Tips for Success with Stock Sites

A friend of mine shared this link with me from Red Lemon Club . I thought it had some helpful tips and advice about having success selling your photos on stock websites... thought I would share! Enjoy!

8 key Tips for Contributing to and Earning from Stock Sites >

Ecommerce for Photography

Hey everyone!

I attended a photo seminar over the weekend, and upon talking to some other amateur photographers like myself, I realized that perhaps there are a lot of photographers out there who are unfamiliar with the idea of having an online presence for their photography. Since my day job in web design means I am constantly interacting with and learning about the web, I often forget that there are still plenty of folks out there to whom this whole online way of doing things is quite foreign.


I am currently beginning to set up my own online presence for my photography. This will eventually include a professional website, email marketing, online selling via a variety of online art marketplaces, etc. (key word here is EVENTUALLY.. its just too overwhelming to try and do in a week or a month for me!)

So as I start getting my feet wet in this, I thought it would be helpful to share my experiences, tips, resources and lessons learned in the event that it might help others out there who are feeling lost and/or totally intimidated by it. Believe me, even a web savvy person such as myself doesn't know it all, and yes, I'm intimidated by the idea of launching my personal work out into the world wide web just as much as the next person!


In closing, I'll share a bit about listening to your gut when it comes to moving forward:
Remember to have fun with it first! Often times, I will push myself too hard to get something done and make it more stressful than it needs to be. Over time, that can really suck the life out something you are passionate about. Before long, it becomes a chore. I feel that by taking quicker and smaller forward steps and listening to my gut, I'm able to make the tedious and technical things more enjoyable and have more energy left over at the end of it. This of course may not apply to those who are professional photographers and have hard deadlines, etc, but for those of us who do this as a hobby or want to slowly easy into it professionally someday... I think this method works well.

All I did last month was get myself signed up on an online marketplace, which took about 10 minutes. I didn't even get the darn photos uploaded to sell until a month later! But that's okay. I choose to get into action when I am feeling motivated to do it. If I'm not motivated to sit at the computer and learn about online sales, then I go out to a movie instead! We go at the speed we need to, in order to allow ourselves to enjoy life! =)

Check back with me soon, I'll be posting about Professional pages on Facebook versus Personal Profiles (and if you didn't even KNOW there was such a thing as professional pages on Facebook, no worries, I just found out last week!)

Cheers,
Sarah

Friday Feature: Sean Fitzgerald

Good afternoon!

So I almost forgot about getting this posted today! I've been busy at work and haven't had time to find anyone new to me this week - so I thought I'd take a moment to share a bit about someone I already know:


Sean Fitzgerald has one of those stories that I think really inspires. He was actually a lawyer for quite a few years. He had never really been very artistic in his first 25 years of life he says, but after law school, he started taking pictures and getting in touch with that creative side he never knew. Well, it turned out that not only did he love expressing that side of himself, but he was a natural at it. After about 10 years working at photography, Sean is now a successful professional photographer doing a wide variety of work - from editorial to fine art to commercial work.

I met Sean in one of those fate-induced sorts of ways this past year. I'd stumbled upon his website last year and instantly fell in love with his work and story. We had a brief exchange via email  last fall, but that's about where it ended for a bit.

In the spring, I managed to stop procrastinating and get myself out to the photo club's quarterly group critique. When I arrived, I discovered that I was standing in the studio of the very photographer whose photos I'd sat drooling over months before... and to top that, he was about to be teaching a wildlife workshop in Austin soon. This was a miracle event for me, as I had JUST come upon some money and it was the first time in my life I was able to afford something like a $1000 weekend workshop. Talk about the universe speaking to you!

The workshop was amazing. I have to say that Sean is one of the best teachers I've ever worked with. I gained so much from his wisdom and experience and the positive critiques I received from him and the others there gave me a hundred time more confidence in my own work. Heck, I even came away with a few photos that have since been in shows both in-state and out!

I think Sean's story can really inspire others - I know it inspired me. As someone who had never really been interested in photography until just a year ago, it excites me to see the possibility that no matter where you are in life, you can still discover new paths and passions along the way.

Thanks Sean!
SEANFITZGERALD.COM >

 

 

Friday Feature: Greg Davis

Hi ya'll!

This is a bit late in the day, but better late than never!

I ran across Greg Davis at a local festival recently here in Dallas. He had a booth up selling his work and I happened to make it by when he was doing a presentation about his work and story.

Greg essentially started out his photo career about 5 years ago. He ventured out to do the thing I think so many of us dream to do: left his corporate job to spend a year traveling the world. The thing I love about Greg's story is that he's never really had much of a plan, other than taking chances and seeing where it goes. Originally he had no intention of being a photographer (and has had no formal training), he set out on the journey and took pictures with a $400 point-and-shoot camera along the way. It wasn't until a bit later that he and others began to realize he had a real talent for this photography thing.

Now Greg is traveling internationally several times a year to shoot and spending the remainder of his time traveling the US to sell his work at galleries, art shows and festivals. He still does not have a plan by the way... other than to just keep doing what he loves and continuing to put it out there. The "non-plan" plan seems to be working well for him, too. He has started to gain some recognition as an international photographer and just signed on with National Geographic to work on smaller projects with them as needed. I am definitely interested to see where this journey takes him and what amazing work he will accomplish in the future.

I think Greg's story is a wonderful reminder that we don't always need to have it all planned out. Often we get so caught up in having a plan in life that it keeps us from ever getting started. Maybe it's enough to just have the courage to explore your passion and put yourself out there - and let the plan unfold in front of you - one photo at a time.

Below are a few samples of Greg's work.
Check out more here!

Three Shots in the Show!

Hey ya'll! 

I'm so excited to share with you the three photos that have been selected for a show in Austin. This being my first year really doing photography - I'm overwhelmed by the positive response I have gotten. If you'd told me a year ago that I'd have my work in three shows in 2010 (one of those being out of state!) I would have laughed in your face! 

I think the best part of this experience has been learning to NOT focus on trying to get my photos into shows or win awards, but instead to just focus on creating images that I love. Maybe I will never sell a single print or win a single award, but either way I will love what I do, and I believe that at least a small bit of other people will too. =)

Boldt Castle Stairwell, Alexandria Bay, NY

Barn Light, Dexter, NY

American Bison Portrait, Dripping Springs, TX

Friday Feature: Todd Klassy

I'm going to be out of town for the rest of this week, so i'm posting this week's Friday Feature a bit early!

I always love to hear about people taking off on a grand adventure to travel and photograph as they go. Todd Klassy is one of those individuals - and apparently is bringing his very clever cat Steve along for the ride! Leaving behind career, family, the big house and his own small business, he and Steve are out to spend the next few years traveling throughout the western US to capture some incredible shots.

I love the feeling evoked in his landscapes. To me it clearly speaks of an individual taking time to really connect with the place they are in on a deep level. One of my favorite blog posts of his was a recent one about the Jerusalem Rocks in northern Montana. Just gorgeous.

VISIT TODD'S BLOG

Getty Images Call for Artists

Happy Monday everyone!

I just discovered that Getty Images has a Flickr group! They accept 12 photos per user on a quarterly basis for review. If your images catch the eye of one of their editors, you will receive an email invite to join the 

Flickr Collection on Getty Images. 

The current quarterly entry period lasts until the end of October, so start posting those photos!

Deadline: Oct 31st, 2010 (and quarterly after this).

Cost: FREE!

VISIT THE WEBSITE!