyright
my photo? You don't. It's already copyrighted. You don't need
to submit a form, and you don't have to use that "©"
symbol or a digital watermark -- those are just customary
ways of identifying the copyright owner.
Copyright is an intellectual property right
which (in U.S. and European law) is automatically bestowed
exclusively upon the author (you) at the instant the artwork
is created, e.g. when you press the shutter release.
Stock
We'll be using the term "stock"
so let's introduce it. What you have is a "stock photo",
meaning that you have already taken the photo; you own the
copyright; and the photo is in your stockpile (your storage,
inventory) of pictures available to use now.
The opposite of stock is "assignment"
or "work-for-hire" photography, where someone pays
you to take a photo and (depending upon the agreement) that
someone rather than you owns the copyright of the resulting
photos.
Notice also the difference in time -- looking
from the perspective of a photo editor, "stock"
photos have been taken (past tense) and exist now, whereas
"assignment/hire" photos will be taken (future tense)
and don't exist yet.
Publishers like using stock photos. Hiring
photographers is time-consuming, risky and expensive. Unless
there's something very specific that the publisher wants (such
as in advertising), it's faster and cheaper to buy stock photos.
In the past, stock photographers had to perform manual searches
and mail slides (often originals).
But today, with digital files that can be
emailed or sent by FTP and the Internet providing easy searching
and distribution, digital stock photography is growing.
License
The key advantage to stock photography is
that you can license it. If you are hired to take a photo,
(depending upon the agreement) you effectively "sell"
the photo (the client owns the copyright). This is a one-time
payment to you and you get nothing in the future (except,
perhaps, more work). But with a stock photo, you don't sell
the photo, you license it -- you permit a client to use the
image (for a fee) but you retain the copyright.
Since you keep the photo, you can license
it again and again. Thus you get a future revenue stream.
You can do nothing and get a monthly check -- now that's the
life. Many professional photographers make a large part of
their income from stock.
"How do I find a customer?" One
option is to go direct. Perhaps you already know some potential
clients. If not, look for clients. Who might use your photos?
The publishers of postcards, magazines and
books usually include their address and/or web site on the
back or inside of their publication. Do an Internet search
for "photos of (whatever you have)" and see who's
in that market. A valuable resource is the latest edition
of Photographer's Market, which includes a huge list of photo
publishers.
You could set up a nice Web site displaying
your photos, and wait for customers to contact you. It may
take a while for someone to contact you but, hey, it's nice
to see those pictures on display.
Stock Agency
Going direct to clients is tough. There's
a lot of cold-calling, rejections, and time involved. On top
of that, most publishers already have a photo solution and
don't want to work with "small-timers", "newbies"
and "amateurs". Instead, let someone else do the
customer-finding and hand-holding stuff -- use a stock agency.
With the Internet and digital photography,
there's a proliferation of web-based agencies. Find an agency
that fits your quality of work, somewhere between the big
three professional stock agencies of Getty, Corbis and JupiterMedia,
and the more amateur- and hobbyist-focused "microstock"
agencies such as iStockPhoto, ShutterStock, and PhotoStockPlus.
You can even split your work over several
agencies, particularly ones that accept "non-exclusive"
submissions (e.g. they don't prohibit you from submitting
the same photo to another agency).
You'll receive less money per deal than going
direct, but you'll probably license more images and have an
easier life.
Self Publish
Why bother with a customer at all? If you
think your work is so great, you publish it!
Self-publishing takes a lot of time, talents,
commitment, and resources. It is also expensive, often prohibitively
so, requiring lots of money up front, before you get any revenue.
But if you really want to see your work in a high-end product
(it's difficult to find a publisher), or if you're very particular
about how your work should be displayed (I am), then this
is the way to go. Why selling
my photo on-line? | How
to Sell Your Art | How
Can I Sell My Photo As A Postcard? |
How To Sell
Your Photos | Where
To Sell Your Photos | How
To Sell Your Photo To A Magazine |
How
To Put Your Photos On The Web | Photos
You Can't Sell
|
