Solo Build It! Case Studies

Selling Photography Online
What to Know And Where to Go

Key secrets to selling photography online. It's easy once you know which steps to take first. Do you find yourself asking this question?

How do I get my work seen by people?

There is really only one must have when you are selling online.  You must have people who want your products or service to find you.

You can find many sites online that claim to help you sell your photos online but very few of them give you the whole picture.

This article will clear the muddy waters.

Then you will have smooth sailing to a successful online business. I will share with you some of the tricks I've found that work as well as a few of the mistakes I made, so you don't have to.

What should you know before you publish your photos online?

If you are a photographer wanting to get your feet wet in the world of online marketing, there are a few pointers you will want to look into. Being well informed is always the easiest way to begin any project.

Starting an Online Business is no different. I take that back.

There is one major difference that many people forget when taking this route.

You've heard it said that your new business's biggest asset is

"location, location, location"

But when you build a business online, that biggest asset becomes,

Information, Information, Information

Make Getting organized Your First Priority

Before you write that first sentence, let's look at ways to keep all of your important processes easy to find when you need them.  Read more about  getting organized as your first step to a successful online business.

If you are serious about selling photography online, you are going to have a ton of photos to keep track of. In this new world of digital photography, staying organized has become even more important.

Computer files have now replaced those old shoe boxes where we used to stash family photos.

If you are the person who likes keeping your photos in beautiful photo albums where you can pull them off the shelf and browse through the pages of your memories, then being organized is probably second nature to you.

After you've read up on these two articles about the organization process, I'll see you back here...

...Back so soon?

Fantastic!  

Now that you have everything all gathered together, lets find the best place for selling photography online.

Finding The Best Of Online Art Galleries

A fast and easy way to begin selling pictures online is through online galleries. You will find free ones,  as well as sites that charge up front.

Keep in mind that the free ones keep a portion of the sales price for their service. They remain an excellent way to create your first products for sale.

One quick search for places to sell photography online and you will be met with hundreds of galleries to choose from.  Don't panic.  Take your time and find the one that best fits your needs.

Here are a few things you want to consider:

  • How much profit will you keep.
  • Can you sell your photos on mulitple gallery sites?  (Some galleries require you to sell only with them, others reward you for doing so. )
  • Read the fine print.
  • How easy is it to upload pictures?
  • What rights are you giving up?

There are a few basics that are common to every avenue for selling photography online. The first step is to get your photography online.

The number one requirement for uploading photographs online is to use the correct format. This is really easier than you may think.

People Like Knowing You Are A Real Person

When you set up your account, you want to upload a good profile picture. How important is it this part of the process?

Before you answer that question, you might ask yourself this...

Would you rather buy a product from a machine, or a real person?

Remember an important part of selling photography online is branding.

Recognizing That You Are Photo Artists

Have you noticed how we like to label ourselves and our world?  For instance do you call yourself an Artist, Digital Artist,  Photographer, Coach or any of the multitude of names that you might choose from?

What Labels do You Use to Describe Yourself?

Photography is another form of art.  Famous photographers started that

ball rolling years ago.

But even so, the idea of photography being art is just entering some people's minds.  Many photographers I know are just beginning to see themselves as artists, myself included.

Creating Products You Can Sell Over And Over

About this time you may be asking yourself if there are other ways you can sell photography online.  I'm glad you asked!

You could do what I did and create your own personal web site.

Of course, I still sell my own photos and digital art in the online art galleries I talked about.  

You may choose to join one of the many popular stock photo sites too.

Be aware that their standards are very high. They are not the place for beginner photography. I'm not discouraging you, I've had a photo or two of my own accepted in some of these sites.

But my niche is more toward wall art, and other types of gifts.

Another option is to burn a CD.  If you don't want to go to that kind of trouble, there is a site called Kunaki (opens in new window) that will create them and drop ship for you. I haven't used them yet, but I do intend to.

Free Video Hosting - A Good Way To Get The Word Out

One good way for getting the word out for your online photography business is by using free video hosting.  I used youtube to publish this video so that I could place it on my website.   This option works quite well for many people.

Creating this video reminds me that you are going to need a good photo editor for your photos.  No matter how good you are, you will have to edit your photos sometimes.

Choosing The Best Digital Photo Editor For Your Business

I have to admit that I have had the most success with gimp software. I discovered it about four years ago and I've never looked back. You can download it for free. And when it comes to image software at that price I think you'll agree with me.

There are photo editing software options online.  If you have ever done a search for Online Photo Editing, you know there are many to choose from.  Most people will simply pick the first one at the top and hope they get lucky.  In this article I share some of my experience and the ones I've found easiest to learn.

Ideas For Exposing The Artist in You and Finding Your Passion

What is the thing that makes YOU get out of bed in the morning.  Many of us have favorite things that will do just that.  For moms it might be their children's smiles and laughter.

For lovers it might be that special person in their life.  For photographers it just might be a passion for a specific kind of photography.

Do you have a favorite? One of mine is taking travel photos.  It was actually taking photos of nature and flowers while I traveled that inspired me to create this web site and start my own online business.</p>

And speaking of nature photography, there is a spot for you nature lovers too. Nature photos can include anything from a beautiful sunset to a majestic eagle soaring over head.

I've always thought of my love of photography as a hobby.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would one day have a business doing what I love. Come read how I turned my Photo Hobby into a successful online business.

If you've come this far and checked into some of my suggestions, perhaps you have a story or two to share.  I would love to share your story and I bet readers would love seeing some of your best pictures.

I've set up a special Guest Articles area just for you.  Or you can scroll down to the bottom of this page and put in your story and photos right here. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Selling Photography Online is a Service

service sellers masters coursIf you are still reading this article then I know you are serious about selling photography online. I would like to offer you this success guide for Service Sellers as my congratulations for your persistence. You really can be successful at selling your photos online if you follow the steps in this easy to read step by step process.

And if you've liked the articles you've read on this page, you will want to sign up for my free e-zine below. Don't want to be bothered by emails? Then add Nature And Flower Pictures to your RSS reader or home page. To follow the Photo Blog where I publish articles approximately twice a week, sign up for the RSS feed there. Signing up for the newsletter will keep you up to date with both.

To your success,
Sally Stoneking

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