Sell Your Photos

PhotoStock Source Book 2007

2006-09-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

http://snipurl.com/photosource

Rohn Engh got my career in Stock Photography started. Eventually I ended up writing some books on where to sell your photos ... and Rohn and I became friends.

I personally think that Rohn's books are the best in the business ... and I know that Rohn is responsible for getting thousands of photographers into the business.

If you are in the stock photo business you know that there aren't many chances that come along for independent photographers to have a direct channel to powerful markets.

Which is why I want to recommend The PhotoSource BOOK 2007 photographers directory. This will be the seventh year for this directory, considered by many photobuyers to be one of the most useful in the business.

This directly is sent out to 3000 ACTIVE photo buyers who keep it on their desks all year round. It is a beautiful book printed on high quality stock and the photos are breath taking (which is WHY the photo buyers keep the book!).

The print directory also has an electronic partner, the PhotoSourceBANK. The PhotoSourceBOOK/PhotoSourceBANK combination gives photographers a chance to make their work accessible to photobuyers who then contact the photographers when their coverage matches the photo needed by the buyer. Each photographer can enter 3,000 keywords and phrases describing their photos. The directory is distributed free to 3,000 active top-paying photobuyers, which include the major publishing houses, Time-Life Books, National Geographic, specialty and regional publications, agencies, and more.

So what's happening here is Rohn's fire sale. For ONE week only you will be able to purchase a listing in the 2007 book, get listed in PhotoSource Bank and get a pile of add on bonuses.

I can't think of any better way to join the roster of well-known photographers who produce professional-quality images.

The Fire Sale is ONE week only, from Sept 12th to Sept 18th. After that the price goes up.

Here are some testimonials:

"I've known Rohn since meeting him at a seminar back
in the 90's and have been a fan of him and PhotoSource
ever since. As an award winning travel photographer, I
have photographed on all seven continents and have
specialized in China since 1976.

I also represent over a dozen Chinese photographers.
They were intrigued that Rohn's book, sellphotos.com,
was translated into Mandarin. I publicize my work
through the directory, the PhotoSourceBOOK, because it
reminds photobuyers that when they need pictures of
world travel, and particularly of Asia, my name should
be on their list on contributors. I believe in having
an ad annually in the PhotoSourceBOOK. It builds
recognition. And I believe in this business, they have
to remember you... - to call you."

- Dennis Cox, Photographer, Ann Arbor, MI.

http://snipurl.com/photosource

"So far I have made 10 sales and made several thousand
dollars as a direct result of being listed in the
PhotoSourceBOOK."
- Sam Pierson, Photographer, Houston, Texas

The PhotoSourceBOOK directory is an inexpensive way to get
year-round advertising. It's aimed right at the people who should
recognize your work: photobuyers at national and international
publications who are continually searching for specific-content
photographs for their publishing projects.

The time and opportunity has come for your name and your
photography to get the national circulation that it deserves.

BEST OF ALL GUARANTEE

Best of all: Rohn is so sure you are going to experience sales by
being in the PhotoSourceBOOK that he offers you a money-back
guarantee. Providing you enter your 600 photo-descriptive key words
and phrases into the PhotoSourceBOOK and your 3,000 keywords into
the electronic partner, the PhotoSourceBANK, Rohn will refund your
entire fee (you'll get to keep the bonuses) if you don't make at a
minimum the cost of the book.

http://snipurl.com/photosource

Good News from Smugmug!

2006-08-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

Smugmug just sent an email telling me that their 14 day no-cost trial no longer requires a credit card. Basically you get 14 days to try out their system with NO strings attached.

This is good news to anyone who is even slightly suspicious of having to give out their credit card information in order to get something for free. I never understood why they wanted a credit card number backing up their freebie ... maybe they thought there would be less abuse of their system, or that anyone who gave their CC number would be more likely to purchase their service later.

I regularly see companies asking for $1.00 to $5.00 for their trials in order to keep the tire kickers (with no intention of purchasing) away. However I really hate giving out my Credit Card information when I'm not making a purchase, so I really understand that others feel the same way.

So ... if you've been hesitating feel free to go and kick the tires at Smugmug to your heart's content. Take the system out for a thorough test drive. You might just like it because it is ONE option that allows amateur+ and professional photogs to sell their stuff.

Start your FREE Trial

Selling Photo Prints

2006-08-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

I know two photogs who sell prints at local, regional and national Christmas craft shows. One of them does shows back to back all through November and right up to Christmas ... and basically makes a big chunk of her annual income in those two months.

Throughout the REST of the year she spends a chunk of time applying to the shows [the BEST shows are juried], and then making sure her inventory is up to the challenge.

When I talked to her about how she got started she said "start small" there is an investment that is necessary for prints, mats, frames and in developing a good booth set-up. As she made money she reinvested it back into more shows and more inventory.

If you are interested in selling prints in this way ... you have to START NOW, in fact you may be too late for some of the bigger juried shows.

You will need to prepare your best samples, send them in to be juried and then work on having enough stock to sell.

Some of the juried shows give you a booth for free, but you pay a large (up to 50%) percentage of all sales to them. Most shows charge for the booth AND ask for a smaller percentage of sales.

I've heard some artisans complain about the commission the show takes, but look at it this way. THEY pay for the space and some of them provide booths, curtains, carpets and the like. And then they bring the customers to you via advertising, publicity, and with some shows ... their reputation.

Depending on where you live and how big your community is, there may be fall and Xmas fairs that are not juried ... you simply purchase booth space.

The important thing to get out of this is to ACT NOW ... get on the Internet, the phone and find out who does the shows, when and how you get in. If you wait till Oct or Nov it will be too late for this year Xmas buying frenzy.

ta ta
Melanie

Managing Customer Expectations

2006-08-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

I just participated in an interesting forum in which a relatively new to the business photographer was venting about annoying customers who impatiently "want their stuff NOW."

Now I fully realize that sometimes customers ARE annoying. But I also realized many years ago that YOU are the one who MANAGES customer expectations.

If you tell people that they will get their pizza in 30 minutes ... then you'd better do that because they EXPECT IT. If you tell them their package will be delivered the next day. Then come hurricane or beach weather, you'd better get it there the next day becasue someone is expecting it.

If you don't tell your customers anything ... they will probably expect it sooner because this is a society of instant gratification.

YOU are the one who sets the expectations
1) on your website
2) in your first phone call
3) in your first face to face meeting
4) and as you see them out the door after their photo session.

I work (consult) with a portrait photographer who takes two weeks to get "anything" to his clients. They know that up front. He is BUSY. And yes, he could do it faster but chooses not to.

I work as a SEO consultant with small website owners. I tell them up front NOT to expect ANYTHING for the first six months. Then they are estatic when something happens sooner! If I told them that they would get results in 30 days and it took 32 ... they would be disappointed.

Manage your customer expectations and then EXCEED them.

If you work with the same clients again ... manage their expectations again ... tell them that LAST time was unusual. Then exceed their expectations again.

ta ta Melanie

Can You Make a Living as a Travel Writer?

2006-07-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

The answer is YES ... and the topic is the focus of three articles written by Blair Howard. Blair is a travel writer and stock photographer. He has sold hundreds of articles, thousands of photos and has had 26 books books published.

The really FUNNY thing is that Blair tells me he is ultimately LAZY. Oh yeah! But he is serious and goes on to explain that unlike most writers who write an article and then sell it once or twice, he sells his articles dozens or more times.

So if you want to get a glimpse into his genius ... GO AND READ THE ARTICLES:
http://proofpositive.com/feature/travel-writing-pt1.htm

Oh and in case you are wondering that this has to do about selling your photos .... the majority of articles Blair sells are of the photo-essay type. This is the perfect way for photographers to get into the article market because very little writing is necessary.

Showcase Your BEST Work

2006-07-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

I got an email from a photographer last week. I was totally flabergasted by his approach and what he said.

The jist of it was: Would I look at his website. Would I take into account that he was displaying second and third best photos on his site because he was afraid people were going to steal the "good stuff."

My question to him was. If you are showing your third rate photos (and they were) that is what people are going to think of you as ... a third rate photographer that is not worthy of their time.

No wonder he had no sales.

You HAVE to show your best work. This is what "brands" you as a photographer. This is how people will think of you. This is why people will HIRE you.

The big fear, of course is ... having your photos ripped off. And in this digital age that's easier than ever before. However, you still have to show your best stuff. No way around it. I have talked before about a low cost service that will check to see if your photos are being used without your permission. If you are worried about rip-offs then pay the small price for your own peace of mind.

What's that song? Hit me with your best shot!

Tips for More Photo Sales #1

2006-07-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

Well this seems like a no brainer. So if it is, why aren't more photographers doing it?

Shoot images of subjects that are in demand.

Subjects that are constantly in high demand include "model released" shots of people interacting. This includes "lifesyle" photos, minorities and ethnic mixes, industrial and people working photos and anything high tech and currently in the news (with people).

People shots sell. Period.

How you get the shots willl depend not only on your photography skills, but your equiptment, assess to a studio, access to a variety of subjects and your financial resources. For example, can you utilize existing studio equipment to do "contained" portraits such as someone on a cell phone, playing games or using a blackberry? Do you have access to "good looking" models? Are they free or do you have to pay them. Can you afford to "stage" a day long photo shoot with clothing changes, props.

Don't panic ... you can still get lifestyle shots with your point and click ... on the beach. Good saleable photos!

Access to "models" is a matter of putting on your thinking cap. Do you have a friend who loves to jog? Arrange to meet him/her and catch the action. Take along several changes of clothing (bright colors, subdues colors). Then shoot with sales in mind. Leave plenty of room for captions or headers. Shoot verticals and horizontals.

Does your neighbor have kids? Shoot them in the backyard. Playing, having fun, not having fun. Be sure to have permission and to give prints to your neighbors in exchange for the all imporant "model release."

Get a friend to take you to work with her. Get permission of course. Shoot her at her computer, talking with co-workers. Doing whatever it is she does. And don't forget the model releases for everyone in the photos. Do your homework ahead of time. What are the buyers looking for? What are they buying. What shots are you seeing as the #1 sellers at the stock agencies? What shots are you seeing in your favorite magazines. THAT'S what's selling.

More Tips coming to this blog soon!

Melanie

Raising Prices

2006-07-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

Ha ha … I got a few emails about my last post on raising my prices. I labeled it a “funny story” because the way my customers reacted was totally unexpected. The truth was that many of my clients were in the oil and gas industry and money was flowing. The same thing may not have happened a few years later when money got tight! How much did I increase my prices? I doubled them. Several times which probably meant I wasn’t charging enough in the first place.

So what’s the reality of RAISING PRICES?

Many businesses use formulas for when and how much they should increase their prices. You can keep it simple by increasing your prices gradually every year … 5% to 15%. That should keep the costs of inflation and your Cost of Goods (COGS) covered as well as give yourself a small salary raise. If you have a price list of various packages or products ... you could raise some of them at one level, for example 5% while you raise other products at a different level.

If your loyal and long time customers say “something” … you could give them 90 days at the same price and then tell them the price will increase after that. Make sure you let them know you are doing this BECAUSE they are good and loyal customers. In the mean time all new customers pay the new prices.

You could also use price increases as a "sales tactic." For example ... let all your customers know there will be an increase in prices ... and urge them to come in to take advantage of the old lower prices. You could also ask your customers to tell their friends. Say something like, "If your friends come in before (date) and they mention your name, they will also get the old lower price. "

Avoid getting into a situation where you don’t increase prices for several years and then you are forced to go for bigger increases. Remember, this is a business and you are in it to make a living but to generate enough profits to grow your business.

START with a fair price (read the last post on perceived value) and then keep your price increases small and steady.

Never Apologize For Your Prices

2006-07-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Much of the pricing conundrum is “perceived value.” If you don’t think you DESERVE your fee, then your client won’t either. What’s the difference between a portrait photographer who charges $250 a session and a portrait master who charges $25,000 a session (yes there are photographers who charge that).

Well presumably the higher priced photographer is better. Their equipment may be bigger and better. Their crew may be more numerous. They may have a state of the art studio. BUT … most of the price differential is in “perceived value.” They think they are worth it ... and their clients agree.

If you are in the business of selling your photos you are IN BUSINESS. Business means money. You’ve GOT to get used to talking about money. NEVER apologize for what you charge.

If a potential client balks at your price (and you really want them as a client) … negotiate. But don’t lower your price without “adjusting” what they get. In other words don’t give them the same package for a lower price. Give them a “different” package for the lower price.

Funny story. I used to do a fair bit of industrial photography. It really wasn’t my favorite thing and I was heading in a different direction. I had a brilliant idea. Instead of turning my current clients down, I would get rid of them by raising my prices. SURPRIZE. The more I raised my prices the MORE they wanted me. Their perception was “she MUST be good.” I finally priced myself out of my clients “marketplace” AND I left them thinking that they were lucky to have had me! I also retained many of my photography clients and sold them much higher priced video productions!

Still having a hard time thinking that some photogs get $25K for a portrait session? Check out this book Portraits: The World's Top Photographers by Fergus Greer. It has a collection of the most amazing portraits along with some anicdotes and tips.

Slick Hot Off The Press - Sofware for Stock Photogs

2006-07-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

OK ... I may be wrong, but I haven't seen anything quite like this brand new, hot off the press software for working stock photographers. It looks VERY slick. On one of the forums I peeked in on, the members had only great things to say about it.

The fact is this software is sooooooooooooo new, it is still in the Alpha version known bugs) ... which means that you should only get it if you want to be part of the whole testing process and are prepared for glitches. A nice thing about being an Alpha tester is that you get it for zip, as in free.

http://www.prostockmaster.com

ProStockMaster is a desktop application for stock photographers which allows fast, fun and easy upload of multiple images to multiple Internet stock photography sites, convinient editing of JPEG file metadata infomation (IPTC) and local files queries. ProStockMaster is developed in Java and runs on any operating system where Java virtual machine can run: Microsoft Windows, Mac, Linux and many UNIX-es.

BUT the Mac version isn't ready yet!!

This is the part I've never see before and it could save you hundreds of hours of work manually uploading to each and every stock program you are registered with. AND it appears to track WHERE you've submitted which is really useful information to have ....

simultaneous uploads to 6 Internet stock photography sites (Upcoming version will support more sites)
BigStockPhoto
ShutterStock
iStockPhoto
123RF
DreamsTime
CanStockPhoto

I'll keep you informed. I'm not a fan of glitches cause I always think it's MY fault and I always waste too much time trying to fix my mistakes!

Check it out. Bookmark it because I am predicting great things when the software gets released!

Protecting Your Photos From Thievery

2006-07-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Photo Theft is a big problem on the internet. There are a number of ways to protect yourself ... this is one solution to the problem. In the weeks to come I'll give you several others.

PicScout

http://photographer.picscout.com/photo/index.aspx

Photographers who are in the business of selling their photographs find them selves in a Catch 22 position. They have to post their photos in order to sell them, but by doing so, they are opening themselves up to image theft.

Images can easily be poached and used either as is, or they can be manipulated a bit in PhotoShop or equivalent programs. Often the thieves are aware of what they are doing and take the chance that they will never be caught or prosecuted. Sometimes the thieves are simply unaware of copyright laws and unwittingly take and use the images simply because they don't know better.

So how can photographers post their images in order to showcase their work and get sales and at the same time protect themselves from theft?

Some photographers resort to placing a watermark on each image ... so if someone takes the image to reproduce it on the Internet, or to print it out ... the watermark shows up. Some thieves don't care.

Many of the BIG stock photo agencies actually have a staff whose job is to find copyright infringements and to go after fees or infringement law suits to collect money owing. Some of the large agencies actually make a large amount of money doing this ... which means that copyright infringement is a BIG problem.

Pic Scout is an Internet based company that is addressing the problem for photographers, artists and photo agencies. You simply register your images and they take care of everything else. They regularly scout the Internet for poachers and when they find them, they collect a fee for use on the photographer's or agencies behalf.

I was very surprised at the reasonable fees, making this a viable option for all photographers and photo businesses. Their starter package for individual photographers is 500 registered images for $14.95 a month.

When they find infringements, they collect a fee on your behalf ... and split anything they get for you 50/50. Which is a great deal considering you probably would never have found the infringement on your own!
I read a few of their case studies, and some of the image thieves tried to get away with it by flipping images or using only part of the image. They were CAUGHT!!

The company appears to be targeting photographers, but the technology would apply to ANY image (graphic art, fine art) equally well.

For your own peace of mind, take a look and consider getting this great service.
http://photographer.picscout.com/photo/index.aspx

My Dream Camera

2006-06-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

I just got a notice from Wolf Camera (online camera store) ) on their Top 10 selling items.

I'm a Nikon fan and have maintained a pretty decent kit of Nikon gear over the years. I swear by Nikon for its great lenses and camera durability. I was once high up on a crane and dropped my Nikon F2 and lens over 5 stories. I was expecting to find a totally smashed up camera with the lens blown to smitherines. What I recovered was a camera that worked perfectly. The only damage was a small dint in the lens hood. THIS is only one of a hundred reasons I'm a fan.

What I didn't expect in Wolf's Top 10 list, was to see 8 out of 10 Nikons! There was only one Canon and a very unusual item in the 3rd position. In fact my reaction to #3 was quite funny. When I was going down the list I saw this ... "Garmin StreetPilot C330 GPS ." I said to myself "Is this a new kind of camera? Weird name! " When I checked the link, I had a big laugh ... and I'm still wondering why on earth a GPS locator is one of the Top 10 items being sold at a camera store.

The Number 1 seller just happens to be MY DREAM CAMERA, a Nikon D200 Digital SLR Camera with 18-200mm lens. If you'd like an address to send it to, just give me a call!

Are you curious about the list? Here it is

Nikon D200 Digital SLR Camera with 18-200mm
Nikon D50 Digital SLR w/Quantaray 28-90mm F/3.3-5.6 Lens
Garmin StreetPilot C330 GPS
Nikon D200 Digital SLR Camera, Body Only
Nikon D70s Digital SLR Body Only
Nikon D200 Digital SLR Camera with 18-70mm AF-S DX f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED Zoom Lens
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT SLR 8-MP Camera w/Canon 18-55mm AF Lens
Nikon D2Xs Digital SLR Camera Body
Nikon D70s Digital SLR w/18-70MM F3.5-4.5G AF-S DX Lens
Who knows! They didn't have a number 10. Glad I'm not the only one who Murphy and his Law visits from time to time!

So I'm surprized that the list is so heavily occupied by Nikon and I'm even more suprized to see that none of the consumer grade cameras show up in the list. I would have thought that cameras in the $200 to $300 range would be selling better than camers in the $1000++++ price range.

What's YOUR dream camera??

What can you legally photograph?

2006-06-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here's some great information from USA Today columnnist, Andrew Kantor on what's legal to shoot and what's not.

Digital cameras were one of the hot gifts these holidays — the first one for some people, an upgrade for others. Cell-phone cameras are everywhere too, and sites like Flickr and Buzznet — not to mention photoblogs — make it easy for anyone to share the zillions of photos they're taking.
With all these cameras snapping around us, I started to wonder about the laws regarding using them. Where can you shoot? What can you shoot?

Read the whole article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/andrewkantor/2005-12-29-camera-laws_x.htm

How to Shoot and Sell Photo Essays - Online Course

2006-06-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

Eighteen months ago Renate Siekmann was an amateur photographer who simply wanted to take better photos. She met and took a course from Blair Howard, an experienced and well published photo journalist.

History was wrote. Eighteen months later Renate has Today, she has sold more than 130 photographs and 85 newspaper and magazine articles. She has traveled on assignment to Bermuda and is now helping Blair teach some of his workshops.

Blair's next workshop will be in Vancouver, BC Canada ... and I will also be facilitating along side him and Renate. Mark Sept 6th to 10th on your calendar ... and email me if you want to get on my Vancouver Workshops List. editor@proofpositive.com

If you can't make it to Blair's LIVE WORKSHOPS ... his email course is the next best thing. You will get regular course installments and personal coaching from Blair and Renate.

The Photo Essay – Getting Your Foot in the Door: A Complete Course for Photographers who Want to Make Real Money Selling Their Images. CHECK OUT THE COURSE

My Stock Photography Bible

2006-06-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Rohn Engh's book SELL & RE-SELL YOUR PHOTOS was what got me started in stock. I practically memorized it. In the end I took a big pile of his advice ... followed the steps he laid out and got started. I have been shooting and selling stock ever since and actually ended up writing 4 source books on WHERE to sell your photos.

When I got started, I specialized in shooting GARBAGE and built a huge file of "people at work."

You heard me correctly ... yes I did say garbage. It was at a time when toxic waste and dump sites were in the news constantly. Not many people shot heaps of garbage, or visited toxic disposal sites. I did. GREAT sales!

AND I also sold ... wildlife, scenics and all the stuff I was passionate about taking pics of.

I STILL love Rohn Engh's book. He has some very good advice and helps you look at stock as a business. He has a more moderate view of the industry than many of the other "how to" stock books I have on my bookshelf. Yes, he sells the "dream" and he also talks about the "reality of the business." A great combination.

BUY THE BOOK ... it's a stock photographer's blueprint for success! If you are going to be in this business it is a MUST HAVE.

Sell and Re-Sell Your Photos

PBase.ca Stock Photography Site

2006-06-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is a great stock site if you have fabulous photos of Canada, Vancouver, Toronto, and Victoria.

Their prices range from $39 to $129 depending on the size (resolution) and they take a 35% to 50% commission for doing the sales end of the job.

You need to upload high quality jpegs. Minimum 1500 pixels (height and width) and max 6 megabites.

To be considered you must upload 5 sample images. The editors will return their GO/ NO GO verdict in about 5 days.

Great looking site. I'm going to give it a try in the next month or so and I'll keep you informed about my experiences.

If you have appropriate photos give it a try ... and let us know how you are doing!

pBase.ca

Melanie

Getting Started

2006-06-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

This blog is all about SELLING YOUR PHOTOS.

I'll be discussing a wide range of topics including WHERE to sell and HOW to sell. I'll include loads of tips and information on what sells, how to shoot saleable photos, where to get the best equiptment, what stock photo agencies you should consider ... basically everything about selling your stock photos. Over time I will provide you with ALL the resources you need to set yourself up to make money with your stock photography.

I'll also feature successful stock photographers and guest columnists.

And ... YOU are part of the blog! Be sure to ask questions and give us all links to great new resources.

In the mean time, look at some of these great book resouces from Amazon on Stock Photography ...