WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
Making money with photography.
by Paula Hunt.
Photography can be an expensive hobby. It is a natural progression for most photographers to eventually want to make money from their work. Love and money are the two main reasons why photographers enter into professional photography.
Selling and publishing your own photographs validates and motivates your efforts as a photographer as it is very encouraging to see your own work in print, in a magazine or a newspaper, or simply on display as a prize-winner. This article shows a few ways how to turn your photography hobby into your career, by focusing specifically on how to start a photographic business. Competitions and stock libraries are two aspects also looked into as making a few extra bucks.
THE BASICS TO BEGINNING:
The step from moving to professional photography is actually a huge leap, in that taking photographs changes from being on the sideline to being your main focus. Planning and preparation needs to be done to provide a smooth transition between photography as a hobby to photography as a career.
To start building your business you need to find your niche. Determine what your product is and where it fits in the market. Ask yourself what you like to photograph most; who would buy it; and how would you sell it to them? Try stepping out of your normal mode of seeing for a refreshing new perspective.
There are four basic areas in photography and once you know which are you prefer, you’ll have a better understanding of the necessary steps to beginning.
All
facets of professional photography are exceptionally competitive. Being a good
photographer is not enough to guarantee success – you have to be an
incredible photographer, with perfect pictures, a good marketing
plan and a great business 
sense.
Continue to build a sizable inventory and create a photographic product line. As in all businesses your image-files are a product line that you must sell to your clients in order to succeed. The right image in the right place and at the right time can sell an idea or a product or even stimulate people’s interests. And such a picture can be worth a lot of money.
When building your files start working locally. Shoot your surrounding parks, rivers, botanical gardens, waterfalls, mountains, skylines, historic sites and parks. Start close to home, take pictures of family, friends, neighbours or anyone else who will model for you for free or cheaply (you can consider compensating them with prints or a percentage of future sales). Remember there are potentially many markets for local images such as postcards, calendars, tourist brochures, Chamber directories, restaurant menus, advertising and design agencies. Look for the spectacular and be ready for it when you set up to take your photo.
You need to continuously research your markets. Remember when selling your work, the clients are the target market, so you have to look at their needs. Determine what the clients are buying, the style of imagery they’re buying and where they’re buying it (especially for stock photography).
Start
an idea file – a box or file cabinet with file folders labelled for
different subjects or destinations, such as Australia, people, kids or flowers.
Each subject can have sub folders with clippings, ads, brochures, scraps of
paper with ideas scribbled on etc. that are filed for future reference.
Sometimes you need to think creatively to find better shots. Read outdoor or
travel publications and tear out the articles on destinations and place them in
your idea file, so that next time you go there you can have a plan or a
guideline from which to start with.
Market yourself and your work. Make business cards and give them out to friends and family and to people that you photograph on the street. You could create a website that is easily accessible and readable by potential clients, or advertise locally in magazines and newspapers. Hope that your name will spread by word-of-mouth and through your advertising attempts. You as the professional photographer should always have the right attitude. Have an open mind, be prepared mentally and be flexible, as well as friendly and helpful.
There
are many different options for those wanting to make money from
photography, entering competitions and stock photography as just two that are
focused on in this article but there are many other ideas that can work ,such as
creating and selling scrapbooks of events, becoming a freelance
photographer, photographing for real estate agents, exhibiting
your work at galleries or shops, photographing for books, postcards, calendars,
weddings and special occasions, doing school and graduation photos; fashion
photography, newspaper pictures, magazines etc.
Success in photography is driven by passion. It may take years to build up your business. Just remember to keep the passion and follow a clear plan, and you will become successful!
ENTERING COMPETITIONS:
If
pictures are good enough to enter in competitions they might also be good enough
to sell. With growing skill, better equipment and more adventurous photography a
good place to get more feedback is by sending your photos to a competition. The
rewards for some may be small or may not be monetary – sometimes expensive
equipment is given as a prize. Here are some tips for entering competitions:
§ The judges are firstly looking for an image which exactly fits the theme set for that category. Read the rules carefully. Sometimes only a single entry may be allowed in any one category. The rules should be fully understood – this is the very first precaution you must take to give yourself a chance to succeed. Some competitions require certain types of framing, matting sizes, time frame, category etc. Be sure that your photo meets the basic requirements for the specific category.
§ Prints should be clearly marked on the back with a name, address and telephone number. This information is usually also written on the entry form which is stuck to the print. If done over the internet, a form may need to be faxed with your signature and all the relevant detail.
§ If the picture is to be sent in the mail, package the entry carefully so that it will not arrive creased or bent. This will ensure that it will not be discarded.
§ It may be necessary to enlarge the photo. Often a picture can be greatly enhanced if it is cropped or slightly angled and certain areas may benefit from being printed up or shaded.
§ Judges are looking for technical excellence and originality. Look for something that makes your photograph different and unique. It should be novel, creative and inventive, and be unexpected. It must stand out from the others in the contest.
§ An appropriate caption is vital. A picture may be worth a thousand works, but if it comes to a tiebreak, a single witty or appropriate caption can swing the result.
Entering competitions and receiving a ribbon or some other recognition will give you a sense of pride and exhilaration. All critism should be used as an excellent learning experience and should not de-motivate you.
STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY:
Stock photography is defined as “images that aren’t photographed for a specific client or use, but are catalogued for review and selection by someone who may have a use for the image”. The photographs have commercial value and can be employed for multiple-uses by a variety of clients. Unlike many products, a picture (or rather its reproduction rights) can be sold again and again. A single sale may bring in only a modest sum, but repeated sales over several years may give a large amount.
Clients may include book publishers, specialty publishers, magazines, advertising agencies, film makers, web designers, graphic artists, interior décor firms, religious publishing houses, corporate creative groups and other entities that may not wish to hire a photographer to perform on-location shots. Others may include niche publishers such as photos done for calendars, gift and note cards, magazines or postcards.
History Of Stock Photography:
Previously photographers that did assignments for editorial markets had all the outtakes returned to them. Logically it made sense to make those outtakes available for re-licensing for other uses, and this is how stock photography was born. But only in the 70’s, when the first stock photo agency was created, did it really take off. Now some say it is a billion dollar market.
A Good Stock Photo:
A stock photo is an existing photo for which the photographer owns copyright. A photo is a good stock photo only if a client is willing to offer compensation for the use of it. Until then, it’s just one of the millions.
Good stock photos are:
Ø often of subjects that are timeless and that have long-lasting appeal. This may be of generic images such as spectacular moments, natural disasters, emotion in people, a close-up of a cell-phone in hand, a policeman, a car-guard, a weaver etc. Some are timeless and sell for years while others may only sell for a limited time.
Ø devoid of logos, outdated objects that date it and out-of-style clothing. Technology and clothing are two important things that quickly become out-of-date e.g. Apple Ipod’s and blue tooth equipment are now the latest rage but will soon be outdated as new technologies emerge. Be sure to pay close attention to current trends in wardrobe and styling (this is one of the biggest reason stock photos fail to sell!).
Ø
of
technical excellence and of originality in composition.
To have broad appeal be sure to
shoot horizontals and verticals as well as zoom in and out so you have room for
placing text. Photos usually can not be placed at an angle so have to be done
evenly.
Ø spectacular - if they are of well-known sites.
For
example millions of photos have been taken of table mountain and the Sydney
Opera house which can easily be obtained for free on the Internet.
A
photo really has to be amazing if it is of a popular place or of a recognized
object. Landscape and nature is the most popular area of stock photography and
the most crowded. Stock images in this category must be absolutely breathtaking
to stand a chance of being sold.
Ø
able
to illustrate a concept.
There are general concepts indexed by most agencies on their sites, but clients
often request a specific concept. The concepts for “friends” could include
anything friends might do – birthday parties, camping/vacationing, braaing and
so on. Concepts are not limited to any one subject. Popular sample concepts
include teamwork, success, competition, family, happiness, pride, performance,
quality, reliability, trust, work etc. For example energy can be communicated in
many ways ( kids playing together, people exercising, light etc) or team work
shown through two rock climber helping each other out, or a couple in a canoe.
Stock photography as a business is not about shooting for yourself anymore. The client is the most important point here, and even though you may not know who your clients are or will be, start shooting for intended clients immediately. This should probably be related to the areas for your personal interest. For example if adventure, outdoor and sports are of your main focus, then get out there and start taking picture straight away.
If a picture prominently features a person, a model release for from that person is necessary, and for groups of individuals, each one must sign a release form. Agencies will not consider publishing such pictures without the form.
Stock photography is a long-term process that requires time, energy and money. Be prepared to spend years building an image file.
Paula: part-time evening photography student 2005.