Sitting on the floor in a room full of pictures, I let out a heavy sigh and began the tedious job of sorting the image packages into envelopes.
My Dad and I had just picked up the prints from a high school prom shoot we completed, and now we had to prepare them for our clients. There was no simple way of doing this. Fill each envelope, cross reference it against the names, and make sure they had paid. Then Dad would deliver the photos to the parents.
I wish we had today's solutions back then. Today, I've completed much more complex jobs without ever touching a print or wading through envelopes.
How? The technical part of selling your photography has never been easier than it is these days. You have a range of solutions to help you promote, sell, and collect for your images. None of them require any technical knowledge or ability.
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Types of photography services
- Selling fine art prints
- Selling prints & packages from commissioned work
- Selling image files for stock/editorial
- Selling photos from events
- Teaching what you know
Options for selling photography online:
All in one service (Photo website + printing, distributing & e-commerce)
Pros
- Easy to manage
- Usually created just for photographers
- Benefits of SEO
- Cleaner presentation to clients
Cons
- Flexibility
- Could be a little more expensive
Examples
Use your website. Pair with e-commerce printing service
Pros
- Keep your existing website
- Create streamlined service
- Good subdomain option
Cons
- Another management portal
- May not keep brand consistency
- Lose SEO value
Examples
Professional printer service
Pros
- Maintain the "old school" touch and feel
- Oversee quality control
- Customize your presentation
Cons
- Time intensive - Hard to automate & scale
- Turnaround times might be slower
- Expectation management
Examples
Marketplace
Pros
- You just create. Let others do the selling & fulfillment
- Ultimate passive income
Cons
- You compete with everyone else with no differentiation opportunity
- Your work is commoditized
- Hard to stand out
- You have to promote them (everyone else), not just you
Examples