How do you SELL photos ?????

[the hotel]

How do you SELL photos

I was thinking that selling photos is probably like everything else that has to do with cameras. Everybody has their own ideas. If we all share our ideas everybody may pick up on a few new ones to try. Remember the more photos you sell the more money is available for new camera toys.

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[jpol]

i'm interested too. hope somebody shares his ways.
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-Jan Paul Yap-

http://flickr.com/photos/64528308@N00/

 

[David Oswald]

I know there are a few stock photo sites.

One observation: I believe digital photography has rekindled interest in photography in general. More people are into it now than ever before, and in addition to that, with the low cost of each shot (in fact the more shots you take the less each one costs) there are a lot more images being taken by most individuals involved. My suspicion is that the punch bowl is getting pretty diluted nowadays.

Sure, we're consuming like never before, but production of images has got to be increasing at a rate greater than demand, hasn't it?

These are just some unsubstantiated assertions. Comments welcome.

 

[the hotel]

I know there are a few stock photo sites.

One observation: I believe digital photography has rekindled
interest in photography in general. More people are into it now
than ever before, and in addition to that, with the low cost of
each shot (in fact the more shots you take the less each one costs)
there are a lot more images being taken by most individuals
involved. My suspicion is that the punch bowl is getting pretty
diluted nowadays.

Sure, we're consuming like never before, but production of images
has got to be increasing at a rate greater than demand, hasn't it?

These are just some unsubstantiated assertions. Comments welcome.

Hi David, I think for the reasons you mentioned are good ones and because of them a person has to identify his or her market so they can offer photos that the average person knows they can't get. On another board a person is taking photos of sporting events (little league games) and makes his photos available to the parents and friends of the player. Nice action photos the average Joe isn't going to get. I thought this was a good idea and it is working for him.

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[Michelle Knight]

I've recently tried to sell photos on a web site. It was abysmal. There is such a plethora of good material out there, going for stupid money. I spent some time working out the price of some of my photography, and then after seeing others selling good images for $20 a shot ... man, that was depressing.

It was only two nights ago that I tore down my photos from the site and have started chasing assignments. I never sold a thing. There is a good book I'm reading ... "Best Business Practices For Photographers" by John Harrington.

I'm working on my photography more and more - pushing myself, my camera, my flashes ... but above all, my imagination. If I'm going to stand out from the plethora of studio photographers, I've got to be different, special, be prepared to go that extra mile.

This shot wasn't the finished one I posted for assignment (check over at Strobists forum on flickr if you're interested in watching how things progress. The final one I submitted for the musical instrument shot is here http://www.flickr.com/photos/msknight/502386348/ ) but this is an untouched pic I took a matter of moments ago. (Stupid moire effect again! and that is running v1.20 on the K10 shooting RAW)



How much is a picture worth? Check out this blog http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/ - I'm still reading it myself.

--
'No Comment.' It's my quote; so popular that many use it.
http://www.msknight.com/places/oddshots/1.htm

 

[the hotel]

I've recently tried to sell photos on a web site. It was abysmal.
There is such a plethora of good material out there, going for
stupid money. I spent some time working out the price of some of
my photography, and then after seeing others selling good images
for $20 a shot ... man, that was depressing.

It was only two nights ago that I tore down my photos from the site
and have started chasing assignments. I never sold a thing. There
is a good book I'm reading ... "Best Business Practices For
Photographers" by John Harrington.

I'm working on my photography more and more - pushing myself, my
camera, my flashes ... but above all, my imagination. If I'm going
to stand out from the plethora of studio photographers, I've got to
be different, special, be prepared to go that extra mile.

This shot wasn't the finished one I posted for assignment (check
over at Strobists forum on flickr if you're interested in watching
how things progress. The final one I submitted for the musical
instrument shot is here

How much is a picture worth? Check out this blog
http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/ - I'm still reading it
myself.

Michelle I think you bring up a good point and I am sure there is a lot of different opinions about what is a photo worth and selling photos on the Internet.

I didn't like the idea of stock photo sites, like you I saw a lot of very good photos and so much choice I felt like the potential customer would just get confused and when they had so many great choices they would then go for price. I bought Front Page for Dummies and built my own sites.

The way I have priced my photos is probably not the best way as far as business 101 is concerned but I price them so the average person that stays at my hotel or shops in my gift shops can afford to take photos home with them. IMHO I am better off selling 40 each of a photo at $40 rather than 1 at $400. I think there is a much larger market available for the affordable photos.

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[CopCarSS]

As I mentioned in a couple of my other threads, I've picked up a 4x5 outfit, and I'm starting to learn the ins and outs of it. From what I've noticed at some of the big time landscape galleries out here, the prints that command the highest value are still usually made with LF film. Once in awhile a shot from a 1Ds Mk II or a D2x sneaks in, but it's rare.

I think there's a perception that film based shots are "fine art" whereas digital shots are something that everybody can do. As absurd as that is, I think that really is the perception from the people that have the money to spend on fine art shots.

Of course, it also helps that LF film contains an amazing amount of detail. By the time one starts shooting 8x10, there is no digital sensor that will even come close to matching that kind of resolution.

At any rate, I'm still shooting my Pentax gear, but for shots that I hope to be able to sell, it's all LF now. I'm not sure how it will all work out, but it's a lot of fun if nothing else!

--
Chris May
Denver, CO
http://www.pbase.com/copcarss

 

[Michelle Knight]

I agree with you considerably with what you say, in terms of number and cost balance.

May I ask if your shop is physical or on-line please? If it is physical, then you have considerable control. Online, there seem to be content thieves who will snatch a shot and sell it without second thought. The recent case of flickr member Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir is a strong case in point.

I just feel right now that if I upload anything decent, I might as well consider it gone.

For me, personally, it is better to start networking and get known. Taking the assignments that the other photographers in my area just aren't interested in should bring a good name, and a premium if I do it right.

That is where another of your observations comes in to play. The people with the money are more likely to say, "get me a photographer," than wade through the masses of material that is available. A keyword search can completely overwhelm you with material to look through. My opinion is that people with the money to pay for the work, will hire a photographer to take the photos that suit their own message.

That then leaves the people who want the photos for their home. I don't think I've yet worked out a model for standing out among the crowd. The pictures of me that were taken in January have only recently gone on sale on the photographers web site, so I'm not sure if even they have had any impact.

Competing in a stock photo library means that it is only the best images that will survive carrying a watermark prominent enough to stop piracy, and the balance of image size between giving people something to look at, but small enough to be useless to a pirate, is something I haven't achieved yet.

--
'No Comment.' It's my quote; so popular that many use it.
http://www.msknight.com/places/oddshots/1.htm

 

[Michelle Knight]

Sorry Roger, I just re-read, you have a hotel and a shop. I think you have an advantage that few other photographers have. On-line is cerrtainly a flooded and harsh environment IMHO.

--
'No Comment.' It's my quote; so popular that many use it.
http://www.msknight.com/places/oddshots/1.htm

 

[the hotel]

Sorry Roger, I just re-read, you have a hotel and a shop. I think
you have an advantage that few other photographers have. On-line
is cerrtainly a flooded and harsh environment IMHO.

Michelle, yes I do have an advantage with my hotel and gift shops. I also have two web sites I have built for selling photos and they do OK but not great.

Something that is available here and I am sure is available in other places. "Local Color Gallery" is a gallery here in town that carries local art and photography. If I didn't own my own plcae I would check into how to get my work in galleries.

IMHO I think the MORE WAYS you have of getting your photos out for sale the better off you will be. I am always looking for ideas to add to my list.

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[LesMizzell]

I think there's a perception that film based shots are "fine art"
whereas digital shots are something that everybody can do.

How are they going to know whether that framed 24" x 36" canvas print you've got for sale was shot on film or not, unless you tell them?

Seems to me that a great photo is a great photo ...

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'Not everybody trusts paintings, but people believe photographs.' -- Ansel Adams

 

[the hotel]

I think there's a perception that film based shots are "fine art"
whereas digital shots are something that everybody can do.

How are they going to know whether that framed 24" x 36" canvas
print you've got for sale was shot on film or not, unless you tell
them?

Seems to me that a great photo is a great photo ...

Les, I have to agree with you. I don't remmber being asked about film or digital when we sell photos.

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[rzarbo]

Along the lines of the person Roger mentioned doing the Little League sports thing there is a guy in our area who has a pretty neat business. I see him at many of the area horse shows. He has a tag along trailer that he gutted and turned into a "digital darkroom" so to speak with two laptops and two printers running. He takes many photos of all the riders then if you are interested you go to his trailer afterwards and select the shots you want. He'll crop them or change them, print them up to 8x10 and then hand you a nicely presented folder of pictures with the 8x10 already in a mat. I walked out with $120 worth of photos and I HAVE A CAMERA! The lines of eager parents waiting at his trailer are impressive. Just what appeals to most of us, our kids and instant gratification.

He knows who he is marketing to and he does it well and his overhead must be pretty minimal.
--
Robin

 

[the hotel]

Along the lines of the person Roger mentioned doing the Little
League sports thing there is a guy in our area who has a pretty
neat business. I see him at many of the area horse shows. He has a
tag along trailer that he gutted and turned into a "digital
darkroom" so to speak with two laptops and two printers running.
He takes many photos of all the riders then if you are interested
you go to his trailer afterwards and select the shots you want.
He'll crop them or change them, print them up to 8x10 and then hand
you a nicely presented folder of pictures with the 8x10 already in
a mat. I walked out with $120 worth of photos and I HAVE A CAMERA!
The lines of eager parents waiting at his trailer are impressive.
Just what appeals to most of us, our kids and instant gratification.

He knows who he is marketing to and he does it well and his
overhead must be pretty minimal.
--
Robin

Thanks Robin for sharing this information. I am sure there are many different kinds of special events in different parts of the world and I agree people like to see their kids and themselves. Sounds like finding a market and going after it.

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[CopCarSS]

what was used to shoot the shot. Look at some online galleries, and even these betray details of equipment usage.

I agree wholeheartedly with you that a great picture should just be a great picture. However, I also see the effect of perceptions about equipment.

I think part of it can be traced to the digital revolution, too. How often when looking at shots presented in this very forum do we ask "What lens did you use?" if it's not listed with a great shot. I'm as guilty as the next guy. I think much, much more could be learned about a shot by asking what made the photographer compose the shot the way he/she did. Or about how the shot was lit. Or about camera angle. Etc.

Having a sack full of limiteds is not going to make you a great photographer that will sell lots of prints. And yet, there's almost a perception that it will. All lenses are just tools. It's nice to have great lenses, and they will make shots better, but only if the photographer knows how to use them.

Likewise, some galleries make a point of buying dedicated film photographers because there's some sort of perception that film users are somehow more "artistic" at the moment. Film and digital are both tools that have to be used properly to get maximum effect.

As I said, I don't agree with the concept. I'm just stating the way I see things currently. Maybe I'm way off base with it all.

--
Chris May
Denver, CO
http://www.pbase.com/copcarss

 

[the hotel]

This Thread WHY ????

I see a lot of beautiful photos here on the forum and I was wondering how many people sell their photos and if they do how do they go about selling them. I just assumed some folks that don't sell there photos might want to and this thread might give them some ideas how to do that. YES I also am always looking for new ideas so if I see something that will work for me I will try it. My idea for this thread was not so much for me but for others to get some new ideas that might help them.

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[vprace]

I too use a website! Prior to the website i sold on site. I shoot local auto racing and average around 400 shots a night. There was no way to print it all in 4x6 just to be seen and it's kinda hard to be out shooting and showing the book at the same time. I'm not getting rich by any means but it's covering the cost of the site and feeding the LBA lol.
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http://www.vprace.net

 

[the hotel]

I too use a website! Prior to the website i sold on site. I shoot
local auto racing and average around 400 shots a night. There was
no way to print it all in 4x6 just to be seen and it's kinda hard
to be out shooting and showing the book at the same time. I'm not
getting rich by any means but it's covering the cost of the site
and feeding the LBA lol.

Good idea to feed the camera habit. How do you let the folks know you have photos available????

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[LesMizzell]

Along the lines of the person Roger mentioned doing the Little
League sports thing ...

Another similar idea:

Since my wife is the artistic director of a dance company that competes a few times a year...

Most competitions now travel with a photo crew. In just the last two years, some are even forbidding folks to bring a camera in with them in order to force you to buy pics from the house crew. Grrrr - but that's another topic.

Anyway, these folks clean up. The "photographer" sits in the middle of the auditorium with their Nikon and big fat zoom and a laptop. They use a wireless connection to send pics as they're being shot back up to the "purchase booth" in the lobby. There's a bunch of laptops at the booth for viewing pics. Pick your shots and they print them out. It's a pretty slick operation. Usually, the booth is so crowded you can't get close to it.

At the last competition attended, I struck up a conversation with the photographer. I'm still lens shopping for this type of work and was curious. They DIDN'T KNOW what lens they were using!! "This is what they gave me to shoot with". Huh?? Weird...

Anyway, you local community theatre and area dance schools might be a good market to tap into.

 

[the hotel]

Along the lines of the person Roger mentioned doing the Little
League sports thing ...

Another similar idea:

Since my wife is the artistic director of a dance company that
competes a few times a year...

Most competitions now travel with a photo crew. In just the last
two years, some are even forbidding folks to bring a camera in with
them in order to force you to buy pics from the house crew. Grrrr -
but that's another topic.

Anyway, these folks clean up. The "photographer" sits in the middle
of the auditorium with their Nikon and big fat zoom and a laptop.
They use a wireless connection to send pics as they're being shot
back up to the "purchase booth" in the lobby. There's a bunch of
laptops at the booth for viewing pics. Pick your shots and they
print them out. It's a pretty slick operation. Usually, the booth
is so crowded you can't get close to it.

At the last competition attended, I struck up a conversation with
the photographer. I'm still lens shopping for this type of work and
was curious. They DIDN'T KNOW what lens they were using!! "This is
what they gave me to shoot with". Huh?? Weird...

Anyway, you local community theatre and area dance schools might be
a good market to tap into.

Another gooood idea thanks Les. "Usually, the booth is so crowded you can't get close to it." this tells me it works.

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