I have been secretly pondering making my photography a business and researching options to sell my photos for roughly six months now. It all started out at a craft fair where a guy was selling prints. Simple 4×6, 5×7 and 8x10s of photos he took. He was doing pretty well and as I looked through his photos I realized they were not that great but he was making pretty good money selling the prints anyway. I started telling a friend about it and that got me started on doing it myself.
I started posting photos on Instagram and every day I get a few new followers that I don’t know and in roughly 6 months I have about 1,000 followers. I had no idea that was good until I was asking a friend a question about Instagram since I am clueless and she pointed it out to me. That got me thinking even more.
I started entering online photography contests to see if I’m good enough and rating in the top 30% in pretty much every contest. No solid wins, but I stay in the top third. I finish most in the top 500. That may not sound that great, but when it’s out of 20,000 to 80,000 people top 500 is pretty good.
After a month of entering contests I started looking into print prices, packaging options, postage options, online galleries and online sales options. I have looked into upgrading my computer and photo editing software. So far it has all been research and I have not said a single word and just kept researching this idea.
So, this idea has been festering and growing. I have been looking into all kinds of options. I have been forming a plan. I had surgery last week so I have been off work since then recovering. So, The hubby and I decide to go out to lunch while the kids are at school and I tell him my thoughts. He surprises me and is actually all for it! He was super supportive and that got me even more excited. So, that afternoon my photography business was formed. My accounts are set up ready for me to upload the files. I even made myself a logo that I love for all my websites, galleries and promotional materials. I’m re-editing a bunch of photos and will officially open my online stores for sales by September 1st (or at least that is the deadline I made for myself).
I’m excited and looking forward to seeing how this all goes. While doing portraits freelance will bring in quick money, I don’t like the idea of trading dollars for hours again. I already have a full time job and do not want another one. But I have 20 years of photos from around the world to pull from. My home is decorated with them. People inquire about where I got them. I may as well sell them and make some money like the guy at the craft fair.
Working Mom - Travel Dreams 