Selling Your Photography: Sales Outlets
Author: Mark Eden

If you've been taking photos for a while now and are thinking
of turning professional, trying to turn your hobby into a part
time business, or just want to make a little extra cash to pay
for the new lens you've been drooling over, there are many
options for sales outlets. This article takes a look at just
some of the possibilities.

Stock Photography Agencies

Stock agencies are libraries of images where someone who needs
to use an image for a purpose such as a newspaper or magazine
article can purchase a license to use the image. These days
almost all stock agencies have online collections, where people
can search the library, pay and download the image immediately.

The advantage of stock agencies is that they market your images
for you. This can be a big plus in the online world, as you are
able to show your photos through an established website without
having to build one. Associating yourself with a reputable
agency will also add to your credibility as a professional.

The downside of selling stock photography is that it is a
numbers game. You will need a large collection of images to be
able to earn an income. You will also pay commission to the
agency for each image sold. This can range from 20% to 50%.
Agencies also expect regular submissions to keep their libraries
current. So you need to think of an agency as a business
partner.

Your own website

Having your own website has the advantage over a stock agency
website of being all about you. A website devoted to your own
images rather than sharing with competing photographers has huge
potential for gaining exposure and sales because of the size of
the web. The downside of having your own website is that you
need to put a lot of work into designing a website that shows
off your work and can bring customers. This can be expensive and
time consuming, and is better thought of as a long term
strategy.

Offline

With the internet boom it is easy to forget old fashioned
methods. Art fairs or markets are a great way to show your work
to potential buyers. You also have the huge advantage of meeting
customers face to face and being able to talk about your photos
and answer questions. You also have the chance to sell yourself
and gain peoples trust, which is half the battle of selling
anything.

The downside of exhibiting your work this way is that it can be
expensive to display. The costs of framing your prints, setting
up a display and paying stall fees all add up. You also need to
keep in mind that your potential customer base is much smaller
than the global reach of the internet

So which method is best? The truth is there is no right or
wrong answer to this as different methods will work for
different photographers depending on where you live, the type of
photography you do and the number of images you have. The best
option would be to combine all of the above and get your work
out there to as wide an audience as possible.


About The Author: Mark Eden is a freelance travel photographer
and owner of Expanse Photography, a photographic services
company. You can see Mark's, travel photography and contact Mark
through the Expanse Photography website
http://www.expansephotography.com.