Friday, November 10, 2006

Sell Your Images

A guide to getting
started in selling your own images....

THE RIGHT SUBJECT

First important point -
is your work what people what? Most image users (stock images) will not be interested
in pictures of your pets or friend bob on the beach last summer - no matter
how good they are! The images that sell depict concepts, generic objects or
succinctly capture the essence of ideas, emotions or travel destinations. Images
of the view from your balcony or an abstract shot of your bathroom tiles might
very well make an attractive desktop image but they are less likely to persuade
a designer to part with their money!

IMAGE QUALITY

Quality is vital, noisy grainy photos from low-end digital cameras will have
limited use. If you want to sell the largest market (both web and print) then
you will need good quality, well-lit, sharp, high-resolution images. See the
section below on where to sell images, if you upload your images, these sites
will soon reject photographs that are not up to scratch - take their free advice
and act on it, don't get discouraged.

SELL YOURSELF WITH A PORTFOLIO

A portfolio is a collection of some of your best work, many people these days
have their portfolio online. You could create your own website or pay and upload
images to one of several companies who specialise in hosting photographers'
portfolios (some also sell the images for you). Your portfolio should include
a personal and creative statement along with detailing how your images can be
bought, the equipment you use, and what you specialise in shooting (your favourite
subjects). The selection of images your choose should be specially picked to
display not just aesthetics but also technical merits.

"A Good Camera
does a Good Photographer Make"

WHAT PRICE?

Aim your images at the right level; no matter how professional you are if you
don't have a large portfolio of very high quality, unique images then the large
agencies are not going to be interested in your photographs. Be realistic about
the price you are aiming at, most everyone has a digital camera these days and
if it only took you 10 seconds to snap an image of a computer mouse and keyboard
then why would someone pay a fortune for such an image instead of snapping one
themselves? However, take the same mouse with a ribbon on top and some wrapping-paper
in the background and instantly you have an illustration of online gift shopping
or a new computer for Christmas, a little more time to set up, but also a little
more likely to sell!

WHERE TO SELL?

You could try selling the images yourself, you will need a website, e-commerce/business
experience, perhaps cd's of the images to ship out, it's the way to maximise
your profits once you know the industry but it's also a full time job! That's
why most photographers sell their images through agencies. These days most images
are sold online and downloaded instantly, there is a whole range of images available;
generally speaking the more expensive images are higher resolution, specialist
subjects and very high quality. The Internet has radically changed the stock
photo market, now anyone with a good product can sell their work; the sites
listed below are known as 'microstock' sites, they allow anyone from the hobbyist
to the professional photographer to sell images easily. These sites take images
from individual contributors and sell them on to designers around the world
who are attracted by the low cost of the images. In return the photographer
takes a commission for each image sold.

List of popular microstock sites:

The sites listed above
are not suitable for all types of image and some seem to specialise in certain
styles of photo, I have images hosted on these sites, but I don't put all my
work all on there. They charge no fees for hosting images - they just take a
cut (some times a large one!) of each sale. They are a great way to get exposure
of your work, and to find out what sells and what doesn't, the users of the
sites can also make comments on good and bad points of your photos. It's not
going to let you retire over night, indeed it's hard work uploading and key-wording
your work, but it is a great way into the market for the amateur professional
or to make a little pocket money with your favourite hobby.

LANDSCAPE AND FINE ART PHOTOS

This is a different market to stock photos, instead of selling to designers
you are likely to sell direct to consumers who will probably want framed prints.
I've seen people selling their images on markets, village fairs, car-boot sales,
online or in shops/galleries. Search around for a local company who can print
your images (giclee prints, on canvas perhaps) then approach some local shops,
local photos are often of interest to people, specially if you have some images
in your collection taken many years ago. As an alternative there are also companies
online that specialise in selling prints of your photos (quality art prints,
not to be confused with printed mugs and calendars type companies). This market
focuses in aesthetics so the usable ideas and metaphors stock photos guidelines
go out the window, in this case the pretty flowers in the front yard might just
be back on the shooting agenda.

TAKE ON COMISSIONS

It's not just wedding photos and images for the local newspaper, if you have
the design, sales and photography talent then try offering the whole package.
It's difficult to get into but it can be quite lucrative if you can build a
up network, especially if you focus on specialised or technical subjects like
medical, industrial or product photos. For example if you already work in construction
then you will probably already be aware of safety procedures, equipment and
have contacts inside the industry, now you need to look at what services you
need to provide as a photographer or create some new ideas for potential clients.

Full article here: http://www.freeimages.co.uk/editorial/sellimages.htm