landscape photography, making it pay?
 

Hi Guys

I have been doing Landscapephotography for a few years now, any ideas how I can ern from my landscapes?

Cheers
John

Hi John,

It is incredibly difficult to sell landscape photographs these days. You could set up a website, advertise it and hope to sell a few or you could try the stock sites like Alamy, if you can get past their quality control procedures but even then the returns are very low.

Alternatively, you could try taking a stall at a local fete or such like and take prints with you to sell on the day.

Finally, you could approach a gallery if you have one near you and see if they will sell for you on a commission basis

I agree with Steve. It's not an easy shout anymore. I think stock sites are absolutely inundated with stuff, so I would try and think up a new take on selling your work. I know it sounds all negative, but just about everyone has a camera these days, from phone up to top of the range DSLRs and many are idiot proof too, so give decent images at a click of a button.

I have no idea what the answer is, and I have tried most things in the past. You could try Steve's ideas, but don't forget that the economy isn't best placed for spec sales these days. You will probably stand more chance entering the various comps or sending to magazines.

Ditto the above..... websites are so-so, but those people who attend the regular round of local art and craft fairs probably do best. That means making a choice of your finest images (perhaps with some advice and the critical opinions of maybe a professional, members of a camera club, Flickr etc) then making plenty of matted prints, ready to sell (I understand that people prefer to buy matted prints and then make their own framing choices, and that's not a bad thing!) So perhaps choose your best 20 and have three of each 'ready to go'.... it's a tricky balance - but I dare say you'd get a feel for what the public wants fairly quickly and then tailor your photography to suit.

How do you get the opinions of camera club members? Just volunteer your services as a speaker/presenter - they may pay you anyway, at least expenses - show your best work, judge the reactions of the audience. This, by the way, can also lead to a regular round of presenting at camera clubs and that can be an earner in itself, as well as letting you become better known in your area.

It's a matter of researching and knowing your market. Your kind of photography, that which pleases you, may not be commercially viable, so you have to bite the bullet and build up a portfolio of images that you personally are not too enamoured with, which in the end could become a chore and may put you off photography altogether.

I don't think you will make a fortune giving club talks, although as Geoff says it will give you some idea where your work stacks up in the scheme of things, but then again you will be talking to a photographically aware audience, not to Joe Public who you want to sell to.

I do about four or five a year, not with the intention of making money, I leave the fee up to the club I'm visiting and ask them to donate it to my local hospice. That usually 'fattens' up the fee as they don't want to appear somewhat stingy as it's for a good cause.

My local area has had some bad press lately and I’m hoping to show the beautiful landscapes that surround us. In just a few miles I can go from heavy industry, rugged coast, bleak moorland, lush forests and hills.
This diversity is hopefully the focus for my landscapes.

I work full time in education and have loads of holidays, my photography is a hobbie but i'm hoping it can help pay for better kit etc..

My firstthoughts is to put together a website/ gallery and enter a few competitions, hopefully selling a few postcards/ prints online too.

What do you guys think?

MY advice...... GO FOR IT.. if it makes you happy then do it. I Am, just built my first website, i think just try and get your name out there, so advertise, always carry business cards, and if you have any freinds that work/own shops, ask them to put out your cards, etc etc, May i ask where You live?
Also dont be afraid to try different photos and techniques, look at websites from local togs, and see what you can do that will put you above them..
dan

I think you have to be pretty special to make money from this area of photography. Few people make a living from it and even those who do expand so that landscape photography is a part of their business.

Joe Cornish, has a gallery in Northallerton, he does talks for which he can charge hundreds of pounds for a couple of hours, he runs courses.

One of the tutors he uses, a very good medium format landscape photographer says that he makes far more money teaching other people to take landscape shots than he ever makes actually selling them.

I holiday in the Lake District or Northumberland each year & see folk selling shots at the local market or town hall. I have no idea how many they sell but I've never been tempted to buy anything. I would assume you need to target your audience in an area where you can get trade like this.

It would be interesting to know out of all the people who set up websites selling photos, how many actually sell.

I'm not really a landscape photographer & wouldn't really consider buying any, though I am interested to view galleries & market stalls but purely out of a 'professional' interest & for ideas.

How many photos have people round here bought from someone in the last few years?

I dont think youd find many photographers that will buy prints, there is a guy down here who sells prints of the jurrasic coast on the harbourside here, i now he does fairly well from it, in high tourist season your bound to sell a few like this, generallly tourism is the best time to sell shots, people go on hol, and want a nice reminder of it,
ill agree with cathus, teaching does seem to be the way forward if you want more money from it,

dan

Yes, teaching appears to be a big earner for any photographer.... but the ones who can make a living from it have to have a reputation for the potential punters to trust - nobody (should) be spending big cash on somebody whose reputation is unknown... but I expect many do, attracted by the locations in the case of all those photographers who do photography weekends in photogenic spots. (Who would refuse a trip to Venice if they could afford it easily?).

But how to build a reputation is the big question.... somehow get known to the general public via magazine articles etc can work - but don't forget perhaps the biggest 'pool' of avid photographers - the camera clubs, starting with your local area.