If you feel that your photography skills are more than just a hobby, and you love sharing your work online, then the next step is to explore different ways of selling your photos. Online platforms help emerging photographers gain exposure, and are a great resource if you’ve decided to take the leap and want to sell your work professionally. Selling your own artwork is particularly good for students who are looking to make a name for themselves. Embarking on the decision to sell your art can be daunting for anyone, especially if you have decided to do it independently rather than through an art dealer or agency. It is important to promote your work, find the right place to sell, and build a strong client base, here are our tips on how you can do just that.
Do it Yourself
Once you have succeeded in attracting a substantial following for your artwork, and have gained interest online, you may consider selling your photos directly from your website. Opting out of the agency route is only a sensible decision, if you are sure you can attract customers without the help of a reputable online platform. If you think this is the right choice for your work, then you would essentially have to create an online shop, which is a lot easier than it sounds. There are numerous companies who offer advice on creating an ecommerce website. The advantage of doing it yourself would be that you wouldn’t have to pay a fee to an agency, and you could determine the price range on your own terms.
Find the Right Platform
Every professional photographer values their work, and wants it to be presented in the right context; the same goes for selling photos, just as you would want your photos to be exhibited in a great exhibition, or published in a prolific arts magazine, you would want your photos to be sold on the right website. Sites like Dreamstime are good for absolute beginners, and photographers receive a commission between 30% and 60%, whereas Etsy is great for selling prints and artists have complete control over the price. For the more serious photographers, iStockphoto is a good option as there is a pretty competitive vetting process. There are a lot more sites and agencies to choose from, so this is a good place to start.
Promote Your Work
Coming up with a business plan for your art work may feel a little soul destroying, especially if you are not doing it for the money, but if you are serious about selling your photos, then you need to construct a strategy to promote your work. Social media is a good way to gain an audience, as is keeping a blog and getting others to review and write about your photos online. These days, pretty much all professional artists have a website and various social media channels, because it is the best way to promote your work and increase sales.
