How to Sell Photos to Card Companies
Photography is an art form that can turn into a money-making venture if you know the markets available for your work. One of the best markets for freelance photographers is the greeting card industry. Companies such as Hallmark and American Greetings buy freelance photography to adorn their cards. Earnings vary widely, with top publishers paying up to $200 per photograph and smaller companies up to $50.
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Instructions
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Take photographs with themes in mind. Think about photographs that would make great shots for holiday cards, romantic cards and joke cards. The wider variety of photographs you take, the more likely you are to find a market. Each photograph should "say" something visually or lend itself to verse ideas.
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Browse greeting cards at the store. Make a note of the companies that use the types of photographs you take. You can usually find the name of the card company on back of the greeting cards, sometimes with addresses.
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Use freelance writers' databases to locate contact information and submission guidelines for greeting card companies (see Resources below). These sources often give photography and art work guidelines as well.
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Read the "Freelance Photographer's Market," published by Writer's Digest Books. This book lists all types of freelance opportunities for photographers and provides contact information, submission guidelines and payment information.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't worry about an agent to sell greeting card photography. It's just as easy to sell quality work to greeting card companies directly, and you'll save the 10 percent agent's fee.
