Learn How to Sell Photographs - After All, You Learned How to Take Them!
Professional photographers make a decent living from selling their services.
Weddings, portraits, commissions - you name it, they do it, and are handsomely paid for their time.
But were you aware that it's not only professionals who can make a sizeable income from photography? The willing amateur, with proper research, can find numerous ways to get paid for their photographs.
But, you need to know what you're doing.
In fact, you need to know how to sell photographs.
When I began taking photos (too many years ago to remember) I used to get them printed for my own enjoyment.
Gradually things changed - and I started to realise I wasn't just another "happy snapper".
Instead of being content with what I taught myself, I learned that formal training could take my skills to another level.
So I did this, and began to see myself as a photographer.
At the time it was a quantum leap for me, and I knew that photography was now more than a serious hobby.
But even then, the thought of being paid did not even enter my mind.
I was so fulfilled by looking at pictures I had taken, and realising that many of them were really above the average photos most people took, that acclaim from family and friends was more than enough for me.
Then, one day, my brother, who ran his own picture framing business, asked if he could frame some of my photos.
I printed a few, gave them to him to frame, and forgot about it.
However, slowly, but surely, my pictures began to sell - and suddenly the thought that people were actually paying for my photographs, and putting them on the walls of their homes, gave me a real buzz.
Now, although I knew my photos were good, I didn't consider them, or myself, anything special.
Nevertheless, people were willing to pay for them.
I realised that when someone buys a picture they don't really care who the photographer is.
They see something in the picture that appeals to them - and as long as the photo is well taken, and of good quality, they don't care (or even think about) whether the photographer was a pro, or not.
In fact, that the picture is for sale in the first place leads them to assume a pro has taken it, anyway.
Once I got my head around the concept that people will pay for my photographs, I thought "there must be dozens of other markets that I can find.
" In short, having learned over the years how to TAKE photographs, I now taught myself how to SELL photographs.
Before long, I had found ways to sell photos to happy couples out for the night, local bands looking to have promotional pictures, models wanting to build up a portfolio...
the list goes on an on.
With the help of some well thought out business plans I began to build up an industry for myself, some more lucrative than others, for sure.
So if you are reading this, and have spent some time learning how to take photographs, remember that you can also learn how to sell photographs.
There are plenty of people, and companies, out there willing to pay you well for your services - which just happens to be your hobby too! How cool is that?
Weddings, portraits, commissions - you name it, they do it, and are handsomely paid for their time.
But were you aware that it's not only professionals who can make a sizeable income from photography? The willing amateur, with proper research, can find numerous ways to get paid for their photographs.
But, you need to know what you're doing.
In fact, you need to know how to sell photographs.
When I began taking photos (too many years ago to remember) I used to get them printed for my own enjoyment.
Gradually things changed - and I started to realise I wasn't just another "happy snapper".
Instead of being content with what I taught myself, I learned that formal training could take my skills to another level.
So I did this, and began to see myself as a photographer.
At the time it was a quantum leap for me, and I knew that photography was now more than a serious hobby.
But even then, the thought of being paid did not even enter my mind.
I was so fulfilled by looking at pictures I had taken, and realising that many of them were really above the average photos most people took, that acclaim from family and friends was more than enough for me.
Then, one day, my brother, who ran his own picture framing business, asked if he could frame some of my photos.
I printed a few, gave them to him to frame, and forgot about it.
However, slowly, but surely, my pictures began to sell - and suddenly the thought that people were actually paying for my photographs, and putting them on the walls of their homes, gave me a real buzz.
Now, although I knew my photos were good, I didn't consider them, or myself, anything special.
Nevertheless, people were willing to pay for them.
I realised that when someone buys a picture they don't really care who the photographer is.
They see something in the picture that appeals to them - and as long as the photo is well taken, and of good quality, they don't care (or even think about) whether the photographer was a pro, or not.
In fact, that the picture is for sale in the first place leads them to assume a pro has taken it, anyway.
Once I got my head around the concept that people will pay for my photographs, I thought "there must be dozens of other markets that I can find.
" In short, having learned over the years how to TAKE photographs, I now taught myself how to SELL photographs.
Before long, I had found ways to sell photos to happy couples out for the night, local bands looking to have promotional pictures, models wanting to build up a portfolio...
the list goes on an on.
With the help of some well thought out business plans I began to build up an industry for myself, some more lucrative than others, for sure.
So if you are reading this, and have spent some time learning how to take photographs, remember that you can also learn how to sell photographs.
There are plenty of people, and companies, out there willing to pay you well for your services - which just happens to be your hobby too! How cool is that?
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