Do You Sell Your Photos?

[annnewjerz]

I was just interested in finding out if any of you amateurs out there have tried to make a profit off of your photos. I was just reading an online book about making money from your photography by licensing your photos via the internet and collecting royalties from them.

I have no intention of trying to make money off of pictures at this point - I'm just getting started! I would like to know if anyone one else has though. Whether it be selling them on a microstock site like iStockPhoto, displaying your photos around your town or getting local gigs taking photos on the side - has anyone done this and been able to fund their hobby with the profits they have made?

Just the thought of one day earning the money to pay for a new lens, a new bag, a new photography book by doing something I enjoy sounds like a goal to set for sometime down the road.

 

[MontanaZoo]

I've tried microstock. I don't really take the kind of photos that do well though since it's more businessy and I take more nature type of photos. It's also a huge time drain. There's all the approvals and thinking up all of the keywords etc. One microstock will accept a picture and another will reject too so confusing as to what to submit where. I found myself taking a lot of photos of things that don't really interest me to try to meet their most wanted and then was like ugh not really worth it.

 

[zackiedawg]

I don't 'actively' sell my photos - no prices listed underneath in my galleries, or 'buy here' buttons to press...and I don't sell to any stock photo sites. Similarly, at home I don't display prints with prices or solicit at galleries or shows, or advertise myself as a photographer.

That said, I have made money from some photos. I started when some visitors to my office asked about photos I had displayed on my walls - and when they found out they were mine, asked if I'd be interested in selling any. I initially offered to simply get prints, buy a nice frame with matte, and they could buy it for the cost to make it...but several insisted it was worth giving me something for the photography, so I started accepting a slight profit. I've sold a dozen or so prints, with $10 profit per print, unsolicited from my office. That's paid for a few memory cards.

My company helps organize a charity golf tournament, and I was asked if I would mind bringing my camera along to document the event, and have prints made of each golf foursome to put in their gift packs. I was offered a budgeted amount to make the prints and frames, and any left would be my fee for doing the shoot. It was fun, just driving around in a golf cart all day armed with a camera and taking photos - and I made a few hundred dollars to boot. The local paper decided to do an article on the event, and used some of my shots in the article - my first local publishing. The next year, one of the retired MLB celebs who was in our tournament, who was now a coach at Florida Atlantic College, knew me from the event and threw my name out to the college to do a shoot for a stadium dedication, and a speech and team meet & greet with baseball great Roger Clemens. I got paid to follow Roger around, and shoot him signing autographs, meeting the players, and giving a speech at the college. The shots were used in the local papers and a glossy Florida magazine, and the job paid me another few hundred dollars...with the profits, I bought a new camera!

Most recently, I was contacted from a publishing company who was browsing my photo site online looking for a particular subject - and I was lucky enough to have had one in my galleries - they e-mailed and asked to purchase a few of my photos for a national kids' publication. I'd be giving them 1-year rights to publish for up to 660,000 prints - something I knew nothing about. So I did some hunting on the internet for advice and arrived at what seemed to be a common contract format to use...I sent them my contract, they paid the standard publisher rates, and a few months later, my pics were theirs and in my first national publication. I've since received a few other requests for photos - from a business center wanting to use some photos for internal brochures, and from a website designer looking for a specific shot. I now have an actual contract drawn up, which I can send out - stating the limitations of use, publishing volume, and length of terms on rights ownership, as well as protecting my personal use of the photo and giving me listed credit in any publications.

I had shot the kids' mag photos with my Sony H5 ultrazoom (the one I bought with the money from the two shoots), and it paid for my current Alpha A300, 18-250 lens and 50mm F1.7 lens! I couldn't be happier - I still consider myself an amateur, and do not market my photos or services for sale as a professional photographer would...but it's nice to occasionally make a few bucks on the side, especially if it helps pay for camera or lens upgrades every few years.

I see no reason you couldn't aspire to making a few bucks from photos, through either stock sites, or just marketing your photos on the internet...or you may just find that they will come to you occasionally. If I were trying to make a living off photography, I'd be broke. But if all I expect from it is to maybe make enough to pay for a good chunk of my new equipment every few years...then photography is doing me just fine!

 

[JR6ooo4]

I volunteer to shoot the local theater. I add a tiny bit to smugmug's standard printing prices. Maybe a dollar or two for large prints. But I also have the originals available to cast, family and friends for free downloads. and I give a dvd set to a few people to copy and share with everyone.

Mikeeee

 

[ukcatfan]

Stock photography is not what it used to be. Consider yourself lucky if someone pays $1.99 for a shot these days.

 

[Master Mason]

I took pictures of the local baseball league games this year, I made about 400 bucks for shooting games I would have been watching and probably shooting anyway. My prices were very low, but I wasn't looking to make a lot of money, I figured if I could pay for a new toy out of it, then it was all good.

 

[jann1033]

i have sold a few things from my website but not even enough to buy a decent lens, just to cover what it costs for the site and maybe buy a couple cups of coffee so sure couldn't put food on the table with it I think the only way you could really make a living would be the usual wedding, senior portrait type stuff or the rare rare rare individual that hits the right market with fine art stuff( what, a one in a billion chance?)
I have heard ( but haven't as yet tried it) you do better selling online if you sell locally as well so maybe next yr I'll be up to speed enough to get the number of prints, mats, paper goods etc before hand to go to a couple art fairs...truthfully i went to a couple i was chicken to enter this yr because they were juried ( fear of rejection is a big factor in my life ) but the stuff that made it wasn't anything to write home about so it made me more confident i might have a chance to get accepted. course living in a smaller rural area like i do is way different than living in NYC or some place
i have noticed however it seems it's more what you are taking than how good your photos are sometimes...i have seen one person on another site i go to who takes generally poor photos( as in poor comp, ie if you have been reading the amputation thread he would be the head surgeon, not even close to tack sharp, really i was shocked at how poor his technique was in general since he has a tendency to talk himself up as an authority) but is active in the equestrian circle and according to him sells $$$$$ to the entrants and their families but he is a) with a group with lots of money and b) probably the only one with a camera

 

[annnewjerz]

i have sold a few things from my website but not even enough to buy a decent lens, just to cover what it costs for the site and maybe buy a couple cups of coffee so sure couldn't put food on the table with it I think the only way you could really make a living would be the usual wedding, senior portrait type stuff or the rare rare rare individual that hits the right market with fine art stuff( what, a one in a billion chance?)
I have heard ( but haven't as yet tried it) you do better selling online if you sell locally as well so maybe next yr I'll be up to speed enough to get the number of prints, mats, paper goods etc before hand to go to a couple art fairs...truthfully i went to a couple i was chicken to enter this yr because they were juried ( fear of rejection is a big factor in my life ) but the stuff that made it wasn't anything to write home about so it made me more confident i might have a chance to get accepted. course living in a smaller rural area like i do is way different than living in NYC or some place
i have noticed however it seems it's more what you are taking than how good your photos are sometimes...i have seen one person on another site i go to who takes generally poor photos( as in poor comp, ie if you have been reading the amputation thread he would be the head surgeon, not even close to tack sharp, really i was shocked at how poor his technique was in general since he has a tendency to talk himself up as an authority) but is active in the equestrian circle and according to him sells $$$$$ to the entrants and their families but he is a) with a group with lots of money and b) probably the only one with a camera

Yeah I definitely have no aspiration of making a living off of photography, more just hoping that one day it might make me enough money to buy a fun lens that I may not usually get (like a fish-eye) or a nicer camera body if I can't afford to upgrade.

I read something about making t-shirts, mugs, etc. with your photos on them and selling them locally, I'm just the type of person who thinks "Who really buys that crap??" I'm sure there are people out there to do buy it, but I just think it would end up being a waste of time and money.

I do go to local events around town and I guess that might be a good way to get things started, taking pix at the local HS football games or their annual play.

Funny story, I was actually asked to do a wedding this weekend and I have only had my D60 for 3 weeks! Luckily, I was busy and couldn't do it. It was going to be a small wedding, they couldn't afford a professional and wouldn't be having photos otherwise (except for Uncle Johnny's disposable I guess). I think it would be TONS of fun to do it and get paid, but I just felt like it would be unfair to take pictures at their wedding-which I consider one of the most important days of someone's life-when I was just starting out. Regardless of whether they liked my pictures of flowers and apples, I have no experience taking pictures of people and didn't want to disappoint.

That being said, I do have an offer to take pictures (albeit in May of 09) at a co-worker's daughter's bridal shower. Her Mom (my co-worker) doesn't want to be bothered and just wants some nice pictures to scrapbook with, so I figured...what the heck. By then I will have more experience, another lens (probably the Sigma 30mm f/1.4) and be a little more confident in my abilities.

 

[MontanaZoo]

Yeah I definitely have no aspiration of making a living off of photography, more just hoping that one day it might make me enough money to buy a fun lens that I may not usually get (like a fish-eye) or a nicer camera body if I can't afford to upgrade.

I read something about making t-shirts, mugs, etc. with your photos on them and selling them locally, I'm just the type of person who thinks "Who really buys that crap??" I'm sure there are people out there to do buy it, but I just think it would end up being a waste of time and money.

I do go to local events around town and I guess that might be a good way to get things started, taking pix at the local HS football games or their annual play.

Funny story, I was actually asked to do a wedding this weekend and I have only had my D60 for 3 weeks! Luckily, I was busy and couldn't do it. It was going to be a small wedding, they couldn't afford a professional and wouldn't be having photos otherwise (except for Uncle Johnny's disposable I guess). I think it would be TONS of fun to do it and get paid, but I just felt like it would be unfair to take pictures at their wedding-which I consider one of the most important days of someone's life-when I was just starting out. Regardless of whether they liked my pictures of flowers and apples, I have no experience taking pictures of people and didn't want to disappoint.

That being said, I do have an offer to take pictures (albeit in May of 09) at a co-worker's daughter's bridal shower. Her Mom (my co-worker) doesn't want to be bothered and just wants some nice pictures to scrapbook with, so I figured...what the heck. By then I will have more experience, another lens (probably the Sigma 30mm f/1.4) and be a little more confident in my abilities.

I do sell photos of our zoo animals at the zoo, but really I don't consider that selling my photos per se since it's probably just a souvenir for them.

I get offers to do wedding photography, engagement photos, pageants etc. Weddings would stress me out WAY too much and portrait photography is not really my thing. Taking pictures of the Miss Montana pageant contenders....um no. I did agree to take my friends engagement photos but I probably won't take any money and if she insists it'll be pretty minimal.

I have sold some of my prints in random auctions I guess but still not something I concentrate on. I'm considering doing etsy though.

 

[Frantasmic]

To OP.

I think you would do well with your local photos. You were the one with the fall pictures from the new D60, weren't you? Your pictures of the rows of produce were all very sharp and looked really good and topical to me.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I sell mine on my Smugmug site, but I also let people download the originals for free. My goal was to sell enough to cover the cost of the site. I'm almost at that point now, but I haven't filed my tax forms. I haven't decided whether the $150 is worth having to deal with the taxes.

 

[annnewjerz]

To OP.

I think you would do well with your local photos. You were the one with the fall pictures from the new D60, weren't you? Your pictures of the rows of produce were all very sharp and looked really good and topical to me.

I was, and thank you!

Don't get me wrong, I really like the photos that I have taken thus far, I just don't feel like it would be wise of me to do something as huge as someone's wedding this early (no matter how big or small the affair). The pictures of the local events, if I do anyway...might as well take my pictures and approach the appropriate person to see if they are interested in some shots!

 

[Master Mason]

I sell mine on my Smugmug site, but I also let people download the originals for free. My goal was to sell enough to cover the cost of the site. I'm almost at that point now, but I haven't filed my tax forms. I haven't decided whether the $150 is worth having to deal with the taxes.

You have no tax liablity under $600 a year from hobby related income.

 

[brack]

I have sold a few things but not in many years.

Now a days I am more likely to give away anything I shoot to anyone who wants it for personal use.

 

[mabas9395]

I had someone use my smugmug code when signing up which got me $10 off my next annual fee. Thats the closest I've gotten.

 

[jann1033]

I sell mine on my Smugmug site, but I also let people download the originals for free. My goal was to sell enough to cover the cost of the site. I'm almost at that point now, but I haven't filed my tax forms. I haven't decided whether the $150 is worth having to deal with the taxes.

zenfolio just started making you fill out for i guess a 1099( ? not sure it that is the right form or not) so uncle sam gets every penny he asks for at least it will make it easier to know exactly what you owe and one more set of papers for our accountant to fill out

 

[jann1033]

You have no tax liablity under $600 a year from hobby related income.

way ot but do you know if you can take any equipment off if you make under that?..ie if you claim 200 could you take a lose and claim some lenses? guessing there would be depreciation etc but it would be worth keeping track of stuff if you can

 

[bob100]

You have no tax liablity under $600 a year from hobby related income.

this is incorrect, it's not tax free income or "hobby income". The misconception arises from the rule that an employer does not have to submit paperwork to the IRS for payments to an individual less than $600.

way ot but do you know if you can take any equipment off if you make under that?..ie if you claim 200 could you take a lose and claim some lenses? guessing there would be depreciation etc but it would be worth keeping track of stuff if you can

there are a number of expenses you can claim if you get income from 1099's such as mileage, internet, camera costs, etc. If you earn anything from photography at a minimum use software like TurboTax or www.taxact.com to figure taxable income (if any!)

 

[dr_zero]

I had one print made into a poster size for work and one of my coworkers had to have one for her house! And when she looked at my small gallery she ordered 2 11x14 also.

So I was really thrilled!

I would like to sell more but I don't go out actively marketing myself.

 

[alan]

Hey this thread is great! It makes my meagre efforts seem less feeble than I thought they were

I run a website at http://www.stagepics.co.uk. Via this website I go to local amateur musical (comunity theatre) productions and shoot their dress rehearsals.

I give the company a download of un-edited, watermarked 1200 * 800 pictures; they are free to use them as Front of House pictures. Then I edit the pictures to try to achieve a decent result, put about 200-250 of them onto a CD and sell the CD to the cast members via the web site.

Last year I came in a tiny amount in profit (about £7 or so), but that was after counting things like mileage, website rental, materials (blank CDs, CD mailers, CD cases and postage), a new Epson RX640 and a couple of sets of ink for it.

The only goal was to subsidise the photography hobby, which it is doing quite well. I stipulate that I do not want ever to replace a professional photographer, which is important to my moral sense.

I'm pretty happy with it

regards,
/alan

PS IE6 problems meant that I had to remove a slideshow from the front page. But you can get the best effect by going to http://www.stagepics.co.uk/index7.asp