Take Pictures for Cash
in Service Business by admin on 23 Jan
What you’ll need:
• A good digital camera
• Basic photography skills
If you have your vacation photos sitting on your hard drive, you may be sitting on a gold mine. That’s because there are people who want to use your photos on their Websites and blogs, or in their flyers and direct mail pieces–and they’re willing to pay you for them.
One of the most obvious ways to turn your photos into cash is to sell your stock photos on sites like iStockphoto.com, StockXpert.com and BigStockPhoto.com. You can find many similar sites with a simple Google search for “sell your photos.”
A stock photo is one that you have in stock; a photo you’ve already taken. You can also sell photos on assignment to magazine, book and newspaper publishers, Websites and individuals.
Often a client will want a particular shot and not be able to find exactly what they want. That’s when they’ll hire you–at a nice fee–to take the photo for them.
Typically, you retain the copyright on stock photos. That means that you sell the use of the photo, but not the photo itself. This leaves you free to sell the photo again, as often as you choose.
The copyright with photos taken on assignment varies. Sometimes a publication or business owner will buy one-time or single-use rights. Other times, they want exclusive rights and full copyright. The latter is more expensive and should be negotiated up front.
If you use models in your photos, you’ll want to get a model release form signed before offering the photo for sale. You can fine a sample online, customize it with your business name and contact information, and have it signed by anyone you take a picture of. This will ensure that no one comes back later and says you took their photo without their permission.
A model release isn’t necessary for people on a public street or another public place. And it doesn’t apply to celebrities for the most part. Read up on copyright laws and such at the US Trademark and Copyright Office to be sure you understand and follow the proper guidelines.
If you’re a fairly good photographer, then you can also offer exclusive photography to businesses needing product photos. You can find such jobs on Elance and other freelance sites, or post ads online and locally offering your services.
You might even want to specialize further by becoming a portrait photographer, a wedding photographer, or a travel photographer. There are unlimited opportunities for earning money with your camera.
Read all you can about photography, continue to improve your skills, and you can create a very lucrative income selling photographs both online and off.
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