How to Make Money Taking Pictures with a 35mm Camera
Photography can be a fun and entertaining hobby or, with a little hard work and talent, it can become a nice money making venture. Even if you aren't technically a professional photographer, you can still make money taking photos. Just think--with a keen eye and the right outlet, those vacation photos could be putting money in your pocket!
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Instructions
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Learn What Makes a Great Shot
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The first step to making money taking photographs is to learn how to take photographs that make money. You can do this through classes at your local junior college or community center or buy one of the many books available that explain how to properly use your camera and take great photographs. Then, practice, practice, practice.
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Now, find a subject that interests you. Maybe you love to take photos of people or pets, or maybe you prefer to take photos of landscapes and buildings. Portrait, special event and wedding photography are very different from travel or scenic photography. What you like to photograph may help determine which is right for you.
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Once you know how to use your camera and you know what you like to take photos of, you need to put together a portfolio. The easiest way to do this is online with digital photos. But it can be done with a 35mm film camera, by scanning either your printed photos or the negatives. Then upload the image files onto your computer. You can do this yourself or have a service do it for you. You can use a simple online account like one at Flickr or Picassa or you can build a blog-style portfolio with a Wordpress template. If you have web design skills or know someone who does, build a whole website dedicated to your photography. If you prefer to work with hard copies of your photos, buy a nice photo album for your portfolio.
Find a Sales Outlet
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If you are interested in portrait or special event photography, you can start finding clients right away in your area. Check at popular special event rental halls for bulletin boards, place ads in free classified sections of local papers and of course, use Craigslist to list your service for free. Ask friends and family to refer you when they find out someone is having a special event.
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For pet photography, leave your information at local vets, animal shelters, training facilities, pet stores and dog parks. People love to have photos taken of their pets.
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Travel photography is a great way to make money from your vacation. But your standard snapshots aren't going to sell. You'll need professional-quality photographs that magazines can use to accompany articles about an area. Visit the websites of your favorite travel magazines to find out what articles are coming up and contact the editor to see if they need photos for the stories. Be sure to include a link to your portfolio or, if you're working with printed photos, you will have to send in copies to the photo editor.
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Stock photography is another way to make good money. Stock photography is generally very competitive, so spend time checking out what types of photos sell well. You can visit stock photography website to see what styles they prefer. Stock photography can be of nearly anything--people, pets, landscapes, buildings--even things lying around your house. Set up an account on these websites and once you've scanned your prints, start uploading your images.
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Once you've sold your photographs, be sure to update your portfolio to say where it was used or link to it. That will help you get additional business.
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Tips & Warnings
Find out what other amateur photographers are charging in your area to help set reasonable rates. Always be improving. Read books and take classes whenever you can. Don't get discouraged. Selling photographs doesn't happen overnight.
