career
Turn your photography hobby into a career; learn how to sell your photos, curate your portfolio, become a freelance photography and more.
Marketing Strategies for Photographers
There are many arguments on the Internet about what makes up a “professional” photographer. People say you need this skill or that skill. Or that you need to have top-end equipment. Some even say that you have to shoot in a certain mode or style to be a professional.
By Darryl Brooks5 years ago in Photography
What Is Stock Photography?
What is Stock Photography? Open up any magazine and flip through it, looking at the pictures. Unless it is a picture of a specific product being advertised or a specific person that was photographed as part of an article or ad, it is a stock photograph. Do the same for websites. As you can see 95% of all images used for commercial purposes (and to a lesser degree for editorial) are stock photographs.
By Darryl Brooks5 years ago in Photography
How to Start a Stock Photography Business
When I was shooting film, back in the 1980s, I tried stock photography. But it didn’t take much research, which was also more difficult then, to discover that the time and cost involved made it a non-starter for me. You had to print and label hundreds of slides, mail them to various agencies, and then hope.
By Darryl Brooks5 years ago in Photography
Why I Photograph Boudoir Portraits
The history of men and women in western culture doesn't exude equality, and in recent years the women's empowerment movement has picked up quite a bit of steam. Between the rise of greater equality between men and women in heterosexual homes from household duties to responsibilities with children and positions of leadership, western society is getting the picture--women are important.
By Justin Mikkelsen5 years ago in Photography
My hometown
Greetings, my name is Gerald Kokra and I am 26 years old. The story about my hometown is full of colors, authenticity, and uniqueness. But, before I go further into it let me first properly introduce myself, and what it is that I do. I am a freelance photographer based in the Bronx ( NYC). I love documentary, portrait, and fashion photography. I would define my style as realism, which is the main reason why I still shoot film these days. The accuracy, and translation to moods and colors are astonishing. My introduction to photography was actually quite a long journey, growing up I was always attracted to art. By the time I was 16 years of age living in Abidjan I started playing the guitar, but I did not have enough money to afford a camera so I would browse the internet to look at photographs or buy magazines and sit for hours looking at the beauty behind them. The idea of being a photographer or working in the art world always resonated, but considering the circumstances of my culture it was impossible to do so back then. Being a photographer in Abidjan wasn't taken seriously, people were often mocked for being broke or just not taken seriously at all. I left my hometown in 2011, after a political war/conflict. I have fled to France and later came to the United States of America. Fast forward to the year 2018, exactly in August after my mom passed I realized that life was too short to sleep on my dreams so I decided to pursue photography. It has been a very rough, long but extremely exciting journey. I have made it a mission to make it more acceptable in my society to be an Artist, especially for kids wanting to pursue a photography career. I have a strong desire to have my work exhibited and shown across the globe one day to inspire and motivate those who don't believe that it's possible to still make their dreams a reality. One of my biggest ambitions once becoming an established photographer would be to have workshops available wherever I could for kids who have no means to afford classes but are wanting to learn. My project "ABJ" has a heavy sentimental value to me as it was my first time returning home as a photographer.
By Gerald kokra5 years ago in Photography
Photography in 2021
I first took up photography as a hobby in order to make a little extra money. I was less than successful, even after a few years. For a couple of good reasons. I wasn't exactly on top with popular demand. And everyone I reached to on social media only looked and gave comments. Even after setting up my own photography site. One that offers prints, mugs, bookmarks, etc... I still make little to no money. And I haven't taken any new photos worth uploading in a long while. I even thought of offering to do photography services in my spare time briefly. But I decided to stay home when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. 2020 wasn't exactly a good year for anybody. But with 2021 just around the corner. I've decided to do things a little differently for the upcoming New Year. I'm seriously considering on taking up a pro photography course online. I really hate to brag, but I'm fairly skilled as an amateur photographer. But I figure my best bet on getting an actual photography job or set myself up as a freelance photographer is to get a professional certification. I know for a fact that tuition for an online photography school isn't gonna be cheap. Then again, the camera I have my eye on is also rather expensive. And I'm considering a laptop tablet to use for business purposes. I'm expecting it to be bit of a gamble. But it's a gamble I look forward to taking. Maybe I'll get to be a self-employed photographer with well paying clients. Or at least a side-hustle that'll cover the expenses for a long overdue vacation.
By Matthew Sposato5 years ago in Photography
Clueless but hopeful
I recently opened an account on Clickasnap, which is a site similar to Shutterstock; where you can post your images and people can purchase them. Clickasnap also pays its premium users per 5 second original view. The site isn't limited to just photography. You can also upload original digital art. Being a fairly creative person, I was excited about the prospect of being able to upload the PNG images I create and post a fee for anyone who wanted to buy them. It was an idea inspired by my recent purchase of a Cricut machine and the ability to create my own images with my Huion digital art pad; then transfer those into the design space program in order to create completely original designs, which was something I did for personalizing gifts over the holidays.
By Katrina Norman5 years ago in Photography
