How do I sell my photos?

Question

I take photos of buildings, statues etc in London. Some of them take a great deal of effort to do, like all of Charing Cross station nothern line took weeks to build up the complete image. Who do I try to sell photos too? What is the position of copyright for a statue or artwork? I don't mind doing work for a client with no obligation to buy if they don't want to.

Answer 1

There are multiple ways to sell your images.

It looks like you are trying to stay local, so a suggestion would be to try local art galleries first. Smaller art galleries are almost always more than willing to promote a local artist. Also, some towns and rural areas have craft shows where people can show off and sell their work.

Another way is to check out online stock photo agencies such as Getty Images, Istockphoto, Bigstockphoto and Dreamstime. By signing up at more than one you are increasing your chances to sell an image. However, I'm not sure how they work on volume selling.

Word of mouth is the cheapest and one of the most effective advertising campaigns out there. Offer some free work to friends and relatives in hopes they'll tell other people about your work. It's also the most trusted form of advertising, as such people are a lot more likely to trust a friend than a billboard.

Another place is local coffee shops and cafe's. I've hung a lot of work at local coffe shops and have sold most of it. They normally enjoy promoting a local artist also.

Answer 2

Since your photos are of public, well known places, you probably have no copyright conflicts. In the case of Charing Cross station, wasn't it built with public money?

Marketing your photos can take place in two ways - I call them the shotgun and rifle approaches. Art fairs and mass mailings are the shotgun approach - reach a lot of people and hope that a few recognize you.

The rifle approach is cheaper and more effective. Learn about the locality and who appreciates it - local businesses, shops, cafes, etc. Assemble a list of those with local interest in a particular feature, and then knock on doors or send them a postcard (www.modernpostcard.com for cheap cards from your artwork).

If knocking on doors and selling face to face makes you feel sick inside, then find another to do it. Gift shops receive "jobbers" all the time who have a variety of wares from different suppliers. Finding a jobber can put you in front of gift shops all over the place. Jobbers love having huge lines so that can be more flexible with the fickled gift buyers.

I think your stongest clients with be people with offices close to the landmark. Waiting rooms for dentists, cafes, etc are other places that really need art - the less controversial the better. Local landmark photographs are ideal as long as they are neatly framed and matted.

Andy

Answer 3

It sounds like your photos are a bit different from the usual run of the mill stuff. As long as you are standing in a public place and that place doesn't require any photography licence, you own copywrite. If you've paid for a licence, for example inside a church, you own copywrite.
Have you tried http://www.cafepress.com? Its a hassle free way of reaching a large and potentially lucrative market - its based in america! Stick a union jack in your shop and call yourself Virtual Tourist or something, and you'll be well away.
The big advantage of cafe press is they take care of all the printing and money, you just upload your photos to your shop and sit back.
Good luck!

Answer 4

its nice!
try posting it on the web, make your own!
from cards ,frame it.,and sell it in some museum

Answer 5

www.shutterpoint.com you can sell your pictures there.

Good Luck