Photo sales during time of crisis

What would happen if you lost your job? What if you couldn’t work? Do you have enough savings? Or another backup plan in place?
Sometimes life throws you curves. It’s not something you want to think about, and most of us don’t plan for it. But the reality is, it happens every day to good people all over the world, whether you’re ready for it or not.
Last year, I had to take a five-month leave from my job to take care of a loved one in a critical situation. I was petrified. Mentally and physically exhausted, I was stressed out with the matter at hand. And knowing there would be nothing but medical bills on the other side was frightening. With no pay-checks arriving in their usual clockwork manner, I was faced with a decision…give up or fight back…
I needed something I could do from anywhere, something that wouldn’t take up much of my time, and something with decent income potential. The light at the end of this tunnel came from the photography skills and confidence I’d gained over the past couple of years. It was time to take action!
I got crafty, forging avenues of photo sales I’d given little thought to before. Normally I’d be out chasing storm and lightning photo opportunities, but, since that wasn’t an option now, I decided to pursue microstock and quickly found ways to get creative, making images from the resources I had at my fingertips. Taking these stock photos provided a much-needed distraction during down times and got the income rolling in again.
Although it was a start, I needed something else to help in the short-term (it takes a while to build up a solid, income-while-you-sleep stock portfolio). With that in mind, I began a full photo sales blitz. I made calls offering prints to local businesses to hang on their walls. I sent out inquiries and samples to companies selling fine art prints through various retail outlets. I began asking friends and family if they needed, or knew of anyone else who could use a professional headshot. I quickly learned that headshots are in high demand. They serve many purposes for companies, are a great benefit to employees, and are quick and lucrative for photographers!
Through all the curve balls life threw at me, photography proved not only to be a therapeutic way to center myself and better care for my family but it has also offered an adaptable and widely diversified stream of income.
Now that life has returned to a somewhat normal state, I look back at those months and realize I survived off my photography alone. And I’m excited that my Plan B could, one day soon, be my A Plan.
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[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.]