Sunday, April 25, 2010

15 Ways to Make Money with Digital Photography

Ideas Presented by Your Guide to Digital Photography

It’s easier than you may think to make money as a digital photographer. There are many different ways to make money doing digital photography and here are 15 to get you started.

Method #1 – Selling Stock Photography
Selling stock photography is easier than you may think. Just take some of your best photos and submit them to stock photography sites. They will be reviewed and if it’s a good photo, it will hopefully be accepted. You’ll get paid about $1-2 every time someone uses your photo.

Method #2 – Screensavers
There’s a lot more money in screensavers than people realize. Take a series of photographs along a theme and make your own screensaver. If the photos are good, they’ll do great on screensaver sites or on eBay.

Method #3 – eBay Sellers
Speaking of eBay, eBay can be a great source of business. eBay sellers often have very poor photos of images they sell over and over. Set up a local service photographing eBay items.

Method #4 – Wedding Photographer
One of the more popular ways to work as a photographer. The key to getting wedding photography business is to have a very credible website and profile.

Method #5 – Restaurant Photographer
Restaurants often need photos of their restaurant or their dishes for their menu’s and websites. You can work directly with restaurants or make yourself available to designers who work with restaurants.

Method #6 – Real Estate Agents
Real estate agents need listing photographs of new homes they’re listing. Get yourself a few real estate agents you work with regularly and you could quickly be booked with work.

Method #7 – Insurance Photographer
People are usually required to photograph belongings they’re insuring. Often times they don’t want to bother learning how themselves. By positioning yourself as an insurance photographer, you can do it for them.

Method #8 – Online Dating Photographer
Both men and women often want to have great photos of them taken for online dating profiles. This is a great way to make some quick cash.

Method #9 – Working with Café’s
Café’s would often love to have your art on their wall for free. In exchange, you can post your photos with a price tag on their walls until you get a buyer for your art.

Method #10 – Sporting Events
Local sporting events such as little league games or high school soccer games would often love to have photographers photograph their games.

Method #11 – Church Directories
Churches often want to have photos of their members along with contact information in a booklet called a church directory. You can position yourself as the go to photographer for that.

Method #12 – Make T Shirts
A great way to make money doing photography is to take great photos and put them on T shirts. You can sell these shirts on eBay, on your own website or sell the designs to other T shirt websites.

Method #13 – Craigslist
You can advertise yourself on Craigslist, a free and very popular online classifieds website. Position yourself as a photographer and you’ll be exposing yourself to thousands of people who’re looking for your services.

Method #14 – Portrait Photographer
The portrait business is a big business. You can work with a studio or set up your own practice for doing portraits.

Method #15 – Photo Blogging
People love looking at images. If you continue to take images people like to look at and publish them, you can quickly build up a following.

Now you have plenty of profitable ideas you can use to start making money as a photographer. Whether you want to do it part-time for extra cash or make it your full-time work, there’s plenty to choose from.

Need to improve your digital photography techniques? Pick up your free digital photography guide for better photos…instantly.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Getting to Know Your Digital Camera




Article by: Dan Feildman

Photography is a beautiful art... simple in all its complexities and breathtaking in the results it produces. From preserving those priceless moments with your loved ones to creating exquisite works of art, the applications of photography are many. Once confined to bulky, expensive cameras and yards of film, photography has seen a new dawn with the advent of digital cameras. Swifter, a lot easier to use, and growing ever more compact with every passing day, digital cameras have indeed opened several avenues to the casual photographer as well as the seasoned expert. And now that you've decided to take the plunge with the digital brigade, your very first concern is choosing the best camera to suit your needs.

The multitude of models and makes that swarm the marketplace definitely don't make your choice any easier so how do you decide which camera is the best for you? To start with, you first need to understand that every make of digital cameras is developed to cater to a certain set of needs. Hence, in order to determine which camera you need to buy, you first need to establish the purpose you're going to use it for. A high speed camera which is developed in keeping with the interests of sports photographers will certainly not be a viable option for you, if all you're going to use it for is the odd vacation photograph. Also, if you're looking for more minute detailing in your photographs as well as a higher resolution, then the sleeker options that you find may not completely cater to your needs. This is because a majority of these models have been developed to ensure portability, and many include little more than the basic features.

Your second step would be to understand the world of digital photography. This would include familiarizing yourself with the most commonly used photography terms. For instance, you would need to know that an LCD is a screen attached to most cameras in addition to the viewfinder. This screen allows you to view your image before and immediately after you capture it, allowing to fine tune your focus and even re-capture the image if need be. However, several cameras are equipped only with the viewfinder, thus compelling you to hold the camera at an arm's length while capturing the photograph. As one of the key requirements to a clear photograph is a steady and sure hand, without your face to rest the camera on, your image is at a higher risk of being distorted.


You must also learn to distinguish between an optical zoom and a digital zoom. An optical zoom functions like traditional cameras, magnifying the image you are shooting. A digital zoom enlarges the final image by doubling the size of the pixels, which may also lead to fuzzier images. Digital images are comprised of mega pixels which in turn determine the quality of the image. The higher the number of mega pixels, the clearer the image. You may also want to check if your camera comes along with a stand which is invaluable in ensuring a steady and clear picture.

Once you gather this basic information, you can then start looking around for models which catch your eye. Start making a shortlist, comparing and contrasting the different makes and strike those off that do not meet your budget or requirements or both! At this stage, you can also start referring to photography journals and magazines for expert reviews and advice, which will also enable you to learn about first hand experiences with some of the relatively unknown models, you may come across.

If you aren't too comfortable with the notion of parting with your reliable old bulky camera, expense of film notwithstanding, but would still like the clarity that digital images offer, you can scan digital versions of your existing photographs and have them retouched with editing software or opt for an online photo service which will convert your film into digital reality. You can even use photo services to edit your photographs for minor glitches like red eye removal and adjusting the brightness and color.

Digital photography is a great way to explore your creativity, without worrying about how much you're spending on developing the film you've shot and printing charges. You can easily transfer your images from the memory card or stick onto your laptop or computer and then email them to friends or even upload them onto online albums. The key to mastering your digital photography skills is to keep practicing whenever possible and soon, you'll develop a style which is intrinsic to you and the envy of others!

Recommended for More Help

Need to improve your digital photography techniques? Pick up your free digital photography guide for better photos…almost instantly.