Have camera — will travel.
Or not.
The beautiful thing about creating a portable photography career for yourself is, it’s easily portable to anywhere in the world. But what if you’re not traveling? Does that mean there’s no business for you?
Not exactly.
Whether you’re living in one place or circumnavigating the globe, there’s a way to earn a decent living with your camera.
It’s called stock photography. And demand for good stock images is increasing by leaps and bounds.
What is Stock Photography?
According to Wikipedia,
Stock photography is the supply of photographs licensed for specific uses. It is used to fulfill the needs of creative assignments instead of hiring a photographer.”
Not all stock photos are boring shots of people in business suits sitting around conference tables.
Here’s an example of a stock photo:
Just as more and more companies are hiring freelance copywriters instead of (or in addition to) keeping writers on staff, more advertisers, magazines, newspapers and other publishers are looking to meet most of their needs for images from stock sites instead of paying their own full-time photographers.
That means plenty of opportunity.
How Do You Sell Stock Photos?
The easiest way to break into the field is to upload your images to a microstock website.
There are lots of them out there — iStockphoto, Shutterstock, Dreamstime and Getty Images to name a few.
Once you’re accepted as a contributing photographer, you can start uploading your images.
Each time one sells, you’ll receive a small payment. At first it will be very small, but the more images you add to your portfolio and the more you sell, the better your income will be. And you don’t have any of the headaches of sales or fulfillment.
Although they’re in the minority, there are stock photographers out there who pull down a six-figure annual income.
Learn What Stock Photography Buyers Want and How to Provide it for Them
Stock photos have to meet certain criteria. For example, no logos. If one of your models is wearing a baseball cap with a Red Sox logo on it, you’ve eliminated a lot of potential buyers.
If a newspaper or magazine buys your image, they’ll want a bare spot on it, either on the side, the top or the bottom, to add a headline or other verbiage. If you’ve submitted a stunning image but there’s no editorial space, you’ve reduced your potential market.
There’s an excellent way to learn about what editors, advertising agencies and other stock buyers want: Find out directly from the experts.
Here’s a program that will teach you everything you need to know to start selling stock photos.
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