# Earn money through photos



## marcgalera (Dec 9, 2009)

What is the best way to generate a profit from my photographs? should i submit them to stores so they can hang it up? or should i advertise my pictures and sell them on my website?


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## DScience (Dec 9, 2009)

I'll tell you what. If you go get me a picture of Jesus, i'll write you a check straight up for like $5.


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## Big Mike (Dec 10, 2009)

> What is the best way to generate a profit from my photographs?


Sell the service of professional photography, rather than simply selling photographs.


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## KmH (Dec 10, 2009)

Big Mike said:


> > What is the best way to generate a profit from my photographs?
> 
> 
> Sell the service of professional photography, rather than simply selling photographs.


The only thing a photographer really wants to sell is a license to use his/her images for some purpose.

There are 3 uses of photography:

Commercial
Editorial
Retail
Commercial use includes advertising and business promotion (annual reports, corporate head shots, product, brochures, etc).

Editorial use is images that accompany a written story (magazines, newspapers, books).

Retail is selling images to individuals, usually to the individuals in the images. This is family, senior, kids, pets portrature, wedding and event photography.

In the US as soon as a photographer releases the shutter on the camera they usually become the copyright owner of that image.

Copyright ownership is like a legal monopoly the photographer has on that image. Copyright is actually a bundle of rights that the photographer can sell rights to piecemeal.

A photographer can write a use license 

limiting the length of time an image can be used
what media types the image can be used in
what quantity and size is allowed in that media
limit the use to specific geographical areas
and many other ways
while retaining all other rights so he/she can sell those and other rights to a plethora of customers. 

Why sell an image just once, when it may be possible to sell the same image 100's of times.


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