Use Passion to Sell More of Your Stock Photography

Our theme here is: Get Paid to Travel.
But what if you don’t have any travel plans coming up?  Can you still make a living selling your photos while you’re at home?
Absolutely! And you can have a lot of fun doing it, too.
Below is some advice  from stock photographer Andrea Gingerich on how to make a living doing what you love and selling photos you take anywhere… whether on the road, or just taking a walk through your neighborhood.
Enjoy!
–Lori
Lori Allen
Director, Great Escape Publishing
FROM HOBBY TO INCOME: HOW TO CASH IN ON FUN
By Andrea Gingerich in Portland, OR
Before I started shooting for stock, photography was an expensive hobby for me. I didn’t want it to be more than that. In my eyes, if I had a career as a photographer, I assumed that I could never be happy because photography would become “work.” I had no concept that work could actually be fun.
When I began shooting stock photography almost nine years ago, I filled my portfolio with concept images — people in business and education scenarios, and objects that could be used for a myriad of purposes. That was my idea of stock photography.
Fast forward a few years later and I found myself becoming bored and unmotivated. I wasn’t shooting at all. Photography had become work to me and it wasn’t fun anymore.
It was during this time that I decided: I was only going to shoot whatever makes me happy. If it sells, great. If it doesn’t, oh well.
Today, I shoot what I’m passionate about.  And I can guarantee you that I’m always having fun.
I truly believe that if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, it will show in the quality of your work.
Here are a few photos that I’ve taken, purely out of interest in the subject, that sell well as stock:
“New England Aster”

I really enjoy taking macro photos of plants because it allows me to connect with my background in ecology. This photo of a New England Aster flower has sold over 100 times.
“youth”

When I’m out for a walk, I sometimes take my camera. I have developed a knack for finding the smallest things that may go unnoticed by most people. Once I found the word “youth” scrawled in graffiti on a brick wall. It’s proven to be a very useful stock shot, and it’s sold over 100 times.
“At the Salon”

I attended a small iStockphoto meetup in New York City a few years ago. While most of the group was chatting, I wandered away for a series of quick snaps of this model having her hair styled. They weren’t even posed shots and were taken in the mirror!
“portrait”

I gathered with some photographer friends who had very little experience with studio lighting. We set up the lights and I helped everyone get some shots of their own as I taught various techniques.
Because everyone had such a great time, I was able to get some portraits of my friends with amazing, genuine expressions. What was initially going to be just a night of hanging out with friends turned out to be a great stock opportunity for me — I got all of them to sign model releases!
[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.]