16:29
comehere
Sometimes it looks the Net was made just for photographers. On a social level it lets us share pictures with friends and families, we are able to get together and talk camera gear and photographic method, and it helps a lot of us overcome the isolation that often goes hand in hand with a photography career.
On a pro level, it provides the wherewithal to showcase our work to Clients, access new markets and conduct the entire stock photography sales process without leaving our office. It also offers the means to monitor trends, watch what our peers are doing and see the images our buyers are buying.
And for all that, the sad fact is, for many photographers, the pure volume of info and options becomes more of an obstruction than a helping hand. They only have so many hours in a day, and deciding what's worth their attention and what isn't becomes a bore, and as a result they tend to brush over the significant stuff and get way-laid with the trivial.
Well if you ever find yourself in that situation, here is a bare-bones list of the 5 essential site types every independent photographer should have bookmarked and may be using regularly.
1. Stock Photo Library
Few freelance photographers would not have a stock library presence of some sort, but plenty of part-timers still leave it as something to do later when they are more established, or have more photographs. These days that's just not mandatory and the simplest way tosell photographs online is to start early and add to your stock catalog consistently over time.
Stock photography is a long term business though, so do take it steady and find a stock library that fits your work and your style. Ensure it leaves you in charge of your work and does not expect you to hand over your rights, or sell your work too cheap, just to stay in the game.
2. Stock Photo Price Calculator
To that end, make sure you bookmark a good online stock photography price calculator. We all used to handle this with hard-copy books, but things move fast nowadays and new kinds of usage appear each week, so a live stock photography price calculator is essential.. Be warned though, most photographers are blown away when they first use these... Just because most photographers seriously undervalue their work.
If you have never looked at a Stock Photo Price Calculator before, I'd suggest that you write down a list of 5-10 of your most important markets, and then list a couple of 'average ' usages for each. Then open the calculator and work out a price for each usage. Keep it convenient and you have a ready-reference guide if a Customer ever puts you on the spot, but equally importantly, you will get a whole new insight to the value of your photography.
3. Photography Business News & Info
If you are eager -- and you don't mind sitting at a P. C. all day -- you can subscribe to dozens of different newsletters and blogs to try to start recent with goings on in the photography industry. Or you can find a single Photography/Business site that does it all for you.
There are quite a few extremely good websites out there if you go looking. My suggestion is to test them out and follow a few till you find one that does the job right for you, your field of work, your interests, your location etc. The good ones will give you all of the important stuff in a nutshell, then include links for more in-depth info if you need it, so that you can stay up to date and get all of the information you need, without the information overload.
4. Shopping & Auction Sites
It's no secret, photographers are gadget-junkies! We're always searching for that next piece of must-have camera equipment that we simply can't function properly without. The incontrovertible fact we have already worked quite alright for years without it doesn't matter... Once we know it's out there we have to have it. Sound familiar?
The flip side is, quite frequently we have got equally as much gear we should actually get rid of... And once again, if the Net was made for us then I am sure the creators of eBay are either photographers themselves, or they've a few in the family. So bookmark it and use it. If you've a cupboard of old camera gear that's not been utilized in years get it out and sell it, while it still has some value!
5. Online Photographic Community
Pro photography is generally a solo career so the facility to have interaction with your peers online should not be taken lightly. We all see dozens of pictures on any given day, but to be in a position to look at new photographs and discuss them with other photographers is priceless. Pre-Internet, it was something that only happened at Camera Clubs or waiting around at the Pro-Lab, but the internet forums and portal sites now give working photographers to capability to engage with their peers, share ideas and info and truly grow as artists. And if you're not making excellent use of them, you're quite possibly stagnating!
Well that is my top 5 must-bookmark site types. The Net offers us the chance to 'round-out ' our photography businesses in ways in which we never could before, so make sure you are getting maximum value from the time you spend online... And remember all work and no play, leads to a boring photographer!
On a pro level, it provides the wherewithal to showcase our work to Clients, access new markets and conduct the entire stock photography sales process without leaving our office. It also offers the means to monitor trends, watch what our peers are doing and see the images our buyers are buying.
And for all that, the sad fact is, for many photographers, the pure volume of info and options becomes more of an obstruction than a helping hand. They only have so many hours in a day, and deciding what's worth their attention and what isn't becomes a bore, and as a result they tend to brush over the significant stuff and get way-laid with the trivial.
Well if you ever find yourself in that situation, here is a bare-bones list of the 5 essential site types every independent photographer should have bookmarked and may be using regularly.
1. Stock Photo Library
Few freelance photographers would not have a stock library presence of some sort, but plenty of part-timers still leave it as something to do later when they are more established, or have more photographs. These days that's just not mandatory and the simplest way tosell photographs online is to start early and add to your stock catalog consistently over time.
Stock photography is a long term business though, so do take it steady and find a stock library that fits your work and your style. Ensure it leaves you in charge of your work and does not expect you to hand over your rights, or sell your work too cheap, just to stay in the game.
2. Stock Photo Price Calculator
To that end, make sure you bookmark a good online stock photography price calculator. We all used to handle this with hard-copy books, but things move fast nowadays and new kinds of usage appear each week, so a live stock photography price calculator is essential.. Be warned though, most photographers are blown away when they first use these... Just because most photographers seriously undervalue their work.
If you have never looked at a Stock Photo Price Calculator before, I'd suggest that you write down a list of 5-10 of your most important markets, and then list a couple of 'average ' usages for each. Then open the calculator and work out a price for each usage. Keep it convenient and you have a ready-reference guide if a Customer ever puts you on the spot, but equally importantly, you will get a whole new insight to the value of your photography.
3. Photography Business News & Info
If you are eager -- and you don't mind sitting at a P. C. all day -- you can subscribe to dozens of different newsletters and blogs to try to start recent with goings on in the photography industry. Or you can find a single Photography/Business site that does it all for you.
There are quite a few extremely good websites out there if you go looking. My suggestion is to test them out and follow a few till you find one that does the job right for you, your field of work, your interests, your location etc. The good ones will give you all of the important stuff in a nutshell, then include links for more in-depth info if you need it, so that you can stay up to date and get all of the information you need, without the information overload.
4. Shopping & Auction Sites
It's no secret, photographers are gadget-junkies! We're always searching for that next piece of must-have camera equipment that we simply can't function properly without. The incontrovertible fact we have already worked quite alright for years without it doesn't matter... Once we know it's out there we have to have it. Sound familiar?
The flip side is, quite frequently we have got equally as much gear we should actually get rid of... And once again, if the Net was made for us then I am sure the creators of eBay are either photographers themselves, or they've a few in the family. So bookmark it and use it. If you've a cupboard of old camera gear that's not been utilized in years get it out and sell it, while it still has some value!
5. Online Photographic Community
Pro photography is generally a solo career so the facility to have interaction with your peers online should not be taken lightly. We all see dozens of pictures on any given day, but to be in a position to look at new photographs and discuss them with other photographers is priceless. Pre-Internet, it was something that only happened at Camera Clubs or waiting around at the Pro-Lab, but the internet forums and portal sites now give working photographers to capability to engage with their peers, share ideas and info and truly grow as artists. And if you're not making excellent use of them, you're quite possibly stagnating!
Well that is my top 5 must-bookmark site types. The Net offers us the chance to 'round-out ' our photography businesses in ways in which we never could before, so make sure you are getting maximum value from the time you spend online... And remember all work and no play, leads to a boring photographer!
About the Author:
Matt Brading is a stock photographer & writer with GlobalEye Digital Stock Photography. For other photography business articles be certain to visit their Sell Stock Photos blog & resources page.
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