Selling your images for profit (for newbie photographers)

If you are anything like me (hopefully not!) then as a newbie photoghrapher you are spending heaps of time on the Internet exploring all the wondeful ways to go about selling your images (if not for money then certainly for the ego boost).

However, i have come to the disturbing realization that I am spending more time exploring how and where to sell my images than i am actually taking the photos in the first place!!

The reason I am writing about this crazy dilemma is that the Internet has opened up the most wonderful environment by which we can learn every minute of every day.

But eventually selling your images can only happen if you have images for sale.

So, for what it is worth, may I suggest that all us budding, newbie photographers spend most of our time taking as many shots as possible until we have a regular stream of orders for images coming in. Taking saleable images means knowing your camera inside out and practice, practice, and practice.

Eventually when we have a significantly large portfolio then we ought to spend significant time on the very important goal of actually selling our images.

Technology nowadays allows lots of people to take relatively good images with their digital cameras. But like any craft, practice does make perfect. If we think our photos look good now then imagine how good they would look if we took 500 shots a day under all sorts of lighting conditions.

The more shots we take the greater the chance of taking that "one" great one that will sell. When we have enough to sell then lets do just that. In the meantime we continue to take the 500 or more shots a day.

More photos means more "great" images. More "great" images translates to money in the bank. Yes, we need to market our "great" shots, but we have to have "great" shots to market.

Want to make money from your digital images?

As photographers we each believe we know and understand art and creativity. We desperately want to be individual and to create beautiful images.

Surely then if we go to the time, effort, and trouble to apply ourselves to this task then these awesome images (and we know they are awesome because so many people tell us so) our images ought to literally "fly off the shelves" and translate into instant sales.

Unfortunately not!

The images we create are for ourselves. We create what we think is beautiful and creative. But it may not be what the buying audience wants at this point in time - certainly not in volume!

So when we are taking our photos we have to ask ourselves the reason for creating the images we do. Is it for our own pleasure? Is it because we want the buying public to recognize beauty and pay a premium to own it. Or is it to make a steady income?

If it is to make money then there we need to face up to some harsh realities.

First of all, nowadays, with the advent of digital technology and the poficiency of its use, many people create beautiful images. In fact the web is littered with gorgeous, creative images. With so many around the biggest challenge would be choosing which one to purchase.

So what does that mean to me as a photographer? What that means is that if you find exactly the right buyer at the right time who is looking just for just the sort of images you produce you'll probably make a "one off" sale one in a while.

However if you want to make real and regular money, your "one off" (unless a buyer is prepared to pay thousands of dollars for an image - which is still not a lot if you only sell only one or two images a year) won't cut it. You need to sell volume.

Selling volume is a whole new ballpark. Because now the focus shifts away from you (what you want to create) and to the buyer (what he is looking for).

Sales is always about giving the buyer what he wants. A professional salesperson with only one product will sell that product differently to different buyers based on what benefits each individual buyer is seeking from the salesperson's product.

The same reasoning applies to digital images. Putting up for sale what YOU think is saleable because YOU like it will not make you money. Putting up for sale what you know the BUYER is looking for will make you money.

So the trick is to get back to the basics of selling - research your customer. Spend time on the Internet (Flickr, Microsites, Stock Agencies, Twitter, MySpace, etc) and learn as much as you can about what sort of images buyers are looking for. Get in touch with financially successful photographers and find out what they are selling, to whom, and how.

So other than some homework what is the downside? Well, the downside  is that if you want to make money, and not focus on creating your interpretation of art, you need to shoot what the buyer wants you to shoot (his or her interpreattion of art).

Sales is about the buyer and not the seller. The seller needs to identify the buyers needs and direct his efforts at fulfilling those needs. This translates into sales which translate into dollars.