Even the Pros had to Start Somewhere

Dear Photographer,
A great way to get started in stock photography (and stay motivated) is to find a stock photo agency online, look through their pictures, find a few photographers whose portfolios you like, and then sort their pictures by age so that you can look all the way back to the first few photos they uploaded when they were first starting out.
Professional stock photographer Lise Gagne did this with us today to show how far she’s come in just a few short years.
If you look at some of her earlier work, you’ll quickly see that she’s no different than you.  She started with a point-and-shoot camera she bought at a local pawn shop and an interest in taking pictures she could sell for a second income.
You can see some of Lise’s “then” and “now” pictures here:
“Then”:



 
“Now”:



These days, it’s hard to get into a microstock agency with a point-and-shoot. But the good news is that you’ll pay just a few  hundred dollars today for a camera that would have cost you several thousand dollars a few years ago.
In addition, with sites like eBay and craigslist, you can often find slightly used equipment for even cheaper.
Here are a few more pictures attendees got this weekend here in Portland:

Jaqueline Harvey

Tinker Lucas

Wendy Swanson
When they get home, they’ll also get step-by-step videos that explain how to set up a shoot, how to set their camera, and how to get the best shot.
I hope you’ll take advantage of it and get your stock portfolio up and working toward your first check before the holidays.
Take care,
Lori
P.S. On our first day here in Portland, professional photographer Shelly Perry told us that horizontal photos sell better than verticals.  She also said that objects on white sell better than objects on black.
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.  Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]