Several millions homes nowadays
have some kind of photography
equipment. Some operators
are strictly amateurs but others do a
professional job shooting
for fun, even with very inexpensive
equipment.
If you own a camera and can
take some reasonably good pictures,
you definitely can make money
with your hobby by selling
pictures.
The market for pictures is
tremendous. It has been estimated that
magazines and newspapers
buy over 60 millions photos a year,
although most of the pictures
are taken by professional
photographers, there is a
good deal of non professional hobbyists
making a good extra income
selling their pictures to specialized
markets, little known by
the majority of people.
This information is intended
to help you find a market for your
pictures, assuming you already
take pictures good enough to be
sold. If you feel that your
work could be improved, there are a
number of courses available,
and you can also develop
professional touch and technical
know-how by simply subscribing
to specialized magazines.
There is an incredible amount
of markets for selling your
pictures, and the number
is growing every day.
The beginners should avoid
markets already overcrowded by
professional competitors,
like very well known magazines, which
obviously deal only with
professionals.
The best markets for a non professionals are
* Trade journals,
* Special interest magazines,
* Real Estate,
* Small local papers.
By consuming a great amount
of pictures, maintaining a constant
demand for new ones, and
paying less than well known magazines,
they avoid the competition
of professional and industrial
photographers, and buy mostly
from non professionals like
yourself.
Special interest magazines
attract very special groups of
readers. For example, magazines
on hobbies, sports, gardening,
etc...They are bought by
subscriptions or on newstands.
Trade journals are directed
at very special professional and
Trades. They generally sold
only by subscription.
To begin with, it would be
advisable for you to get a book on
professional photography
from your local library. This step will
enable you to get acquainted
with copyright laws and special tips
for selling your pictures.
The starting photographer
should concentrate on subject he is
familiar with, for example
a special hobby and what he enjoys
shooting the most, whether
it is sceneries, children, animals,
etc...
By finding out what is your
speciality, you will be able to
select your market and determine
what magazines could be
interested in your work.
The following guide is just
a sample of companies in the market
for photos. It is difficult
to keep such a directory current as
companies constantly change
their policies, addresses, editors
and so forth. It is up to
you to develop your own markets by
submitting photos you believe
to be appropriate to editor's
needs. After the addresses
are listed the rates paid more for
extraordinary subjects depending
of the news value and the
quality for the accepted
photo.
GENERAL
NEWS AND FEATURE INTEREST PICTURES SYNDICATES:
* Newsweek International Service,
444 Madison Ave., NY 10022
$20 and up.* Transworld News
* Stock Photos Unlimited,
29 W 38th St NY, NY 10018
$10 to $40.
MAGAZINES
INTERESTED IN FEATURE PICTURES:
* Popular Photography, 1 Park
Ave, NY, NY. 10016
$30 and up.
* National Enquirer, Lantana,
FL 33464
$35 to $150.
SPORTS
MAGAZINES
* Tennis Illustrated, 4222
Campus Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660.
* Golf Digest, 495 Westport
Ave., Norwalk CT 06856
$15 and up.
TRADE
MAGAZINES:
* Track Talk, 2205 W Fairview Ave., Montgomery,AL 36092
FAMILY
LIFE AND NATURE MAGAZINES:
* Cats Magazine, Box 557 Washington,
PA 15301
$10 to $30.
* Good Housekeeping, 959 8Th Ave., NY, NY. 10019
FARM
LIFE MAGAZINES:
* Vegetarian Times, Box 3104,
Chicago, IL 60690
$20 and up.
HOBBIES
AND CRAFTS MAGAZINES:
* Popular Electronics, 1 Park Ave, NY, NY. 10016.
GREETINGS
CARDS SYNDICATES:
* Graphic Adventures, 9801
Harwin, Bldg O, Houston, TX. 77036.
&60 and up.
A simple equipment should
produce pictures good enough to sell,
but of course, if you own
special accessories, use them!
After you have selected the
field you want to specialize in and
found several magazines related
to your speciality, study what
kind of pictures the editors
are buying. A general description of
picture requirements is often
listed in the magazines. You can
also find out by looking
at the pictures used in previous issues.
Submit only the pictures
you consider as good or better than the
ones being used.
Send your pictures to the
Picture Editor of the magazine by
finding the address in the
publication itself or in the Directory
of Trade Journals at your
local library, if the publication is
not sold on newstands.
If you are a beginner, start
offering standard black and white
prints, which are easier
to sell because they actually are the
ones having the greatest
market.
Here is how your prints should be prepared in order to sell them:
* Glossy paper is preferred.
Single weight paper via cheaper and
require less postage when
mailed. Pictures must be flat.
* Most publication (But not
all of them) Prefer 8"x10". Check the
specific requirements of
the publication before you prepare your
photos for sell.
* Number each negative, so
each print you make will have a
number.
* Order a rubber stamp with
your name, address, telephone number
and an extra line for the
number of the picture and stamp these
informations on the back
of the print you want to offer.
* Always use stiff cardboard
between the prints you are mailing
to protect them, and make
a neat package.
* Use kraft envelopes and
always write "please don't bend" with a
red felt on the envelope
to avoid any improper handling of your
pictures.
* As you cannot expect to
sell all the pictures you submit,
include a self-addressed
return envelope with enough postage, so
the ones rejected can be
mailed back to you.
* It is not necessary to send
a letter with the pictures as it
will not help to sell the
pictures.
* Make sure to obtain written
consent from anyone whose picture
you have taken and intend
to sell. You can obtain the standard
forms called "Model Release"
in many photo shops, and when you
send your picture to the
editor, enclose a copy of the release
with them.
Do not offer the same picture
to more than one publication at the
same time, but if your pictures
are rejected by one magazine send
them to other publications.
Many amateurs are making money
in this little known field. You
will be able to do the same
by following the simple advices
outlined in this report.