How salable are these photographs ?

[david_slee]

First let me say how much I enjoy the work of so many photographers and their beautiful works on this site. My question is , are these

landscape , bird and flower pictures salable or are these mainly works that the photographers do for their own pleasure and to share with

others?

[drjoder]

<p>I agree, there are some great images on this site. That's why I'm here, too--to learn and grow a bit as a photographer. I would say that many of these images are most definitely marketable but it will depend on that particular photographer's philosophy and motivation--some do indeed sell their images, others simply do photography for their own self-satisfaction. As to the commercial side, it has been said that once you reach a certain level of competence as a photographer your business acumen rather than your camera skills becomes more important if you wish to sell your art. </p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>It's true. The threshold beyond which skill as a photographer is less important than skill as a marketer, bookeeper, sales rep, and customer service rep is lower and comes sooner than one would expect. Unless it's not one's entire living, in which case it's possible to be pretty bad at most of those things and still some work here and there. <br /><br />As for the saleability of bird, landscape, and flower photos: regardless of the photographer's interest in selling these works, the real issue is the nature of the <em>market</em> for them. Which is to say: it's very, very difficult to make much money (let alone a living) selling things that literally millions of people make for their own enjoyment, and which at least many thousands of people do very, very well.</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>Matt said it well, it's not about the photos, it's about the seller's ability to market the photos.</p>

<p><Chas></p>

[starvy]

Matt has said it all really. The photographer is a seller and he needs to market himself. A good seller can sell rubbish and a bad seller would find it difficult to give away bargains.

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>A good seller can sell rubbish</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br /><br>

Not, as Matt pointed out, in a market that isn't there.</p>

[allenahale]

<p>Sometimes a good seller can also create their own market. I offer up the case of the "Pet Rock" as an example.</p>

[david-w]

<p>It seems that everyone sees themselves as a pro landscape / bird / flower photographer these days, and as pointed out, a very large amount of people do it very well.</p>

<p>However I'd be interested to hear what type of photography the good folk on here would consider there to still be a good market for, if any?</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>depends on what you call a good market ;-)</p>

<p>people keep getting married, thought the competition is tough many good wedding photographers are making very nice incomes</p>

<p>people keep needing catalog pictures of clothes and gear for print and web catalog, a friend of mine has been shooting for a well-known outdoor goods manufacturer for years at top dollar</p>

<p>there seems to be an everlasting supply of seniors needing senior pictures, just as there are endless school sports teams that need team and individual pictures</p>

<p>The message is that there are photography markets everywhere. None come with any guarantee of success, all require lots of hard work, and each and every one require that you get out there and pay your dues and do the grunt work and put in the hours that are required to build any successful business.</p>

<p>"Build it and they will come" is not applicable in the photography business. In any market.</p>

<p><Chas><br /><br /></p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>Sometimes a good seller can also create their own market. I offer up the case of the "Pet Rock" as an example.</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br />There has always been a market for novelty items. My wife sells them, I know all about that. The Pet Rock was a novelty item. Photographs are different. How many people buy photographs? I look whenever I visit homes, other than photographers who trade with other photographers, I rarely see anything that wasn't taken by someone in the home or a friend. On the more commercial side, there are enough Creative Commons images of birds and landscapes to fill every slot one hundred times over. </p>

 

[Matt Laur]

<p>If you want to carve out a market, find <em>access</em> to subject matter that not everyone can get. Or be willing to work under conditions more difficult (or late at night, or far away, or expensive, or smelly, or dangerous) than most other people are willing to tolerate. I don't mean, say, combat photography in Syria. But there are lots of lifestyle activities (for example) that more casual shooters simply ignore or avoid. Go find them. Make the photographs that enthusiasts or participants (or vendors to) that lifestyle would appreciate and use (and pay for).</p>

[angus_mcintosh]

<p>Robert Kiyosaki writes in his books about how he asks students how many people think they can make a better hamburger than is made at McDonalds. When everyone puts up their hand, he then asks, "why does McDonalds have more money than you?" Simple answer --- MARKETING and SALES</p>

[Matt Laur]

<blockquote>

<p>Simple answer --- MARKETING and SALES</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Actually, if you asked Ray Krock (the founder of McDonalds) about his success, he'd tell you (and did many times): It's not about making hamburgers, it's about making a<em> system</em> of making stores that make hamburgers. His success came from understanding how to scale, and how to take advantage of economies of scale. For photographers, the parallel would be a well-oiled workflow, and marketing materials/processes that can be re-used with little work into more than one market/audience.<br /><br /><em>Repeatable techniques, processes, and results.</em></p>

[james_smith55]

<blockquote>

<p>Actually, if you asked Ray Krock (the founder of McDonalds) about his success, he'd tell you (and did many times): It's not about making hamburgers, it's about making a<em> system</em> of making stores that make hamburgers. His success came from understanding how to scale, and how to take advantage of economies of scale.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>This. Marketing is huge in photography but you also have to have a workflow where you can efficiently deliver reproducible results that meet the clients needs in a timely fashion on demand. What you are seeing on this web site might be a sampling of the members' finest work. You don't know if they took 3,000 photographs to come up with 5 really nice shots. You aren't going to make a living that way.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>My question is , are these landscape , bird and flower pictures salable</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The planet is flooded with people trying to sell pictures of sunsets, birds, and flowers. The world was not flooded with people trying to sell pet rocks. It's one thing if pictures of sunsets, birds, and flowers exist and it is quite another if they exist AND there is a deluge of people selling them for $1. Go to Shutterstock to have your dreams crushed.</p>