Re: Selling Stock Photography getting started with stock selling

4:42 PM |

Rolf,

Your analogy is very insightful. I too thought that by displaying my photos on Smugmug that everyone would be able to see my work. They seem to look, they seem to like....but no one has bought anything. My year with Smugmug is just about over. I will take into consideration your suggestions and see how it works from there. I've always wanted to have my own website. Do you have any suggestions for a website illiterate? Where do I start without it costing me a fortune or a college degree in computer science?

On Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 10:15 PM, RK <rolf.krohna@gmail.com> wrote:

Just a few ideas, and I am not claiming to be right or any expert or guru.

To make money on photography is not about photography at all, but a matter of having the goods someone want to buy, and then sell it to them, get it under their nose.

There are heaps of sites you can exhibit your photos on. Look especially for sites that specialize in one genre, like travel, hospital, medical, location, etc, what ever.

When I went to your site http://www.shaunramsay.com/ and it confused me, it is heavily tilted towards selling SmugMug, not your photos. Just my opinion, but much better to open your own site than pouring photos into a general site where everything disappears into a gigantic barrel of everything. Most buyers are either subscribed to one o a few sites, as media and papers, or use search engines like Google to find what they want. The right key words are crucial. Find sites that have active sales and ongoing activities. Not just storing your photos for a fee.

Suggest you focus a bit more. Most pictures are of the kind where there are billions of free photos available on the web. The guard in front of The Forbidden City for instance.

Name the files with the keywords and your email, watermark the photo discreetly in one corner with your logo and eventually your email, and don't upload the originals. Biggest size should be the same as for a screen saver. A lot of people will download the photo of that reason, and every PC using it will be a free commercial for your photography.

To get into the stock photo market today is difficult, too many in there and too much free of charge available. Try to combine your photography with some activity that bring your name forward and yourself noticed, things like having your photos on mouse pads, T-shirts, etc. Cover events and news, even if it does not pay well, or not at all.

Put meta data in. Your name and email. Now I can only see that you use a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and took the picture at 2011:06:08 12:57:44 and a few other things. (The Neuschwanstein photo) Metaeditor is a good free program, just a bit convoluted to get started with. (http://www.kiwiczech.net/)

Many people will download photo and use them on private blogs and personal pages. Great. Make sure the credit you, because they will never pay for it anyway, and every "stolen" such photo is a free sales commercial.

Just a few thoughts.

On 01-Jan-2012 6:19 AM, ramsayshaun115 wrote:

Hi everyone,

I've been in business for about a year and a half and am looking to take the plunge into stock selling, though I don't have experience with it.

My website is www.shaunramsay.com. I'm also on flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/shaunramsay. If anyone has suggestions about stock companies that are accepting new photographers, I would be interested to know and appreciate any tips and advice.

Thanks and Happy New Year!
Shaun