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Photography Question 

BetterPhoto Member
 

Who is my market


After about 7 years of taking photographs I need to make a "return" on my "investement". I have a HUGE archive of photos of three main types.
1) Travel- I have shot in Africa, Central America, South America, Asia, New Zealand, etc. I have some really nice shots especially of people in all these amazing places.
2) Nature- I do a lot of backpacking. The most unique shots that I have are long exposure star-tracks where you see the stars rotating around the North star.
3) Concert photos- I have shot many big names for small papers. Some acts that I have shot are Jack Johnson, Pearl Jam, Weazer, Rage Against The Machine, etc.

I am trying to figure out who the market is for this kind of work. Stock photo, through a personal website, art galleries?????

I am working on setting up my own professional website and hope to be able to sell through pay pal (does anybody have advice on the best way to do that?). Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Brian


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January 16, 2006

 

Pete H
  Hello Brian & welcome to BP.

In a nutshell, and please take no offense, but the circumpolar rotation star pics are a dime a dozen, I really see little market there.

You might want to check into the legality of "selling" concert photos.

Now, the Africa, Central America, South America, Asia, New Zealand pics might have a market, depending of course on the quality and aesthetic beauty of the photos.

I would first copyright the photos before sending them anywhere.

2nd: You might try art galleries, although the people who operate these galleries can be pretty snooty, unless you know someone. Worth a phone call or two. :)

3rd: Travel agencies. Posters etc... Face to face contact is usually best.

4th: Fairs and exhibitions. Table costs are usually low.

5th: Art shows..Table costs again.

You might want to assemble, and I would, a portfolio with perhaps 15 to 20 of your best shots if you plan on face to face selling. 16x20's have a lot more impact than 8x10's. Not a inexpensive undertaking, but well worth the cost when selling.

Finally, stock photography is VERY competitive in the pro world. The big agencies look more for name recognition than quality it seems, if you can even get your foot in the door.

Then there are the "micro-stock" internet sites where amateurs abound..and some thrive, where you upload and sell from someone elses site. Generally the pay is not too good unless you sell a ton of photos. The going rate seems to be about 20 cents per sale.


Hope that gives you a few ideas...

All the Best,

Pete


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January 16, 2006

 
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