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by: KathyAustin
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One picture is worth a thousand words, so the saying goes. Substituting the word photo for picture and dollars for words what we get is: one photo is worth a thousand dollars. There are of course photos worth such obscene amounts of money but other than that photos are really worth a few dollars provided you can find the right place and the right clientele to sell them to.

Taking photographs is fun but getting paid for them is more fun. Once you get paid for them taking photos becomes even more fun. One has to thank the Internet for this possibility - selling photos online. As a photographer, whether you do it just for the fun of it or as a hobby, you would have undoubtedly accumulated a lot of photographs over a period of time. You can sell these photos and become a semi-professional, if not a professional, photographer. No doubt some time and effort is required.

Neither age, nor sex, nor background will restrict the sale of photos online. If the photos are in your possession, they can be sold. Don't think that only professionals can sell photos. No one becomes a professional overnight, they gradually evolve into one by dedication and sweat.

Broadly speaking there are about three ways of selling photographs: "Stock Photos", "Products" and "Services".

In a nutshell "Products" requires to make prints, postcards etc. of your photos and sell them at galleries, gift shops and online. But this is not strictly selling photos online. So also are "Services". Here instead of selling actual photos, your expertise as a photographer is on sale. The person acts as a consultant.

Thus the only actual selling online is "Stock Photos". This is called stock photos because they are already in your custody or stockpile, ready to be sold. There are two ways to sell the stock that you have. One is to displaying the photos online let the buyer make the approach and the other is that you go to the buyer.

Getting the buyer to do the initial approach can be done either giving your photos to stock agencies or microstock sites or by putting them on your own web site. Stock agencies hosts your photos and looks after all the other infrastructural activities such as taking orders, filling them, billing etc. Payment is made on the sales effected and the agency keeps a commission on the deal. Microstock sites operate in a similar way. Putting them on your own web site is a bit more complicated. Either the web site is built from scratch or the services of a photo storefront is employed..

Going to the buyer requires to send samples of your photos to publishers of post cards, magazines, books etc. and directly selling them. In this method more active participation is required on your part. The customers have to be found, as many as possible and photos submitted for appraisal. The best photos have to be produced. The more contacts the better are your chances of getting your pictures sold. There you are. Submit your photos to a stock agency, sit back and wait patiently for your photos to bring in some income or aggressively market your goods. The choice is yours. Go ahead sell photos online.

About the Author

Kathy Austin is a writer for an online gallery.Red Bubble enables you to sell photos online, designer t shirts and more.

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