How to Take Photos at an Event to Sell

With the progression of the Internet, it is now easier than ever to sell event photos.

Selling photographs is a popular way to earn extra cash. Professional photographer Lisa Bettany explains that "most photographers start their photographic journey taking photos at special events" and that capturing "spontaneous moments of these events is something all photographers [should] aim to do." Whether you are new to the photography world or a well-experienced expert, selling event photos can help launch or expand your career.

Things You'll Need

• Camera
• Computer
• Photo editor

Instructions

Photograph The Event

1. Photograph event-specific objects, people or locations. Take high-quality photos of objects that relate to the event, such as a banner with people below it. You should also take photographs of the location from both inside and outside.

2. Take generic photos at the event that can be used for a broad range of uses. Take photos of people eating, taking, singing or dancing. Close-ups work well for these types of images and are valued by designers and website owners for their generic functionality.

3. Edit the pictures you have captured using photo editing software. Enhance the brightness, contrast, color and size of the images to make each look better. Crop out any excess background or subject matter than does not compliment the image.

Sell The Pictures

1. Sign up for an account on a Stock Photography website. Visit a website like iStockPhoto.com and register for an account. (see Resources) Agree to the terms and verify your email.

2. Submit your best photos to the website. Browse through the edited event-specific and generic photographs that you captured and submit the best ones you have. Tag and categorize each as appropriate, making sure event-specific images have specific tags that relate to the location or people, and that generic photographs have broad tags.

3. Set the rights to your photos. For each image, set whether you want the photo to be a stock image or an exclusive image. More people will purchase a stock image, but exclusive images often pay more per download.

Tips & Warnings

• Take multiple photos of the same objects, people, or locations. Memory cards are able to store an extremely large amount of images, so take three to five copies of the same subject matter. This will ensure you end up with the best shot possible and that you will not have to sell substandard pictures.

• Always spend a considerable amount of time editing your photos. Edit all of the pictures you feel as though represent your best work and enhance them by changing the brightness, contrast and sharpness. Editing will commonly increase the quality of your images and result in more sales.

• Get out to any and all events you possibly can. The more events you are able to attend, whether private or public, the more images you will have to sell. Look in your local newspaper or online to find public events such as bazaars, fairs or plays.

• Never submit your photographs to more than one website. It is usually against the rules to submit a photograph you have on one website to another. Once an image is on one, you are not allowed to post it on another -- in hopes of accruing more money.

References

• Mostly Lisa: 5 Tips for Taking Better Event Photos
• Derek Powazek: How to Shoot Events

Resources

• iStock Photo