04 Jun, 2013 | Posted by: sellmyphotos

Photographer Websites: Why You Need One And What To Do About It – Alex Ignacio: “For the vast majority of professional photographers and aspiring photographers, having a website is a necessity. The greatest advantage of having a website is that you are in full control of the design, navigation, branding, and information. Here are some important considerations in creating your website: http://petapixel.com/2013/05/30/photographer-websites-why-you-need-one-and-what-to-do-about-it/

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21 May, 2013 | Posted by: sellmyphotos

BRAND: “How I Found My Niche as a Photographer/Artist.” – Ellen Fisch;” One impetus to select the professional path I chose was provided early on by my art gallery the owner of which asked me, “What are you known for? That gave me pause. What did I want to be associated with as a photographer? Furthermore, my publisher (of poster art) requested that my photographs be uniquely my photographs depicting my vision. And so I focused on my passion for architecture. http://rising.blackstar.com/how-i-found-my-niche-as-a-photographerartist.html
TAKEAWAY: When you specialize in your stock photogrphy, you are making a brand for yourself—one that your customers will recognize once you get firmly established in the field.
PHOTO: Ellen Fisch

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23 Apr, 2013 | Posted by: sellmyphotos

INSTAGRAM PHOTOS FOR SALE? -- Sell Your Instagram Photos as Stock Photography. Founder and CEO, Laneia Moore: “The philosophy behind InstaStock Images business model is inspired by micro entrepreneurship. "We wanted to create a way for Instagram users to be able to share in the success of the platform by making money from their pictures. Sometimes an extra hundred dollars here or there can really make a difference in someone's life. We just believe it's the perfect way to monetize the love that Instagram fans have for the app."
SOURCE: http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130418-908094.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

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23 Apr, 2013 | Posted by: sellmyphotos

HAPPY 100 -- – Sami Husni: “Bowlers Journal celebrates 100 years of magazine history in 2013. And Keith Hamilton – the magazine’s president – says he’s looking forward to the next 100 with innovation and passion. ‘The readers of Bowlers Journal love bowling. And they want to know everything about it. So we’ve always kept our niche and we’ve always understood who our market was,’” he said.
http://mrmagazine.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/scoring-a-strike-every-time-100-years-of-bowlers-journal-magazine-the-mr-magazine-interview-with-keith-hamilton

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16 Apr, 2013 | Posted by: sellmyphotos

LAUNCHING A PHOTO CAREER—AND AVOIDING PITFALLS –
5 Financial Steps. -- Lindsay Comstock: “Starting your own photography business has challenges. You need time not only to build a portfolio but to keep shooting new work, freelance work can be feast or famine, and you find yourself acting as a creditor to your clients for weeks at a time while waiting for your invoices and expenses to get paid. We asked photographers selected for the PDN’s 30 issues of the past five years to explain how they funded the start of their photography careers. http://www.pdnonline.com/features/5-Financial-Steps-to-7828.shtml
PHOTO: Michael Brown

RELIGION -- A Church Can Benefit From Stock Photos. ShareFaith: “When we unleashed religious stock photos this year, the response was incredible. We heard the joy on Twitter and Facebook, and saw a huge spike in downloads over just a few days.” We’re thrilled to provide a powerful resource to churches all around the world. SOURCE: http://www.sharefaith.com/blog/2013/04/your-church-can-benefit-from-stock-photos/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=your-church-can-benefit-from-stock-photos

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26 Mar, 2013 | Posted by: st

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU -- How To Get Over Your Fears And Raise Your Prices as a Photographer – Jenika McDavitt: “People are used to paying $5 for 50 prints at the corner grocery store and under $30 for a packet of school photos. Thus, most people’s “anchor” for photography pricing is probably somewhere between $5-30. So they wonder: Why would they want to lay down a hundred bucks, let alone two grand, for your services? When you market to differentiate yourself, you may find it tempting to focus everything on YOU. Make it about them, the client. http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-over-your-fears-and-raise-your-prices-as-a-photographer

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19 Mar, 2013 | Posted by: st

WHICH AVENUE TO TAKE?: The State Of Stock Photography Today… Is Stock Photography Still A Viable Route For Earning Income With Your Images? – Maria Piscopo: “I found that less and less photographers have an interest in the “microstock” business.
“Rights Managed” seems to remain the best business model for individual stock photo sales, while microstock seems to sell best through a stock distributor. Proficient keywording is crucial to selling stock—especially if you are marketing and licensing your own work. http://www.shutterbug.com/content/state-stock-photography-today-it-still-viable-route-earning-income-your-images

WHAT DO THEY PAY? -- Photog’s Dish Anonymously About Clients’ Rates Via New Tumblr Site – Conor Risch: “A new site on Tumblr set up by an anonymous editorial photographer seeks to provide a platform where photographers can share information about what clients in all fields, from editorial to advertising to non-profits, pay photographers. Still in its infancy, the site, Who Pays Photographers, is based on a similar Tumblr, Who Pays Writers, which lists fees paid to writers. PDN asked the creator of the site some questions about their goals. SOURCE: http://pdnpulse.com/2013/03/photogs-dish-anonymously-about-clients-rates-via-new-tumblr-site.html
TAKEAWAY: This type of site was inspired by ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors) back in the ‘60’s and monitored by a committee of members. It has its advantages when it has objective management, (oversight) but without supervision it is doomed to the usual corruption. -RE

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06 Mar, 2013 | Posted by: st

SELLING PRINTS -- A Way to Proof and Sell Your Photography Directly to Clients. Designer and web developer Ryan Taylor has developed online software for photographers that he hopes to get funded through Kickstarter .
http://www.petapixel.com/2013/03/03/

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19 Feb, 2013 | Posted by: st

BACKUPS – IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE ‘EM. -- Are All Your Eggs in One Basket? - If you have a niche market, it is good to develop a second niche, and even a third one. When trying to find a new client or maintain your current ones, be persistent and use many different approaches. http://rising.blackstar.com/are-all-your-eggs-in-one-basket.html
TAKEAWAY: Photobuyers look for ‘authority’in your work. Choose other niches, yes, but be an authority in at least one.

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12 Feb, 2013 | Posted by: bswenson

MARKETING YOUR WORK -- What Works In Today’s Photo World – Maria Piscopo: “In my workshops and classes the most common concern is about marketing and getting business. My first and foremost answer is to have a business plan and then work that plan. It is simply not enough to put up a website, send out a few mailers, and see what happens. http://www.shutterbug.com/content/marketing-your-work-what-works-today’s-photo-world

GET READY FOR 2013 -- Photographers Plan to Invest in New Lenses, Get New Clients via Word-Of-Mouth in 2013 – Lauren Margolis: “What are photographers’ major business and marketing goals for 2013? Where are they likely to find new business? Do they expect to make more money than last year? How will they market themselves? Turns out, photographers are pretty optimistic on the whole about 2013. And we got the data to prove it:” http://blog.photoshelter.com/2013/02/photographers-plan-to-invest-in-new-lenses-get-new-clients-via-word-of-mouth-in-2013/

GETTNG NOTICED -- SEO Tips. Nick Fancher: “ In this post, I will tell you the things I did for free or next to nothing that helped push my photography website to page one of organic Google searches. http://fstoppers.com/seo-tips-for-photographers

WANNA BUY A FLICKER PHOTO? -- Flickr Adds "Request to License" Feature - There are billions of photos on Flickr, which is a whole lotta pretty to look at. But, if you're a budding photographer, how do you get noticed? And, if you're looking to use an image for your work, blog, ad campaign or more, how do you find just the right one and make sure you have the appropriate rights to use it? When Flickr members turn on the "Request to License" feature, a link will appear next to the license information on your images. People who click that link can request to license the image through Getty Images. http://www.creativepro.com/article/flickr-adds-request-license-feature

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05 Feb, 2013 | Posted by: st

JOB FINDER -- How Photographers' Audiences Land Them Work. – Conor Risch: “The photographer and graphic designer talks to PDN about how her Flickr and Instagram accounts have helped her get photography jobs. ‘Any photography job I’ve ever gotten has technically been a result of the exposure. I’ve created for myself through social-media networks like Flickr and Instagram,’” Goralnick says. SOURCE: http://www.pdnonline.com/features/How-Photographers-A-7359.shtml

CUSTOMER FINDER -- 3 Things You Can Do Right Now to Improve Your Photo Site’s SEO – Scott Wyden Kivowitz: “If you care and want your photographs to be found by potential clients or even other photographers, then SEO can play one of the biggest roles in this endeavor. I am going to share three of the smartest choices you can make for your photography website that will improve SEO immediately.” http://rising.blackstar.com/3-things-you-can-do-right-now-to-improve-your-photo-sites-seo.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Black-Star-Rising+%28Black+Star+Rising%29

CHECKLIST -- Designing an Outstanding Homepage – Lauren Margolis: “Think of your homepage as the entry point to your entire website; it needs to grab your visitors and get them to click through to the “deeper” pages. What makes for an outstanding homepage? Your homepage also needs to user-centered, meaning that it answers “yes” to the question, “I came here to do X. Can I accomplish it quickly without a ton of effort?” The following checklist highlights 11 important elements of any great, hardworking homepage. http://blog.photoshelter.com/2013/01/the-photographers-checklist-for-designing-an-outstanding-homepage/
PHOTO: Amy Toensing

SELL THE VISION -- Portfolio Shooting – Selina Maitreya: “Clients today want to look at a website, portal or a print book and very quickly see what you shoot and “get” your visual approach to your topic. For that reason, you don’t sell photographs. You sell vision.” http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/2013/01/portfolio-shooting/#.UQsbkkfLJ2M

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29 Jan, 2013 | Posted by: st

DIRECT MAIL? It Ain’t Dead Yet! – Skip Cohen: “Today, while there are a couple of great photographer/marketers who will disagree, I believe, if done right, direct mail is back with a vengeance and can be an incredibly effective tool. Designing an effective promotion is a topic for another post. For now I just want to talk about the postcard as a marketing tool. http://photoresourcehub.com/2013/01/24/direct-mail-it-aint-dead-yet/
PHOTOS: Gene Martin; Joe and JP Elario

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22 Jan, 2013 | Posted by: st

SELLING YOUR IMAGES AS ART -- 5 Tips To Getting Started – Rick Berk: “Aspiring photographers are often told they should try selling their work, but are unsure where to start. It’s relatively easy to set up a website, but getting potential customers can be difficult. So how do you get your work seen? What are the options? Here are five tips to getting started.” SOURCE: http://digital-photography-school.com/selling-your-images-as-art-5-tips-to-getting-started
PHOTO: Rick Berk

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15 Jan, 2013 | Posted by: st

PHOTO PROMOS -- Jason Nocito's Instagram Feed and Website. Holly Stuart Hughes: Nocito’s Instagram feed has attracted 2,500 followers and a lot of attention from both photography lovers and clients. His love of Instagram was one inspiration for the creation of a new page on his website, called “Loads Daily.”. http://www.pdnonline.com/features/Stand-Out-Photo-Prom-7271.shtml
PHOTO: Jason Nocito

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18 Dec, 2012 | Posted by: st

MARKETING TIP: Because editors often work on several publishing projects at one time, it is advisable that you include the project title, if possible, along with your submission of images. Often a photobuyer will include a project number; include that also. Photobuyers will accept .jpg (.jpeg) attachments but most prefer a Light Box.

SPECIALIZE -- Strategies for Niche Building and Collections. Leez Snow: “Creating a niche is a strategy for focusing your energies on what to shoot. It defines you as an expert in a subject and the market for that type of photo. For example, it enables you to say “I shoot winter sports” or “I shoot holiday scenes” or “I shoot conservation and green subjects”. Niches can be narrow or broad. You can certainly have more than one niche, and you can shoot outside of them as well. But the point of using niches is to establish your credibility in a style or topic, and to set you and your photos apart from all of the others out there in the mind of the buyer.
http://www.everythingmicrostock.com/blog/entry/microstock/microstock-strategies-for-niche-building-and-collections

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12 Dec, 2012 | Posted by: bswenson

MARKETING IS DEAD: WHAT REPLACES IT?
– Jay Kinghorn: The Harvard Business Review’s provocatively titled blog post “Marketing is Dead” outlines several ways in which traditional marketing just doesn’t work anymore. If marketing shifts from traditional “broadcast” mediums (print publications, TV ads, Web sites) to a decentralized, “engaged community” model, the traditional media, where professionally-produced photographs are published, will vanish. http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/2012/12/marketing-is-dead-what-replaces-it/#.UMDZ2PnLJ2M

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12 Dec, 2012 | Posted by: st

PROMOTE YOURSELF. Your local city or town newspaper is always looking for interesting feature material about its citizens. You are eligible. Because you market your pictures to national magazines and book publishers, you are unique. Feature editors would like to write about you and publish a few examples of your photographs. If you also conduct a photo marketing class, it's an excellent way to publicize the class. The process: Phone your local newspaper and ask for the Features Editor. Describe what you do, then ask, "Would you like me to drop in for an interview and bring some of my pictures along?" (Personal interviews work better than phone interviews.) Here’s a tip: If you’ve been featured previously in newspapers, and have clippings, leave them at home. Journalists like to be “the author.”

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20 Nov, 2012 | Posted by: st

SPARE-TIME PHOTOGRAPHER? If you are salaried elsewhere, your withholding dollars can come back to you in the form of a tax "rebate," if you take a few simple steps. Inquire about our report: "Stock Photographer Tax Tips". http://www.photosource.com/cart/taxtips.php

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13 Nov, 2012 | Posted by: st

MARKETING TIP : Harvest the fruits of your labor. Get your product to market. It's one thing to plant a garden, it's another thing to persist and to keep it continually weeded until it's harvest time. Starting something is easy. But to follow through on your intentions isn't easy. Winston Churchill (in a nine-word speech to students at Eton) said it best: Never give up. Never, never, never, never, never, never.

SELL PRINTS -- 7 Ways Erica Siciliano: “One of the biggest challenges for photographers is getting their work seen by people who are interested in buying it. Online galleries and marketplaces offer a number of benefits to photographers including reaching a new audience, and printing, packaging and shipping the work after it's sold. Check out seven websites that help both up-and-coming and seasoned shooters reach buyers around the world.” http://www.pdnonline.com/features/7-Ways-to-Sell-Your--6935.shtml
PRINT: Laura Plageman / 20x2000 Gallery

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06 Nov, 2012 | Posted by: st

PREVENT LOSS: Your name, e-mail and address should appear with your digital submissions. Also: If you move: Notify all photo editors who are currently considering your pictures for publication.

MULTIPLE e-mail addresses? Should you have several? Yes, and no. Every time you establish a new POP (an acronym for Post Office Protocol) you are able to measure data from certain venues, test incoming traffic, spy on competition, etc. On the other hand the more e-mail addresses you own, the more you open the possilities to receive spam in your inbox.

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30 Oct, 2012 | Posted by: bswenson

BE VISIBLE Using Facebook Promoted Posts For Your Photography Business – Virtual Photography: “Think you’re still gaining a lot of traction on Facebook simply by putting stuff into your newsfeed every day? The simplest way to gain traction on Facebook is to plan, create and post great information. If people like it, share it and comment on it, you will be rewarded by being more visible. http://virtualphotographystudio.com/photographyblog/2012/10/using-facebook-promoted-posts-for-your-photography-business/

MAKING CONTACT -- Lead Yourself On – Barry Schwartz : “How to find leads? One way is to let clients, and potential clients, lead you to their peers. Magazines are great. See an article about a company or an announcement about award winners in a field you’re interested in? http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/2012/10/lead-yourself-on/#.UItIgXVpSVI

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23 Oct, 2012 | Posted by: st

ALL RIGHTS? SHOULD YOU SELL THEM? Only if the fee is substantial enough to justify you giving up your resale rights. What to charge? Usually three or four times the fee you would charge that same market for one-time use for the same picture. Writers, by the way, for all rights generally charge half again as much as the same market would pay for first rights (for an article), if the market is in the top fee range; for a market in the middle or lower ranges their fee for all rights is two to three times the first-rights.

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16 Oct, 2012 | Posted by: st

WHAT SELLS? 5 Stock Photography Trends In Banking. How are financial institutions building their brands through imagery? Here are five of the main trends that Getty Images has tracked across North America and Europe. SOURCE: http://thefinancialbrand.com/25681/getty-visual-trends-in-banking-stock-photos/
PHOTO: Getty Images

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09 Oct, 2012 | Posted by: st

PROMOTE YOURSELF. Your local city or town newspaper is always looking for interesting feature material about its citizens. You are eligible. Because you market your pictures to national magazines and book publishers, you are unique. Feature editors would like to write about you and publish a few examples of your photographs. If you also conduct a photo marketing class, it's an excellent way to publicize the class. The process: Phone your local newspaper and ask for the Features Editor. Describe what you do, then ask, "Would you like me to drop in for an interview and bring some of my pictures along?" (Personal interviews work better than phone interviews.) Here’s a tip: If you’ve been featured previously in newspapers, and have clippings, leave them at home. Journalists like to be “the author.”

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02 Oct, 2012 | Posted by: st

MARKETING TIP: Because editors often work on several publishing projects at one time, it is advisable that you include the project title, if possible, along with your submission of images. Often a photobuyer will include a project number; include that also. Photobuyers will accept .jpg (.jpeg) attachments but most prefer a Light Box.

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25 Sep, 2012 | Posted by: st

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED -- Misconceptions About Marketing & Advertising (particularly as it relates to social media). Scott Bourne: “The truth is marketing and advertising are perhaps the biggest parts of being a professional photographer. The artists out there will fight that statement but they are probably the “starving” artists. You have to market if you want to sell. Here are 12 common misconceptions that photographers (and almost everyone else) have about marketing”. SOURCE: http://goingpro2010.com/2012/03/15/12-misconceptions-about-marketing-advertising-particularly-as-it-relates-to-social-media/

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18 Sep, 2012 | Posted by: st

OPEN THIS -- How To Get Clients To Open, Read, and Enjoy Your Photography Email Promos - Grover Sanschagrin: “Email marketing campaigns can be very effective for photographers if done correctly. The problem is, most photogs don't harness its full potential because they don't understand the basics. For some photographers, a carefully maintained email list can yield new and repeat assignments, and enthusiasm for their images.” SOURCE: PhotoShelter ; http://blog.photoshelter.com/2011/05/how-to-get-clients-to-open-read-and-enjoy-your-pho.html

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11 Sep, 2012 | Posted by: st

MARKETING TIP : Using a picture identification and cross-reference system can be a good investment for you. Time lost trying to locate pictures can mean lost sales. Take the lazy man's approach - know where everything is. Check out our discussion group, The Kracker Barrel, on the Web, board.photosource.com where fellow stock photographers discuss various filing system options for you.

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CAN YOUR POINT & SHOOT QUALIFY ? – Editorial stock photographers can get by with a small investment in camera equipment. Unlike the (commercial) service photographer who must be "versatile", the stock photo guy can get by easily with a Point & Shoot camera. Yes, that’s right, “point & shoot” -a marvelous tool –and getting better.

Right now, you don’t need a super expensive high-meg camera since your pictures will be used most of the time at quarter-page size in books and magazines. An 8-meg point and shoot camera will do very well for the publishing industry.
Lesson learned. You don’t have to make a big investment. It’s the same for a beginning artist, - just starting out. You wouldn’t buy an easel, several dozen drawing pads, multiple oil tubes, and brushes, even a smock. At first you would start with minimum equipment
to discover if buyers like you work, -- and more important if YOU like the work.
As a stock photographer, if you find you fit in well working with book and magazine editors, it’s then that you can start investing in a more expensive camera with higher resolution and multiple lenses. Check out eBay for some bargains. Once you upgrade to new equipment, put your trusted Point&Shoot up for sale on eBay Your stock in trade are your pictures, not your equipment. –RE

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29 Aug, 2012 | Posted by: bswenson

ARE YOU NUMBER ONE?

Numero Uno. Are you Number One in your field of stock photography? What’s the secret of the top pros in their field? Why are they number one in their field?

Here’s a tip. At seminars given by pros, or interviews of them on radio and TV, or in blog posts where they relate their rise to prominence in the field, they all describe a similar path that got them to the top.

It goes like this. At the start,they accepted any job that would provide for the family and pay the rent. With their talent and persistence, they survived at 'nuts&bolts' customary assignments until one of those assignments, a few years later, provided them with work that they thoroughly enjoyed. They began seeking out more work in that specialty area.

They found those assignments and eventually became an authority in that area. Charlie Parker, the great jazz musician, described this phenomenon as, “eventually finding your style”. In the marketing world it’s called ‘branding oneself.’

When people recognize your brand, and if it’s a category of stock photography you love shooting in, you are Numero Uno in your field. You own, in a sense –a monopoly.

How does this apply to you? If you are not already Number One in your field, why not start today?
Why not leapfrog over all those 'nuts&bolts' jobs and leap to a specialty in stock photography where you can build a foundation for your soon-to-be monopoly? -RE

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21 Aug, 2012 | Posted by: st

KEEPING TRACK -- Email Marketing? How CRM Helps You Maximize Your Email Lists. Beate Chelette: “In this edition of Ask the Photo Business Coach, I discuss how you can use CRM to make the most of your email lists and marketing. Are you tailoring your emails based on your recipients’ past actions?” http://rising.blackstar.com/email-marketing-how-crm-helps-you-maximize-your-email-lists.html

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14 Aug, 2012 | Posted by: st

Lauren Margolis: “It’s good to know how the nature photography market operates. There are a few categories for selling:

stock sales, print and online editorial publications, and fine art, just to name a few. Then there are the tours, workshops, books, and podcasts that are also part of the nature photographer’s market. If we stick with editorial licensing, the market is further divided into magazines, journals, websites, newspapers – the list goes on. In fact, publications of almost any sort (whether they have a natural bent or not) have a need for nature photography. Photo buyers can attest to the competitive market and the high bar set for nature photographers.
http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/08/6-questions-nature-photographers-should-ask-themselves-before-pitching-to-clients/
PHOTO Martin Bailey

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31 Jul, 2012 | Posted by: st

STOCK PHOTO AGENCIES can be an outlet for some of your pictures. Do agencies object to you marketing your own pictures when they also represent you? No, not the established ones. They encourage you to also market on your own. They want to share the sales with you, and also to share the setbacks. They know that a photographer who markets pictures on his/her own will understand the pitfalls (and glories) of selling and reselling pictures on the open market.

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24 Jul, 2012 | Posted by: st

ONE-TIME USE ONLY should be indicated in each transaction you have with a photobuyer. In some cases, photo editors may wish to retain your images in the publishing house's Central Art Database for possible future use. For second-time use of the same image, charge the picture buyer 75% of the original fee.

SELLING NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY – Andrew Fingerman: "This guide offers interviews with seasoned photographers and leading photobuyers who have top level insights on how to succeed in marketing and selling nature photography. Inside, photographers can find sound advice to help grow their nature photography business and attract clients." http://www.photoshelter.com/mkt/research/selling-nature-photography

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17 Jul, 2012 | Posted by: st

COPYRIGHT POSITION STATEMENT (Publishers please take note.) Our PHOTODAILY and PHOTOLETTER marketletter subscribers consistently supply professional-quality photographs to the publishing industry. These pictures are provided on a rental basis. They are not provided on an all-rights, work-for-hire basis, which would conflict with both the letter and the spirit of the revised Copyright Law enacted into force on January 1, 1978. We urge our subscribers not to endorse checks or sign agreements (`work for hire’) which would imply that rights to a picture are transferred to the publisher (or person making the assignment). Such rights are transferred only through special agreement and substantial compensation.

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10 Jul, 2012 | Posted by: st

MARKETING TIP: As a stock photographer, you will rarely need a model release when taking pictures of people in public. (Those pictures are used editorially, as opposed to use for advertising, endorsement, etc.) Book and magazine editors fiercely protect their First Amendment rights, which allow us to know what’s going around us via the Internet, the printed word and the photograph. Don’t be confused by service photography (advertising, commercial use of pictures) – Yes, advertising use does require model releases.

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26 Jun, 2012 | Posted by: st

ALL RIGHTS? SHOULD YOU SELL THEM? Only if the fee is substantial enough to justify you giving up your resale rights. What to charge? Usually three or four times the fee you would charge that same market for one-time use for the same picture. Writers, by the way, for all rights generally charge half again as much as the same market would pay for first rights (for an article), if the market is in the top fee range; for a market in the middle or lower ranges their fee for all rights is two to three times the first-rights.

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12 Jun, 2012 | Posted by: st

MARKETING TIP : Harvest the fruits of your labor. Get your product to market. It's one thing to plant a garden, it's another thing to persist and to keep it continually weeded until it's harvest time. Starting something is easy. But to follow through on your intentions isn't easy. Winston Churchill (in a nine-word speech to students at Eton) said it best: Never give up. Never, never, never, never, never, never.

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05 Jun, 2012 | Posted by: st

MARKETING TIP : Using a picture identification and cross-reference system can be a good investment for you. Time lost trying to locate pictures can mean lost sales. Take the lazy man's approach - know where everything is. Check out our discussion group, The Kracker Barrel, on the Web, board.photosource.com where fellow stock photographers discuss various filing system options for you.

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29 May, 2012 | Posted by: st

MARKETING TIP : Uncle Sam will pay you up to a $1000 a year to stop calling your photography a `hobby' and start calling it a business. IRS guidelines encourage you to get serious about your photography and to use your tax write-offs. You have three years before you have to show you sold a picture or made a profit. All you have to show is intent. It's a government incentive to encourage you start up your business.
You could save as much as $1,000 in tax deductions. Check with a local tax advisor who deals in intellectual properties to explain how this works.

VAST PHOTO MARKET? -- Social Media: Are we on the Edge of a New Market for Images? Alexandre

Fagundes: “All this debate about Pinterest made me wonder about what this new social networks mean to our image marketing. Meanwhile we are terrified with the escalation of piracy and finding tons of copyrights inflingements around the web, we wonder if this industry has a future or if we are on a sinking boat? http://blog.dreamstime.com/2012/05/23/social-media:-are-we-on-the-edge-of-a-new-market-for-images_art37611

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22 May, 2012 | Posted by: st

TRAVELING? For a lesson on how best to take the "tourist-travel" picture write to the Bureau of Tourism or the Department of Economic Development of each state you'll be visiting this vacation season, and ask for informational literature. The free brochures will be an instructional blueprint on what pictures editors currently consider acceptable `travel shots.’ Look for similar scenes and situations in the states you visit. Attempt to duplicate the same format. This technique will help you improve your professionalism and pay for your vacation.

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