How To Get Photos Selling?

You've been here barely a month and have 9 images among millions...


This one has been up since end of July and has 4 views... which tells me you've not done anything to put it in front of people's eye balls.

This questions needs to be a sticky at the top of the page because it is literally asked every day.
There are quite a few threads with helpful info on marketing and such just on the first page of the discussions... then if you hit the "Help" tab at the top of the discussion list you'll find a ton more. Start reading and putting into practice. There is no best way. You have to figure out what works for you.

Thank you Heather much appreciated. Could I ask how long did it take for you to sell your first photo?

I never understood the How long did it take you to make your first sale question which has also been asked numerous times. It doesn't help with our own sales in any way

I understand that Joseph. I was just simply curious that is all.

To be perfectly honest, it's far more important to work on your skills and build an inventory than marketing the 9 images you have up.
Have a look around the site, look at your competition... look at your keywords, descriptions, tilting horizon lines, power lines, and guard rails on shots from a moving car on a highway... for that orange photo you have 3 keywords and one isn't even sunset. You didn't ask for critique so I won't get into that more than the little bit I mentioned.

Basically - keep shooting and shooting and shoot some more. Keep practicing and building a portfolio of work.

Hi Ambrosia. You can start with better descriptions and more keywords for the images that you have.

Well I haven't sold that much, but I have a lot of exposure and comments on my art and photography. You have to also do a lot of networking with the site, comment on others work, see what they are doing too, join some groups and participate in their contests and discussions..
I looked at your images, they are lovely, but what others are saying here is true, you do not have enough key words and describe more about the photos in the description section, tell people why that certain scene captured your camera's eye!
And build your portfolio on here..
It will all come in due time, but do the work..To be an artist/photographer you not only create, you network, socialize, and put in the work..keep going, your on the right track!

You didn't ask for a critique. I would recommend you do at some point.

9.

Nine images is virtually nothing in the world of images for sale. Even if they were the nine best images ever shot of anything they would have a hard time getting seen without keywords and without promoting them off site. As someone said, building a solid and larger portfolio is probably far more important than marketing at this point for you. But, learn how to key word and describe the image in the description so you can have that right from the beginning and not have to go back and re do them. (I still find images of mine I have to fix in that regard as I didn't do that when I started.)

It took me a month before I sold my first and a year or so before I started selling on a somewhat consistent basis.

Take a look at your competition and evaluate how your images compare.

your images lack clarity and subject matter. where the image was taken isn't important, its more important to tell us why you took it. you want more tags. you want to avoid cluttered images. and want to only have things a common citizen can't make. which means you have to be better than them.


you don't even mention sunset in this by the way. the tags are the lifeblood of the search


that watermark can't be there. and further, its cropped off, its not going to print.

you won't go far with only 9 images, the 80 views or so you have since july says you've been waiting for sales, and not promoting it. the site won't do it for you.

selling is not easy, art is harder than it looks. your up against a lot of people that have been doing it for longer and have images that are polished.

also revise the bio and remove the amateur part.

Marketing 101 by Mike Savad
Why Your Work May Not Be Selling - By Mike Savad
Evaluating Your Own Work To Sell – By Mike Savad
How To Critique And Edit Your Own Work For Better Sales


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

i do suggest that you ask for a critique, but be ready for what you hear. you'll have to keep an open mind.

i started here with 1200 images. i knew what sold more or less, and it still took 2 weeks.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

I would suggest to remove "amateur photographer" from your bio and you need lot more images.

The first thing you are learning is that you will need a "thick skin" to move in the world of creatives.....It can be brutal. And in the beginning I heard it all. I remember being told my work was childish and I shouldn't quit my day job. But I licked my wounds and pushed on. I kept painting and creating. I did something with my art EVERY single day and many times a day. I worked 7 days a week painting. Eventually I improved and was able to compete with the more established artists. I learned to market my work. I watched what others were doing. I followed their lead. It takes TIME and a crap ton of EFFORT! I found it also took a substantial FINANCIAL INVESTMENT. Sure some artists make it look easy. But when I see a well polished successfully selling artist I know that they did all of the above to get there!

In this day and age it will be tough to sell photos that anyone could take themselves. Point and shoots today can take amazing photos with little skill. I've sold some of my daughter's work on FAA. She just goes out and happily takes pictures of things. She has a great eye. BUT.......That's a few sales of her point and shoot shots in over 5 years! The odds aren't good. You have to STAND OUT and you have to MARKET like mad!

The successful photographers on this site aren't the point and shoot types. They've invested A LOT of money and time into their craft. They study and LEARN everything there is to know about photography. They learn how to post-process their images if that is the look they are going for. They spend countless hours out in the field figuring out how to get those perfect shots. They aren't accidents....

Good luck!

Welcome, I have been here 3.5 years, spend hours almost every day on my art in some form, and still read all the "how to sell" threads! The combination of things you need to do to sell your work goes way beyond uploading some pics...as the others already stated.

As I started to implement the things I learned here I did start to sell...here and there. Do I need to do more? YES!!! It is a two fold process...you need to work on your body of work AND marketing skills and be really really good at both!

I kind of feel finding a buyer for any individual piece of work is sort of like finding a needle in a haystack. Art is not bought on a whim...art is loved by the buyer. Someone said you have
a three second window to make a sale... so you really have to make that three seconds count. To me that makes each sale very special and so worth the effort.

i would also suggest to look at the work from everyone on this thread, many of the people here including myself have sold here. compare the quality standards we have, and compare it to your own. you'll note many of us have over a 1000 images and a number of views.

the basic advice i give to everyone, and sometimes its controversial -- but the work you have, would you buy it yourself if you saw it in a store? and where would it go?

if you wouldn't buy it yourself - why not?
if you did, where would it go in your house?


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Networking on this site will result in little or nothing in the way of sales. Those commetns and views are mostly FAA members and bots. Neither on buys much of anything on FAA.

Have a large number of quality images and marketing them outside of FAA is what it will take.

Here are a lost of articles that will give you some ideas and hits.

The first one has a plan on how to spend you time to get up to speed. I call it the 25/75 rule.

Response to new FAA member looking for advice – 25/75 Rule
Another Response To A New Member Seeking Help
A Few Reasons Why You May Not Be Selling
Work Smarter Not Harder To Beat The Big Guys
50 Effective Tips to Help You Sell You Art

You will need to be highly motivated to make and sell art to make it.

If you have that over the course of several years, decades in the case just above me, then you will be good to go.

Welcome, work at it.

Dave

Hi

We will not print this image http://fineartamerica.com/featured/waterfall-20-ambrosia-horton.html due to the signature. Please remove the prices and take off the signature or shrink it and place it where it will not be cut off

We cannot tell why some sell and why some do not so we cannot give that kind of advice. However, here are some great posts on the forum about marketing your work

http://pixels.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2567813 Checklist For Success In Print Sales.
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2220588 Marketing 101 By Mike Savad
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2040787 A Few Reasons Y U May Not Be Selling
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=377664 Marketing Yourself
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=358080 Promoting Your Art
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1601966 Six Month Observation About Marketing
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1192902 Evaluating Your Own Work To Sell
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2201441 Elephant In The Room - Maybe Your Art Just Isnt That Good...
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2193130 The Formula To Pricing Art?

Lots of reading but worth it :)

-----------------
Community Manager

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I am so sorry I never received any notifications for this thread. But yes please do send some criticism this way. I'm an amateur photographer, and would love everyone's output whether it's nice or not. It'll help me learn more of the basics.

What a beautiful girl Ambrosia like a supermodel Ambrosio

Can i work to your portrait ? its only cost 30$

check out my gallery there are other fellow artist wich i painted

there is nothing interesting in this scene, its just a sky and some trees. sunsets are about getting the light on the subject. or finding a subject that compliments the sky. the lack of sunset in the keywords is an issue.


same with this, the things on the bottom add clutter, and the sky is noisy


this is not in focus, has a lot of glare, its not really that interesting, better if you found it in the wild. it won't print btw. the descriptions - i would add to it, it shouldn't just be the thing you happen to see and you took a picture.


this lacks contrast and punch. the ground is dark and the middle areas are lost in mist and haze. it could use some tweaking.


this is a tree and some wires. and nothing more. where and when it was shot is kind of moot because of that.


this is probably a better shot, the magic is lost being that you got up from a lounge chair to take it, i would not mention the location. it seems grainy to me, i can't see the detail though. those yellow things on the right corner is distracting


i like the sky, but not the rest. the sky adds drama, but the lower half is dark and unimpressive. it doesn't give you the feeling that they will be hammered by the storm. that fence is distracting and its rather noisy. i'd step a few feet in to avoid the rail and shoot it as an hdr.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Digital, do not go in peoples threads to ask for work, thank you

Okey

Ambrosia, I thought I would duck into this convo since I am in the same shoes as you are. Actually you are further along than I am since you are seeking knowledge much sooner than I did. I have been here for over two years and I have yet to sell my first print. I haven't really done anything here for the last year and for the first year, I, like yourself, assumed that all I would have to do is upload and wait for the sales to start rolling in. As you are finding out now,It doesn't work that way.

I have been reading posts like this one for the last few weeks and learning a lot. Devoting the time it takes is another story but I am working on that too. Read everything by Mike Savad and Floyd Snyder. Then read it all again, and you will know what to do. Then do it. (I'm preaching to my self too.)

Pay the $30 for a Premium account. Set up your Artist Website and promote that. I don't profit from telling you that, But I do believe it's the best way to go. If you send people to your page here, they can be lost to another artist in one mouse click. Nothing wrong with promoting other artists but you only have so much time in a day. Promote you and let the other guys do the same.

Buy a Domain name and build a website. I use Blogger. It's free and I don't have to pay for hosting.

As for your photos, I can only give you a few tips that have really improved my own work. Some is repeating what the other guys have said and some of it I have figured out on my own.

Always have a clear subject, and make sure your subject is in focus before you click the shutter. If the background (BG) is out of focus then all the better.

Check your background. Make sure there is nothing behind your subject that you don't want to be there. If there is, usually a step to one side or the other will eliminate it.

Check your corners and edges. You don't want a random branch or arm sticking into your shot. these are also easily eliminated.

Take your time composing your shot. Unless it's something that is moving, then try to anticipate the movements and shoot at the peak of motion. But remember that all of the rules above still apply.

Have fun with it. Editing and posting and marketing can be monotonous. Make it worthwhile by getting great shots to post, edit, and market.

Only upload your best work. Just because your friends say it's a great shot, doesn't mean it will sell. (Boy, do I know this one!) Sometimes I look at the stuff I shot years ago and wonder why I even showed it to anyone. =)

Keep reading these forums and the artists' blogs. Maybe even start a blog of your own. I know that for me, teaching is a great way to learn. Americans say "Those who can't do, teach." but the Japanese say "If you want to learn a subject, take a class. If you want to Master it, Teach."

I hope I have been able to help you a little bit. Just a few things I wish someone had told me when I started. But we all take our own path and seek our own knowledge. You're off to a good start.

Cheers.
Greg
GregAllorePhotography.com

Okay thank you very much for all the appreciated advice. It'll help me become a little better than I am doing now. I am taking everyone's advice seriously.

Thanks to all those who have commented here. these words are very much for me also. thanks once again.

Keep pushing ahead! You live in a beautiful state. I know because that's were I'm originally from. Many cool places to photograph within an hour from where you live. I've been on here since April and have sold one pic. But I'm optimistic and need to get my butt in gear to get more stuff uploaded. I'm starting to work on local marketing which I hope will help, and will soon have more time to put towards my efforts. Hang in there, get out to some interesting locations, and good luck.📷😀

Well I can guarantee that once it starts cooling down I'll be able to venture out more and start shooting in different places. For the time being this will have to do until then. But as stated above thank you all for the information. Everything that has been said is stored into my brain for future references. :)