Selling
Stock Photography - Make Money by Toni Godwin
Selling
stock photography is a huge business.
There are many agencies that need high quality stock photos
but are unable to take them themselves or it's not in their
budget to hire a professional photographer. They have to turn
to stock photo agencies to find the photo they need for their
project. These agencies are made up of thousands of photographers
who submit their pictures for approval. The pictures are reviewed
against many standards to make sure they are high quality.
Once accepted, the photo is added to their photo libraries
and their photo search. The photographer earns a percent of
every sell for as long as the picture remains in the photo
agencies gallery.
If
you are going to make money as a stock photographer, you are
going to need a lot of photos, we're talking thousands! Take
your camera with you everywhere and take pictures of everything.
Look through your current photo library and see if there's
anything you can use.
If
you want to sell stock photography you have to make sure that
your photographs are high quality.
To
be high quality, make sure that you do these things:
* Use at least a 4 megapixel camera, the bigger the megapixels
the more money you can earn. Digital SLR cameras are best
but not necessary.
* Make sure to look at your photo at 100% size. Remove any
defects, artifacts and scratches.
* You may need to correct the color, brightness and contrast.
* Buy a tool that can clean up your photo, there are many
good ones out there.
* Make sure the image is not over exposed or under exposed.
* Don't use any photos that have harsh shadows. Using a light
box will help you eliminate harsh shadows. You can either
buy these or make them.
Make
sure your stock photography pictures are marketable. Go to
some stock photography websites and find out what they are
looking for. Many of them have lists of images they need.
Don't submit pictures that look like snapshots, they will
be rejected. Many photo agencies specifically tell you not
to submit any pictures of flowers, pets and trees, they have
too many of those.
If
you take pictures of people, you will need to submit a model
release with your image. Because of this, people pictures
are in high demand. Lifestyle shots with people are one of
the biggest sellers.
When
you submit your photos, make sure that you keyword your photo
with as many words as you can. This helps people to find your
photos. Without good key wording, your picture will probably
never be found in the photo libraries. Also, make sure that
you put in a good title and description. Make sure the words
you use in your title, description and keywords accurately
describe your picture.
You
can also create your own website for selling stock photography.
You can buy products that are designed specifically for selling
your own photographs or by selling other stock photographer
photographs and take a percent of their image sells.
Selling
stock photography is not a get rich scheme, it's a long process.
Most importantly, don't get discouraged if you don't make
money right away. Keep submitting high quality stock photos
and you will eventually have a good cash flow.
Want
more information, visit us as stock picture.
Article
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Toni_Godwin
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