Selling Images

[kiwi]

I would have thought that the number of photographers making a living out of landscapes would be miniscule in relation to the numbers participating.

[ktoopi]

I have a few friends who are professional photographers : one specialises in family and portrait work, one does food and travel photography for big magazines, one does sailing photos for magazines and one does adventure/ travel and animals for Australian Geographic and freelance stuff but the point I am about to make is that all of them heavily suppliment their income by teaching photography courses and running photo safaris to overseas destinations for small groups of people. Photography is a hard business to make a living from!!

[ving]

interesting read indeed. I'd have thought (and probably rightly it seems) that selling prints anywhere is hard work and selling them commercially would be the way to go... you know, magazines, websites, etc...

...in fact if money is not an issue the easiest way to sell your work is thru an online greeting card store... my wife sells heaps. but thats not what most togs have in mind for thier photos. I'd say most picture their works printed large and hanging on someones wall.

[gerry]

all of them heavily suppliment their income by teaching photography courses and running photo safaris to overseas destinations for small groups of people.

you have nailed it in that comment and imo that is now where the money is - teaching all the armies of people entering into photography on the back of the low cost gear how to use their gear and the best places to go.

[Redgum]

I would have thought that the number of photographers making a living out of landscapes would be minuscule in relation to the numbers participating.

Spot on Kiwi and the information in this thread confirms that.
As for teaching you need a diploma and five years experience in the public sector and a diploma and ten years experience in the private sector to get work and you might wait five years to hook a job it's so competitive. As for start up photography training privateers TAFE stats show their longevity as 8 to 12 months before they go bust with an average loss of $5k over the period which shows most aren't serious or business oriented before they start - and that's a primary qualification for success. Anyway to make a judgement just ask members here how many have undertaken formal (paid) training as a photographer and you'll see it falls well short of like industries.
Sure, doing photography as a business can be tricky but doing business including photography can be lucrative. It's all about the mix. Woolworths wouldn't survive by just selling Kellogs cornflakes. A photographer doesn't survive by just selling photographs.

[kiwi]

I think the burgeoning market is for holding beginner photography workshops rather than more regular formal training- there are now more people doing this (including a number of members here) than you can can shake a stick at and from what I can see has VERY little overhead or cost and a willing market

[Xenedis]

Xenedis, when you say do a set of images for someone. An example would be I did a bit of a portrait shoot at work of the elderly ladies in our day centre. I did all the processing and loaded all the images on a CD so that the could get their own prints if they wanted. I didn't charge anything for the service, called it a work thing. Would you do the same thing, or recover cost of CD and a bit of your time?

When shooting models, I work on a TF basis.

I'm not interested in paying models, nor them paying me.

What I generally desire is great images and more experience.

I provide full-size, processed JPG images to my models free of charge.

Of course, I'm not trying to make money out of portraits. That style of photography strikes me as even less of a cash-cow than landscapes.

For a photographer who runs a portrait photography business, sure, but again there's more 'business' than 'photography'.

[Xenedis]

I would have thought that the number of photographers making a living out of landscapes would be miniscule in relation to the numbers participating.

I'd have to agree there.

While I am a seascape shooter (predominantly), it's clear that seascape and landscape photographers are dime a dozen.

There are lots of great 'scape 'togs out there producing stunning images that elicit responses of 'wow', but I bet very few consider then 'wow' enough to reach into their pockets.

I wouldn't buy the stuff, and yet I make it. I don't expect to sell it, and while I have sold the odd image and whatnot through RedBubble, I recently decided to disassociate myself from any form of revenue generation via photography.

For me, it's strictly a hobby about which I am passionate, and I have no desire to rock that boat.

[geoffsta]

A lot of discussion is related to selling photos as a business, and earning good money from it. For me... NOT GUNNA HAPPEN.
Like some on here as a hobbyist, I'm out and about most weekends taking photo's somewere, of something. And on the very odd occasion I might get that one shot that would look good on a wall. Now what do I do with that one shot. I could get it printed and framed then hang it up in the lounge room, and the wall has limited room. Or it can sit in the computer and be mixed up with the rest of the 1's and 0's. I could stick it on the net or on here and get a thousand praises for it. But if I do nothing else with it, it is then no better than a happy snap. Some of the suggestions are great. Postcards, small prints and galleries. I'll have a go at these.


I know there are billions of lanscape images out there, and .00000001 percent might get sold. But I'm not interested really in making money. More interested in what I can do with the very odd image that gets a lot of praise from you guys.

[Xenedis]

Geoff,

For someone in your position, perhaps making your best images available for sale at RedBubble or some other such site would be a good way to get into that market without much effort.

RedBubble arranges all the printing and shipment, and takes a slice from your revenue.

I should point out that merely having fantastic images there for sale doesn't mean people will buy them. You need to market yourself and your images, and that generally needs to take place somewhere other than RedBubble.

It again comes down to the business end of things. If you're not interested in that, nor making your first million, then you'll find yourself in a position where the odd punter will buy something of yours once in a blue moon.

That was my experience, and I was fine with that.

Perhaps you could try entering competitions to see how you fare in that arena, and if there are monetary or tangible prizes on offer, you could one day win something.

[ksolomon]

Thanks William for the useful info Now Ya got me thinking , BTW the Markets were the Carrara Markets on the Coast , My biggest problem is to get the Images printed and framed $$$$

PS : At the right price

Bill,
Just had 2 prints of mine printed and framed on the gold coast and they came up very nice, print cost apx $15 framing was $110 (but went for a good quality custom frame). These were for me at home not to sell. Not sure these prices are in your ball park at all. If you want details just contact me as I won't put the business names here in respect of the AP advertisers

[Kris86]

This threat couldnt have come at a better time.

I recently (last friday) was approached by a Automotive company about photos i did at a track day. They wish to purchase high res images for magazine advertising. Now i wanna know what is the norm for this?

[geoffsta]

Bill,
Just had 2 prints of mine printed and framed on the gold coast and they came up very nice, print cost apx $15 framing was $110 (but went for a good quality custom frame). These were for me at home not to sell. Not sure these prices are in your ball park at all. If you want details just contact me as I won't put the business names here in respect of the AP advertisers

Should ask if they want to advertise on here.

Perhaps you could try entering competitions to see how you fare in that arena, and if there are monetary or tangible prizes on offer, you could one day win something.

Been asked a couple of times to go into comps, but I've seen them being judged, and rather try my luck on here. At least I know my images are being judged by like minded people. And I can judge how my images are by the amount of votes I get.
Plus I'm not really interested in selling images. More wondering if a professional on here that owns a studio/gallery spots an image that he/she likes and think would sell, would they offer the photographer the chance to display that image in their studio/gallery.

[Mat]

Geoff... I have sold a few of mine now and I went down the path of signed FujiFlex and archival framing so the prints would last. I have not gone out of my way to sell but I have been approached each time by people I know and they say they will spread the word for me. If any thing comes of it is yet to be seen but I'm not holding my breath.

[stoogest]

Here's a slightly different perspective Geoff.

We all have social networks. Whether it's family, friends, work, sport etc... Perhaps think about how you can use those networks to get your best photos out in the public eye. How? Consider offering your closest family members or friends a free canvas or block mounted print of their choice for Christmas or birthday. It doesn't have to be big, it just has to be visible. Over the subsequent months/years their friends and families will see the work you can do and if they like it enough they may ask who shot the image. Obviously there are only so many family members/friends you can do this for, but it's all about thinking laterally and making the most of the opportunities that lie close to home.

As an aside, as mentioned above I also strongly believe in the old saying 'You have to spend money to make money'. That doesn't mean splashing cash around willy nilly, but it does mean making a prudent long term investment in yourself and your product.

Cheers!
Andrew.

[Big Red]

i sell my pics with a magazine article and also sell pics on consignment through another photographer.
certainly couldn't make a living from it .

[CapnBloodbeard]

The general consensus to this thread seems to be 'don't bother - no point'.....

[campdog]

If you think your work is good enough to sell, than just have a go and see what happens.There is a market out there and you just have to find it.I found a unique way of getting my photos on display and Im sure it will result in a lot of sales once I have my webpage up and running and getting a few prints done. Just remember that all these sunset, sunrise, beach and surf shots you see at the markets are a relfection of the local area.People on holidays want to take remider of that home with them.

[jjjnettie]

I belong to our local Art Society. We set up our individual displays at our local Show and Wood Wine and Art Festival. There is pocket money to be made.
But if you want recognition for your work, it's important to get your work "Out There" and sell it. People like to be able to see the photo in real life, to interact with the person who took the photo. They want to know a bit about the history of the shot, that way it will become more personal to them when they hang it on their wall.
Don't underestimate the power of Face Book too. There are lots of opportunities out there to make a name for yourself.