Hey all I'm at a dilemma- not making money atm and people have been commenting on my water pics on flicker ( 4 people have called 4 different photos a favorite) so question: Do I buy an SLR now to make prints and sell them? Or just wait it off until I can afford 2 buy one ( was gonna buy it on a CC)?

Is it kinda just wishful thinking to think I could sell them?

Love M

thanks pro



[Edited 5/3/09 0:36am]

Are you talking to yourself again?

mcmeekle said:

say what?

missmad said:

Thanking pro, who hasn't posted on this thread.

Nevermind, my post isn't worthy of any scrutiny!

Opened my RedBubble account 1 year ago. 97 images, 39 people have added me to their watch list, with hundreds and hundreds of comments. Total views = 10,105!

Check me out. I'm not too bad, right?

http://www.redbubble.com/...nicholaspr

Total sales:

27 Nov 08 Memorial Flower 2.0 Greeting Card 1 £0.32

Well... I'll weigh in only because CC debt has made life nothing short of difficult for me...

I wouldn't do it until I tested the waters... if you took great pics with the camera you have now then frame them inexpensively, price them well and set up a table at the farmers market on a weekend. See how well they sell. What kind of response you get from those just walking by. Not only will you get an idea of who your market is but people will ask questions about your work and you can find out what people may be looking for...

good luck!

Fauxie said:

Wow Nick, I LOVE THOSE PICTURES !

You really have some talent. Are you a professional photographer or is this just a hobby ?

KoolEaze said:

More just a hobby.

And thanks!

mcmeekle said:

We were org noting.
[Edited 5/3/09 4:13am]

Steadwood said:

thanks hun and yea good idea till I'm in surplus!

Fauxie said:

Not bad at all hun! Awwwww

RenHoek said:

Good advice thank you! Yes CC debt is making lives miserable!

missmad said:

I agree with Kev
I have a friend who sold a few on a stock photo site, but over the last 2 years he has made less than $100. For most stock sites you need a minimum model camera .

Buy it


[Edited 5/3/09 7:38am]

Wait 'till you can buy it outright. Think about how many extra photos you'd have to sell to pay the interest on the purchase.

ZombieKitten said:

thanks sweets!!!!! Sorry bout yesterday had unexpected comapny.
[Edited 5/3/09 8:29am]

Mars23 said:

Yea a lot!!!!! Thanks hun!

If we're talking stock sites, unless you really know what you're doing as far as very precisely targeted, useful stock images, you will never, ever get close to making back what you spend on an SLR.

A good site will reject your sunsets and flowers. It's all about interracial business handshakes, cocktails by the pool, and fruit splashing into super sharp water.

Missmad, please take my response with a grain of salt. Selling prints is hard. There are INCREDIBLY talented photographers that do not sell. With the advent of digital photography, it is incredibly diluted also. Please don't gauge your marketability by flickr fave tags. It is not a barometer of sales. Again, it may sound harsh, but it is the truth. Understand, I am NOT telling you to give up a dream of maybe doing this as something you love. I love photography and want the world to shoot and share, I do.

My advice? Buy the SLR to become a better photographer. That alone is worth the price of the body.

Please don't buy it and expect your print sales to pay for the price of it though.

Happy shooting!

I realise that sounded either really bitter or a bit pessimistic to say the least.

I just think it's important to be buying the camera anyway, for the love of taking pictures, and not specifically because of any expectations of selling your work. Stock sites are tough, but of course there are other ways to sell your photos, online and off, if stock sites aren't for you.

Stock sites bug me because my favourite of my pics (and I think my best) usually involve people, and unless they're of family or friends it's usually virtually impossible to get the model release you need to put it on a stock site. Try getting a Thai woman at the floating market to sign a piece of paper so you can sell pictures of her on the internet.

Sites like Redbubble I really enjoy though, but I don't make hardly any money from them. Just good feedback and more of a community vibe, a bit like Flickr I imagine.

JerseyKRS said:

Uncanny!

JerseyKRS said:

I love the truth spill it! Harsh smarsh, truth is truth!!
agreed

good advice i think most think ( like me) that until they get into it!

Fauxie said:

no i wasn't but thanks hun

Fauxie said:

oh no i want to buy one eventually but thought that id get the $ back not right away though, obviously not. Agreed, love of photos!

Oh wow LOL, did u succeed? Yea i signed up there but haven't put anything up yet, i think so as well as selling yea?

Fauxie said:

LOL

missmad said:

Did I succeed? Hard to answer really. I only got a little Nikon D40x, but I think it led to me improving quite a bit, and then input from other photographers taught me some good stuff. It really helped me take my enthusiasm and focus it on enjoying photography even more and getting a kick out of getting better at it. As far as sales, I routinely sell on one stock site, but only make tiny amounts at a time, and on the main site I go on you saw my one solitary sale.

I must confess I got a little tired of it all a couple of months ago (after taking pictures every day for months), so decided to take a break. I've so many images on my computer that still need post-processing and I'm just too busy right now. I know I'll come back to it because I love photography. That's the main thing and an SLR can help you take that enjoyment and your photos to a whole new level. That and a good site with other enthusiastic, helpful, passionate photographers.

Fauxie said:

thanks hun but i wasn't clear sorry i meant did u succeed with the lady in thailand?

but really appreciative that u took the time out to answer that question and type it all.

LOL- one print at a time hun.

Agreed I get sick of it after a while 2 but u come nack 2 it cause you love it-can't live withoout it another extension of ur personality/who u r.

Right lots of great sites out there, as long as peeps love what they do.

missmad said:

Sorry, I'm knackered and should be in bed already. No, I didn't succeed with that. I was in a boat going through the market when I took all my pics so it was just impossible. It usually is. Even more difficult with crowds.

Night. Happy snapping!