5 Things Each Freelance Photographer Should Be Doing Online
Often it seems the Web was made solely for photographers. On a social level it lets us share photographs with friends and families, we will get together and talk camera gear and photographic technique, and it helps a lot of us overcome the isolation that commonly goes side by side with a photography career.
On a professional level, it provides the means to showcase our work to Clients, access new markets and conduct the whole stock photography sales process without leaving our desk. It also offers the resources to monitor trends, see what our peers are doing and see what our customers are purchasing.
And for all that, the unfortunate truth is, for many photographers, the pure volume of information and options becomes more of an impediment than a helping hand. They only have so many hours in a day, and choosing what's worth their attention and what isn't becomes a pain, and as a consequence they have an inclination to brush over the important stuff and get way-laid with the unimportant.
Well if you ever find yourself in that case, here is a bare-bones list of the 5 essential website types every independent photographer should have bookmarked and will be using constantly.
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 this end, ensure you bookmark a good online stock photo price calculator. We all used to manage this with hard-copy books, but things move fast these days and new sorts of photography-uses emerge every week, so a live stock photo price calculator is essential.. Be warned though, many photographers are blown away when they first use these... That's because most photographers seriously under-price 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 Reports & Info
If you're ardent -- and you do not mind sitting at a PC all day -- you can subscribe to lots of different newsletters and services to attempt to start current with goings on in the business. Or you'll be able to 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 Internet Sites
It's common knowledge, photographers are gadget-junkies! We are always hunting for that next piece of must-have camera kit that we simply cannot function at our best without. The simple fact we've already functioned quite alright for years without it does not matter... After we know it's out there we simply have to have it. Sound all to 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 Photography Community
Professional photography is usually a solo career so the option to interact with your peers online should not be taken lightly. We all see hundreds of photographs on any particular day, but to be in a position to look at new pictures 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 web forums and portal sites now give working photographers to capability to interact with their peers, share ideas and info and truly grow as artists. And if you are not making good use of them, you're probably 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 professional level, it provides the means to showcase our work to Clients, access new markets and conduct the whole stock photography sales process without leaving our desk. It also offers the resources to monitor trends, see what our peers are doing and see what our customers are purchasing.
And for all that, the unfortunate truth is, for many photographers, the pure volume of information and options becomes more of an impediment than a helping hand. They only have so many hours in a day, and choosing what's worth their attention and what isn't becomes a pain, and as a consequence they have an inclination to brush over the important stuff and get way-laid with the unimportant.
Well if you ever find yourself in that case, here is a bare-bones list of the 5 essential website types every independent photographer should have bookmarked and will be using constantly.
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 this end, ensure you bookmark a good online stock photo price calculator. We all used to manage this with hard-copy books, but things move fast these days and new sorts of photography-uses emerge every week, so a live stock photo price calculator is essential.. Be warned though, many photographers are blown away when they first use these... That's because most photographers seriously under-price 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 Reports & Info
If you're ardent -- and you do not mind sitting at a PC all day -- you can subscribe to lots of different newsletters and services to attempt to start current with goings on in the business. Or you'll be able to 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 Internet Sites
It's common knowledge, photographers are gadget-junkies! We are always hunting for that next piece of must-have camera kit that we simply cannot function at our best without. The simple fact we've already functioned quite alright for years without it does not matter... After we know it's out there we simply have to have it. Sound all to 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 Photography Community
Professional photography is usually a solo career so the option to interact with your peers online should not be taken lightly. We all see hundreds of photographs on any particular day, but to be in a position to look at new pictures 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 web forums and portal sites now give working photographers to capability to interact with their peers, share ideas and info and truly grow as artists. And if you are not making good use of them, you're probably 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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