# Do you think my photos are good enough to sell?



## PS9

Meh... I'll stick to the day job 

Thanks for the opinions.


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## HughGuessWho

I would suggest looking up the Rule of Thirds and Composition and Exposure.
And, honestly, if these are typical of your work, then, No, they are not good enough to sell. Sorry.


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## panblue

Art is totally fickle. Quality is subjective. A lot of people don't *see* quality, they see subject. So ..aircraft, Mustangs etc..sure; but guessing what random subjects, random people may like isn't a good living, usually. That's why pros shoot on demand - studio, weddings, news, events. Or they please themselves subjectively, but get known for sticking to something niche. That takes dedication and time.


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## Bitter Jeweler

Matthew Kuhns Photography


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## MLeeK

If someone is willing to buy them? Sure. Why not. 
You might try the stock agencies. Selling photography as fine art is going to require a bit more than just a decent image. 
This business is HARD AS HELL. Selling photos like that which are art pieces instead of portraits of the people you are selling to is even harder. 

Think about this: WHO is going to buy your photos? WHY would they want them? HOW are you going to get YOUR photos in YOUR website into their line of sight AND make them NEED to buy your work? WHAT would they be willing to pay for your work? 

This then becomes a business and that is something incredibly more complicated than just starting a zenfolio account and printing some photos. Check here for some insight on the business end of it. 
This isn't a snarky question-it's the reality of where you  need to start in order to


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## Derrel

Sorry, but the three samples shown are not very good. Selling images "cold", via Zenfolio??? Ummmm...that doesn't really "work".


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## panblue

So true!


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## panblue

Furthermore, I think these things were tough enough pre-the-internet-taking-over-the-developed-world, now we are living our lives in this DELUGE of art/media/stimulus.

Someone quoted as saying "when everyone's somebody, nobody's anybody"; I don't recall who that was. The two sides of the coin now are, one the one hand, a non-entity goes viral, one the other hand, a hundred million talents lost in the surf/background noise.

So yea..marketing is 9/10s of the law. _It's_ _the thing_. Networking/distribution. Look at the cheesy photos in the coffeeshop chains. Someone made a pretty penny there! Quality needed only be 'adequate'.


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## panblue

PS9,
I can confidently imagine that I know/have known people who would buy the images you posted. Your pictures are better than they could make (or they are unable to make, lacking access to the subjects). They also wouldn't care that your photos are not the best in the world. But those people are like 1:10K of the population. So unless you can reach millions, targeted advertising, and cover CODB, and make a profit, it isn't a living. It can be a sideline/hobby but not much more. If you raised your game (skill/equipment/networking) you could maybe freelance. But the competition is fierce and huge.

I can see that from where I'm standing and I'm not even in the biz! lol


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## PS9

.


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## panblue

I agree totally. And your understanding of the reality is sounder than some artists I've known who've set-up bricks-and-mortar galleries with all that cost, in provisional towns where hardly anyone buys (but lots of people window-shop).


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## Bitter Jeweler

PS9 said:


> It's the supply vs demand that worries me, there's too much supply of photos like the ones I take.


Yes, there's too much supply of mediocre snapshots, because too many people who have cameras think they can monetize their hobby. 

You love taking pictures? Then enjoy your hobby.
You want to make money? Be exceptional!


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## cgipson1

panblue said:


> I agree totally. And your understanding of the reality is sounder than some artists I've known who've set-up bricks-and-mortar galleries with all that cost, in provisional towns where hardly anyone buys (but lots of people window-shop).



PanBlue....... if you are going to reply to posts, please do the "Reply with Quote" function, it makes it all a lot more coherent, as we can see who you are replying to! I take it you are new to forums?


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## panblue

A lot of art (Fine Art ..art for art's sake) gets stymied by the fact the artists feel they have to 'be serious', 'be pro' (i.e 'be safe'). There's an army of photogs out there all doing the same thing with landscape imagery, studio portraiture. With very similar editing approach and style of presentation of imagery. It's a bit like the 21st century equivalent of the Salon de Paris with all those rules about acceptable subjects/composition/perspective/color  It doesn't make commercial sense, as a start-up, to be too experimental, so it can't be undertaken as a business until you've nurtured some interest in what you are doing.


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## panblue

cgipson1 said:


> panblue said:
> 
> 
> 
> I agree totally. And your understanding of the reality is sounder than some artists I've known who've set-up bricks-and-mortar galleries with all that cost, in provisional towns where hardly anyone buys (but lots of people window-shop).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PanBlue....... if you are going to reply to posts, please do the "Reply with Quote" function, it makes it all a lot more coherent, as we can see who you are replying to! I take it you are new to forums?
Click to expand...


OK, sorry for any confusion.


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## jamesbjenkins

Good enough to sell? Most likely no. There's nothing exceptional about any of the images you posted. If you want to sell nondescript images like these, they need to be AWESOME. The proliferation of microstock sites has driven the market into the toilet. 

Good enough to share and enjoy? Absolutely. 

Why not just enjoy your hobby?


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## panblue

cgipson1 said:


> I take it you are new to forums?



Errr..not really; I joined this forum so long ago, my original username predates the members list of the TPF's present incarnation and no longer exists (I just checked). I think that's around a decade before your August 2011 join date  Nice to see Dew's 'shadows' theme still rocking-on ;-) Blimey guv, how the years roll by!


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## PS9

.


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## jamesbjenkins

PS9 said:


> Then I think about "well, if I could make and sell photos that would be awesome!". But if I'm being completely honest with myself, once I turn that into a business, it's going to quit being fun too because it turns a hobby into a job.



TBH, the business side of things is a real pain sometimes. Getting paid a couple grand to shoot somebody's wedding is wonderful, but all the leg work necessary to get to that point can be a drag.

And when you're shooting for you, there's nobody to tell you how and when to shoot.


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## panblue

PS9 said:


> jamesbjenkins said:
> 
> 
> 
> Why not just enjoy your hobby?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well the grass is always greener on the other side right? I enjoy technology, photography, and fast cars. Right now technology is how I make a living. Once I turned that into a way to make money it became a whole lot less fun.
> 
> Then I think about "well, if I could make and sell photos that would be awesome!". But if I'm being completely honest with myself, once I turn that into a business, it's going to quit being fun too because it turns a hobby into a job. I guess I was hoping it would be easier.
> 
> Cars? My dad did that as a business for many years, it's not something I would want to do for a living. Fun to drive, not that fun to fix. The car photo isn't of my car in case you're wondering.
Click to expand...


Once it becomes a job, it will involve a lot more grind, as well as the good days. I work for myself but not photography. In fact I enjoy photography even more at the moment, the less craft it involves. P&S snaps of whatever I come across; not even knowing how the shot is, because the LCD and camera is covered in black tape. For me it's like sending off a  roll of film and being surprised by what comes back.

When you work for yourself, it's like constantly having to blow up a balloon to survive. When you have a salaried/waged job, you have to put up with boss/coworker BS but you know the money's going to be there each payday. Maybe keep the dayjob and be free to do whatever you like with photography, whenever you choose.


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## KmH

TPF started in May of 2003.

There are some wedding shooters getting paid a couple thousand dollars per wedding that aren't actually making any money, and actually subsidize a part of the cost of the wedding photography they do.

If you can people to buy your photos, more power to you.


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## Kolander

PS9 said:


> ...I guess the thing that worries me more than anything (just because if it came down to it, business is business) is that basically everyone has a camera with them all the time...


Everybody got a car, but only a few of them become race drivers.
Everybody got a pen, but very few are paid for their articles.
Everybody got a kitchen, and how many earn their living as a cook?

Everybody got a ........, but only a few ....... (_fill in the dotted line_)


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## The_Traveler

For myself, I am pleased to be a dilettante.

Having to take pictures, needing or hoping to sell them, would certainly stifle the joy I get out of it.


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## rexbobcat

The_Traveler said:


> For myself, I am pleased to be a dilettante.
> 
> Having to take pictures, needing or hoping to sell them, would certainly stifle the joy I get out of it.



YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM! You and your "free pictures"

I'm just kidding. 

I think it would be easier to me to leave it as a hobby if I was good at something else. I mean, I'm not actively trying to sell my images right now because my consistency sucks, but eventually I would like to. If I had interest or skill in something else that was lucrative and relatively secure in terms of employment then heck yeah I would would definitely do that. But I don't have either of those things. lol


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## aavivi

In my mind, if you're good enough to get published on 1X.com, you have a shot at selling your images.  If you get into the 1x.com yearbook, then you >should< be selling your images.  It is not easy to get past the curators at 1x.com.  They don't accept stock shots, or overdone motifs (no matter how amazing your sunset shot is, or your perspective on the Eiffel tower).

Another good site to measure yourself against is 500px.com. Check the images there and see if you really think you're at their level.

Then again, you never know...

Sent from my


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## gw2424

If you are asking your self that question then no.


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## sniper x

Threads like these make me realize to not  make a pursuit of photography as a profession was a great one!  After seeing what happened in my industry,  the video and film industry,  I decided I'd keep it as a hobby.


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## table1349




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