Don’t Forget to Charge the Extras When Selling Photography Online

by admin on March 17, 2011

Photographers often stress over creating the perfect pricing structure when selling photographs online. They look at a variety of factors from time involved in the shoot, level of personal expertise, area industry standards, etc. They think about their costs and the value of their time. They come up with the perfect pricing for online photography sales, and BAM! They’re done. Sell on.

Screech…..the order is placed and they realize they factored in their print lab’s pricing, but the print lab adds on a shipping fee. Profit is automatically reduced. Oh well, we’re still making money. Oh, wait, now we have to get the photos to the client. That’s another cost – shipping, packaging, or the time to drive to make the delivery in person, the gas….profit reduction #2. At the end of the year, you visit your accountant with a handful of receipts and paid invoices. “Look how much money I made!” He hands you your completed tax forms, and you see that pesky amount due. You didn’t collect sales tax? The government doesn’t care if you clients pay the sales tax or you do, they just care that someone foots that bill. Profit reduction #3 comes in the form of writing a check for taxes on the amount you’ve sold throughout the year – in your state, 5, 6, 7%?

Shipping and sales tax are two places where photographers need to be proactive in passing these costs on to their customers. Be clear and up front that these charges will be added on; most people expect them and won’t be surprised or upset to pay for these services as they do with other ecommerce transactions. Just don’t let yourself drain those profits by missing the opportunity to pass on fixed costs to your consumer!

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Freelance Photography

by admin on June 13, 2010

Freelancing in any profession has several tools that when adhered to add to the success of the freelancer and the same is true for a freelancing photography career. There are several tools and resources that would help the freelance photographer. Most of these tools and resources are available online. Here is a quick listing of the various resources that a freelance photographer can use.

Online Photography Forums:

There are several online photography forums that are basically a place for photographers to meet, interact, share and exchange tips and basically network. These forums may also have job postings, which the photographer can follow. Of course, the photographer should first ensure that the said assignment and the forum as a whole is not a scam. There are several online photography forums, and these cater to all types of photographers, right from the amateur photographers to the professional photographers. Some forums also cater to different types of photographers, like art photographers, nature photographers, fashion photographers, etc. Make sure that you join the forum that is best related to your type of work.

Gadget Garage Sales:

Photography is one of the few professions that depend on the type of machinery and devices that are used. In fact, there are different lenses, types of cameras, etc for every kind of photoshoot. Therefore, a photographer would need to have a big repository of cameras, lenses and other collateral – which might cost them a great amount if they buy it off the shelf. There are several online sales websites that offer these gadgets at a decreased price or with other gadgets put up.

While these sales may save you a lot of money, you should ensure that the website you are buying from is a legal and safe website. There are several cases where a website may steal your online identity or use your identity for unscrupulous purposes.

Stock Photo Library:

A stock photo library is an excellent way to make money off the any image that has not been commissioned by a client. A stock photo library is basically a website that offers free or paid images for commercial and personal use. These photos are majorly used by new web masters, people looking for images for lesser budget or personal projects, and basically by people who do not wish or do not have the resources to pay the big bucks that go in hiring a professional photographer.

There are several types of libraries, and you should take some aspects into consideration before deciding on the Stock Photograph library that you would like to deal with. Some libraries follow the freemium model, where they offer most of the photographs for free, but charge for some of their better quality photographs. Yet some other Stock Photograph Library allows the users to use photographs for free if they have the permission of the photographer. Make sure that you are okay with the way the Library functions and how it deals with its users and its photographers.

Stock photography is the best way to decrease project costs for project makers and the best way to earn money for freelance photographers. Visit us to know more about stock photography and how it can benefit you.

Stock photography is the best way to decrease project costs for project makers and the best way to earn money for freelance photographers. Visit us to know more about stock photography and how it can benefit you.

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