How you earn money with your photos?

[Carl86]

Hi guys.

I´m a beginner photographer and new here.
I would like earn a few dollars with quality photos that I cautch when I am traveling.
I have read on a forum that trying sell photos over internet is time losted,
then another guy has recomended to use the website: [spamspamspamspam]
he said that people with an google adsense account and good photos earn more money with ADS
that try selling photos. Because on that site you only need your Adsense ID, and share your photo links
to earn a few dollars.
Someone here use that website? And really earn money?


Regards

 

[perkeleellinen]

Hello Carl, are you "Mike 1980" on the Pentax Forums and "John242" over at dpreview?

 

[keithwms]

lol

 

[jamesgignac]

Uh...I'll try my best to respond:

Work hard. Love your work. Learn your trade. Expect to finance yourself for a long time. Continue working hard.

I've never tried to sell anything online or gain a profit through internet advertising and I would recommend that you keep in mind that nothing comes easy. The main thing you must keep in mind is that if you want to have your own business you have to think less about yourself and more about your clients - if you cannot add anything of worth to the world you will not profit from it for long - period. If you want a quick couple of bucks then go for your internet scheme.

I've run my own photography business and it's a tough gig - if you're serious about photography you have to network constantly so the internet is somewhat useful for that but meeting face to face and establishing relationships is the only way to really succeed. Gimmicks only work on fools and usually only once or twice (depending on the caliber of the fool.)

I don't know if you're just here for a quick answer or if you're actually serious about photography. My hope is the latter but my suspicion is the former.

Good luck out there.

 

[wclark5179]

I recommend taking classes on the basics of photography and classes on selling and marketing. Join a photography organization whose mission is to help the pro earn a decent living. Find a person who would be willing to serve as your mentor and coach, helping you along the way.

 

[David William White]

mod should kill this.

 

[removed account4]

i don't sell photos through spam,
i usually eat the spam with baked beans and eggs ..

 

[jamesgignac]

mod should kill this.

But Mr.Clark and I worked so hard on our responses

Yes, I agree - I didn't really pay attention to the fact that he's been posting this question everywhere.

Oh well.

 

[M.A.Longmore]

.
Welcome Home Carl86,

It's definitely hard work !
But if you spend anytime at ISPPhotoBomb,
you are not going to get a lot accomplished.
They look A Bunch Of Naughty Girls, and
that sort of thing is not good for business.

Eating Spam with baked beans, and eggs ...
Not good for business either, definitely avoid
that combination !


Ron
.

 

[Sirius Glass]

lol


Get a good day job.

I do not sell my photographs, however I have an arrangement that I send photographs to a manufacturer and the manufacturer sends offroading vehicle parts to me.

Steve

 

[Sjixxxy]

Hello Carl, are you "Mike 1980" on the Pentax Forums and "John242" over at dpreview?

 

[photoncatcher]

Amen Sirius. I would love to say I can support my lavish(?) life style through my photo skills. Unfortunately I have a couple of bad habits that I've picked up over the years. Eating is a big one, Oh, and having a roof over my head is another. I'm lucky enough to have a pretty decent job with health benefits, and a retirement plan. The "starving artist" thing sounds so romantic, but in reality, it kind of sucks. Keep shooting, and keep networking. Set up a website, and get some cheap buisiness cards made. The sales I've made, and he few shows I've done have all been the product of those things.

 

[darkosaric]

Uh...I'll try my best to respond:

Work hard. Love your work. Learn your trade. Expect to finance yourself for a long time. Continue working hard.

I've never tried to sell anything online or gain a profit through internet advertising and I would recommend that you keep in mind that nothing comes easy. The main thing you must keep in mind is that if you want to have your own business you have to think less about yourself and more about your clients - if you cannot add anything of worth to the world you will not profit from it for long - period. If you want a quick couple of bucks then go for your internet scheme.

I've run my own photography business and it's a tough gig - if you're serious about photography you have to network constantly so the internet is somewhat useful for that but meeting face to face and establishing relationships is the only way to really succeed. Gimmicks only work on fools and usually only once or twice (depending on the caliber of the fool.)

I don't know if you're just here for a quick answer or if you're actually serious about photography. My hope is the latter but my suspicion is the former.

Good luck out there.

Short, clear and beautiful advice

 

[jamesgignac]

Short, clear and beautiful advice

Aww, thanks darko - it's a damn shame he'll never read it since I didn't mention a $$/click ratio in there.

Honestly, Carl86: if you come back and read these responses please let us know - also please know that I'm sure you will genuinely be welcomed here for reals if you're actually into film photography and not just raking in the pennies.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Since this thread has taken on a life of its own, even though it started as spam, I deleted the spam link from the initial post. Feel free to talk about things other than spam.

 

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

I think the advice about hard work is what should be taken to heart the most. If you work hard enough, you will do well. If you work hard and then fail, you keep working until you dont fail. While it seems simplistic and idealistic, you wont get anything of substance done without hard work, no matter what field you're in.

Following in second would be learning how to give and take criticism well - that part is more relevant to photography. I'm still working on that one, but experience helps.

 

[lxdude]

Feel free to talk about things other than spam.

Not even with baked beans and eggs? Awwww

 

[benjiboy]

In more than fifty years my photography has cost me much more in money terms than I have ever earned from it, and I have had to resign myself to the fact that I will never be able to keep my wife in the manner that she would like to be accustomed to.

 

[eddym]

I have had to resign myself to the fact that I will never be able to keep my wife in the manner that she would like to be accustomed to.

Amen to that, brother!

 

[Mike Wilde]

I take on commissions to do photos for community theatre productions. It makes no profit, but it does force me to take photos to someone else's schedule, which is sometimes useful when I have fallen into a funk. Typically one or two 3 hour sessions at the theatre, and then two nights in the darkroom.

Front of house is usually 8-35 black and white portraits. At the low end of that number I will print traditional 5x7's or 8x10's. The higher end number is usually done hybrid or D, with someone else printing the output, which can run to 16x20 prints (that group has a large lobby).

The company photograph is taken on the night of dress rehearsal, and typically I print 30-40 8x10's or 11x14 in RA-4.

These gigs tend to pay $180-300.

The biggest reason for taking these jobs on is that I frequently get great leads on outgoing people who are receptive to modeling requests after the show closes.

 

[benjiboy]

Amen to that, brother!

That was heart felt Eddy, I can see you're a fellow sufferer

 

[Ian Grant]

While still at school (late 1960's) I found photography expensive, it kept me from smoking though - I couldn't afford both , however I also found other students need photo's for project work. That and images for the local newspaper and a magazine helped fund my own work.

Later after leaving school I shot for my University's student newspaper, all helping fund my own work. At some point a friend from way back, primary school days, asked me to shoot images of him & his three sisters for his parents - a surprise present for their silver wedding. It wasn't work it was fun although I was paid to do it. However those images had a snowball effect and as a consequence I was commissioned to shoot many more portraits, I made a living from it just by word of mouth for a couple of years. A close friend was a model so she asked me to update her portfolio, that led to even more work and i was shooting new models portfolios regaulary.

Somewhere around the same time early 70's I also began shooting rock bands, first while at University and then by a chance encounter. I worked 2 doors away from a recording studio, so got asked could I do some shots. I did and that lead to 30+ years of work.

That sounds like a ramble, but if you produce high quality images, and are reliable then you get work, and earn money.

Ian

 

[2F/2F]

You can submit film scans that are at least as large as the pixel dimensions of the files from the list of required digital cameras to stock photography agencies and publications, if that particular stock agency will accept anything other than a raw file. Each publication and agency has different requirements. If you insist on using film, I suggest a medium format camera system as a good general-purpose tool for these sorts of things. 35mm will severely limit the technical quality of your work compared to others who are shooting huge and clean digital files.

I've never made money shooting on speculation, though I have had plenty of self-assigned things published when on salary for a newspaper. I have made whatever money I have made (not "a living") only by being specifically hired to shoot things, or occasionally by selling a print or three.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have had to resign myself to the fact that I will never be able to keep my wife in the manner that she would like to be accustomed to.

That is why after twenty-four years of service, I declared myself a free agent. I got the two children and my ex to my dog. The dog was really pissed.

I found that the new models are terrific! Lower mileage and much lower maintenance! I have only been with my girlfriend nine and a half years, but I do not know if it will last. Why? Because we still have not had our first fight. :confused:??

When I want to buy camera equipment or off-road equipment, she says, "You have spent your life buying things for others that they wanted or needed. Now is the time in your life to get the things and do the things that you want to do. If you will get enjoyment out of it and it will make you happy buy it [or do it].

You see the new models are much better. Trade in now will the market is good!

Steve

 

[bblhed]

If there was huge money in photography everyone here would be out making it and not have enough time to sit on line and type about it. There are literary hundreds of millions of cameras in the world, and only one Ansel Adams, if you are an amateur with no education and you sell one print in your life you are lucky, if you went to school for photography and can pay the bills with it and no second job you are super lucky.

The really big money in photography is in taking photos of cheating spouses. *L*

Oh and I never really liked the taste of Spam, not even fried, yuck!