Next to people and products, fashion photography is one of the most popular areas of commercial photography. Images are used for a wide range of uses: to tell a story (editorial), to sell apparel (catalogs, websites), and to promote a fashion brand (advertising). Not to be confused with portrait photography, models are almost always used to achieve the highest level of focus on the products.
There’s no question that travel photography has long been a top pick when photographers look at career paths. The promise of seeing the world, making images, and getting paid for it all is a very attractive proposition. But does reality meet fantasy here? To find out we interviewed four photographers from the travel field to get their feedback on sales, marketing, and how they feel about the changes in the travel photography business. It is not an easy road. Photographers have had to adapt to new technology, to changes wrought by eCommerce, and to the shift from assignment work to stock sales. Each of these photographers have made many changes to compete successfully in this business.
Travel photography is one of the most oft-named areas of interest by photographers polled in my marketing workshops and classes. The allure is undeniable--it seems to be all about exotic places to visit and fascinating people to meet. While lots of photographers want to get into travel photography it's also one of the most competitive fields in free-lance...
Getting work as a travel photographer has never been easy. Today, factors of the economy and technology have added obstacles that require even more knowledge and planning. The travel photographers we interviewed work with clients ranging from editorial to corporate and advertising. Each have their own story, but they all share certain thoughts about the business.
Born and raised in the Midwest, Raymond Meeks (www.raymondmeeks.net) came to fine art photography after establishing a successful career in the advertising and editorial markets. His love for song and story led to his success in fine art photography exhibitions and book publishing. In reviewing his work Miguel Garcia-Guzman says, “I...
One of my favorite topics is helping you find ways to make money with your photography. Greeting card and calendar clients seem “hidden” only because most photography marketing articles usually focus on the bigger and broader markets like advertising, editorial, or even weddings and portraiture. But the “paper products” companies are still publishing, even moving into e-cards, and they still need images. I will confess, surrounded as I am by photography and photographers, I am still a Gold-Crown-card-carrying Hallmark club member!
Just as you thought everything is swinging to online promotion, a new type of printed portfolio book has finally broken through and onto the scene. The printing of an actual "coffee-table" book as a portfolio uses the latest technology as a business tool for you to market your services. Presenting prospective clients with a beautifully bound and printed book makes a...
What's new in the stock photography business? As most photographers already know, the business of stock photography has changed dramatically in the last five years. It no longer can be supplied with photos left over from an assignment or old photos sitting in a file drawer. Stock photo sales can be a potential profit center, but only for those willing to put in the time and...
With commercial clients turning more often to stock photos, many photographers are looking for ways to keep themselves in business. At the same time, art photography markets are looking for new and fresh images. These art photography clients can be the more traditional consumer markets such as galleries and individual collectors. They can also be the more commercial art clients...
As image technology progresses, professional photographers face new challenges to build and expand their businesses. Finding new revenue streams and securing the maximum amount of promotional exposure can seem daunting. The industry keeps evolving and pros must evolve as well. Getting into photography workshops can be a source of income and a prime opportunity to generate business...
While the destiny of the commercial photographer is still in the hands of the current corporate and advertising economy, the pro-active consumer portrait photographer seems to be doing well, even considering the times. Yet challenges remain from the shopping mall photo studio (26 photos for just $7.99!) to the DIY market, where everyone with a D-SLR gets in on the act.
Publicity is one of the most overlooked areas of marketing for photographers. The protocol for obtaining this less conspicuous but very important promotional tool has three basic steps: submission of information about your work to the media; confirmation of acceptance; and final publishing. Publicity provides benefits without the high cost of ads or the labor-intensive effort of...
Gallery exhibit openings, fine art collectors calling, fine art book sales—all of these are every photographer’s dream for their personal work. Some even dream of fine art photography as a career. While creating art photography is one topic, selling the work is quite another. For as many high-tech changes as there have been in the art field (selling prints online!) there are still traditional marketing techniques such as research and print presentation that can make a difference. For this year’s focus on fine art we talk with an expert in the field, Mary Virginia Swanson.
Since my first explorations of the stock photography industry, there have been many changes and upheavals in the business. In this column, I hope to sort out some of the most important changes that have occurred. One is the relationship of the photographer and the stock agency and the changing nature of the agency business itself. Indeed, many stock agencies are now called stock distributors since they no longer work as agents to “represent” photographers. For photographers, there is an even higher degree of specialized subject knowledge and/or access to a subject required for a reasonable sales return on the work.
While commercial advertising photographers (and other specialties) might be touched negatively by the economy and changing technology, event photographers continue to expand their work and markets. Yes, the economy has changed with every parent bringing a high-end digital camera to their kid’s school events. Yes, event photographers today must invest in equipment to print and sell photos online. But there is work here, for both the consumer and corporate event photographer.
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