your first sale?

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Colin" <colin.marr@gmail.com> writes:

> wondering how, in general, folks have gone about making their first
> sale? Any advice on where to go, who to approach, maybe even how to
> phrase it?

A guy came up to me in school and asked if he could get a print of one
of my pictures, and we agreed on a price.

Um, you need to be a LOT more specific to get useful answers. Are you
trying to sell art to galleries, or photojournalism to the wire
services, or what?
--
David Dyer-Bennet, <mailto d-b@dd-b.net>, <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/&gt;
RKBA: <http://noguns-nomoney.com/&gt; <http://www.dd-b.net/carry/&gt;
Pics: <http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/&gt; <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/&gt;
Dragaera/Steven Brust: <http://dragaera.info/&gt;

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Colin" <colin.marr@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1106604845.401466.68830@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> wondering how, in general, folks have gone about making their first
> sale? Any advice on where to go, who to approach, maybe even how to
> phrase it?

If you are trying to go "pro" then I'd suggest you first conduct a survey of
your skills and what you like doing. When you have established that (even
though it might be fuzzy) then survey your local area to detect alignments
between what you would like to do and what is needed. Or, look at the broad
market and determine how you could fit in.

Wedding photographers (and event photographers) can do well.

Art photographers often have to travel to shows and make an up-front
investment with products (prints, frames, etc.). Or, they can link with
local galleries and dealers.

Photo journalists can sometimes get a start by lurking, snapping shots and
then taking samples to local publishers.

There is a lot to this and hope that the above is somewhat helpful.

Good luck.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

hmmm... just trying to find any buyer at this point... :-)

or even someone who'd publish them for a start... have "cold called"
via email a couple of local newspapers, etc... not much headway yet...
feedback on the pix is always excellent though...

http://www.colinmarr.com/

first goal is to make some cash towards the next camera...
just baby steps...

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Colin wrote:
> hmmm... just trying to find any buyer at this point... :-)
>
> or even someone who'd publish them for a start... have "cold called"
> via email a couple of local newspapers, etc... not much headway
> yet... feedback on the pix is always excellent though...
>
> http://www.colinmarr.com/
>
> first goal is to make some cash towards the next camera...
> just baby steps...


A thought or two:

To sell a picture, you must have something a buyer wants badly enough to
exchange money for its use.

Do you have something? Who is the likely buyer?

Do you have a buyer in mind? If you have something appropriate, how will
you bring it to his attention?

It seems to me the whole thing hinges on accidental or calculated
*uniqueness* of your image meeting a natural or created *need*. You can
start at either end of that relationship: learn the needs of prospective
buyers and make distinctive images to fulfil them, or make unique images
and convince buyers they need them.

My first sale was so buyer-specific I knew if he saw it he would _have_
to have it, so I just sent it along with an offer for one-time US rights
and a price, and he couldn't pay me fast enough. Lucky, yes; alert to
the environment and making imaginative connections resulted the
grab-shot as an inevitable sale.

My last sale, by contrast, was just a minor but sweet change on a common
and enjoyable theme. I gifted a small print to a gregarious, social
person, and the requests keep on coming.

Neither of those was taken with what could be considered 'professional'
equipment, nor was either technically flawless. Composition and 'punch'
were excellent, and content won the day.

All this to say there are myriad determinants of sales, *not* among the
most important of which is equipment.


--
Frank ess
aibohphobia, n., The fear of palindromes.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <g-OdnUPw14zDS2rcRVn-hA@giganews.com>, frank@fshe2fs.com says...
>
>Colin wrote:
>> hmmm... just trying to find any buyer at this point... :-)
>>
>> or even someone who'd publish them for a start... have "cold called"
>> via email a couple of local newspapers, etc... not much headway
>> yet... feedback on the pix is always excellent though...
>>
>> http://www.colinmarr.com/
>>
>> first goal is to make some cash towards the next camera...
>> just baby steps...
>
>
>A thought or two:
>
>To sell a picture, you must have something a buyer wants badly enough to
>exchange money for its use.
>
>Do you have something? Who is the likely buyer?
>
>Do you have a buyer in mind? If you have something appropriate, how will
>you bring it to his attention?
>
>It seems to me the whole thing hinges on accidental or calculated
>*uniqueness* of your image meeting a natural or created *need*. You can
>start at either end of that relationship: learn the needs of prospective
>buyers and make distinctive images to fulfil them, or make unique images
>and convince buyers they need them.
>
>My first sale was so buyer-specific I knew if he saw it he would _have_
>to have it, so I just sent it along with an offer for one-time US rights
>and a price, and he couldn't pay me fast enough. Lucky, yes; alert to
>the environment and making imaginative connections resulted the
>grab-shot as an inevitable sale.
>
>My last sale, by contrast, was just a minor but sweet change on a common
>and enjoyable theme. I gifted a small print to a gregarious, social
>person, and the requests keep on coming.
>
>Neither of those was taken with what could be considered 'professional'
>equipment, nor was either technically flawless. Composition and 'punch'
>were excellent, and content won the day.
>
>All this to say there are myriad determinants of sales, *not* among the
>most important of which is equipment.
>
>
>--
>Frank ess
>aibohphobia, n., The fear of palindromes.

Frank, very well stated. I wish I could have said those things nearly as well.
You got me to thinking about the images that I have sold as *stock* over the
years, and realized that the one that has generated the most sales, though
maybe not in $ terms, was a snapshot of my wife, sitting on a carrousel horse
at a now long-defunct amusement park. While done with a Nikon F w/ 105 f/2.5,
it was just a grab-shot that looked nice.

With more reflection, I suppose my first "big sale" was some helicopter shots
that I did, while filming a training piece for an offshore exploration client,
while still in film school. After a day with a CP-16 on my shoulder, I grabbed
some Nikons and went up to the working deck of the platform, just as a
helicopter from an offshore ferry service landed. I shot about 3 rolls of it,
mainly with 20mm lens and a Polarizer. When I made C-prints of the chromes a
gift to the director of marketing for that company, they bought the entire
shoot for their annual report, plus ancillary ad usage. Maybe that is why I
didn't persue motion, even with a degree in film, and ended up shooting ad
stills for the rest of my life...

Thanks for the comments,
Hunt