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It probably will not come as any great surprise to you to learn that the growth of the Internet has thrown up an unprecedented amount of money making opportunities.
One such opportunity is the demand for digital images. It used to be that if one wanted to be a commercial photographer they would need an expensive camera, lighting equipment, a range of lenses, lens hoods, light meters, lens covers, a flash system etc etc and maybe their own studio space. Whilst this equipment can obviously still come in handy, the format shift from exotic and expensive media to simple electronic formats has really opened up the market to newcomers. Now anyone with a half decent digital camera and a good eye for framing can make a good living simply by taking and selling photographs. One of the fastest growing fields of photography is the advent of large online stock photograph sites. Stock photographs are the images used by professionals and semi-professionals as background images or for one-time-use rights. They appear in advertisements, in brochures on websites and in a variety of other marketing material. Stock photography has been around for quite a while but the online stock photography sites (also referred to a Microstock sites) are a relatively recent phenomenon. What distinguishes these Microstock sites from the traditional stock photography outlets is that they source their material almost exclusively from the Internet; do so from a wider range of photographers than the traditional sites (including amateur photographers and hobby enthusiasts) and sell their images at a much lower rate than was traditionally the case. Clients are able to license stock photos for just $1 or $2 and photographers earn money each time a client chooses one of their photos. You can quickly see that a bunch of half decent photos that can be downloaded by clients several times a day can quickly turn into a very nice second income. The prevailing ethos here is that of quantity. The images on microstock sites earn less than their traditional counterparts but the increased demand for digital images (because of the explosive growth of the Internet) as well as the ease of delivery that the Internet provides, will lead to as much money being made from many smaller sales than as is the case from a few larger sales on the traditional stock photography sites. Although by no means the only place someone can sell their photos, micro-stock photography sites are an ideal place for the beginning photographer to start selling his/her images. Entry requirements are not restrictive and if your already have or are thinking of getting a digital camera you are ready to go. The fact of the matter is that you probably have a host of money making images sitting on your hard drive right now! |
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