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06/06/2012 10:40:11 AM · #1 |
A week and a half ago, I decided to take pictures of a local bicycle charity ride. I've seen people take pictures at running events and motorcycle hot spots, but no one around here ever takes pictures of bicycle riders, so I thought there might be some interest in the photos. I took 700+ photos of people milling around the start and rest stop areas as well as at least one of every rider on the road (at the 14-mile mark). I didn't hand out cards or anything, but after I culled the pics down to 250 that I thought were in focus, I signed up for a Smugmug trial and sent the link to the shop owner. He posted it online and on Facebook. I got a ton of photo views (11,000+), which made me somewhat happy, but until today, I was pretty disappointed that no one thought a photo was worth two dollars plus shipping.
So I have been through the full range of human emotions on this one. I started out anxious and hopeful. Moved on to encouraged by the views. Later landed at dejection by the complete lack of sales. And now I have moved on to elation by a small order: Someone just bought three pictures! I know it is not much, but it makes me feel better, and I wanted to share my joy with some people who might have had similar first experiences and to maybe encourage those who are wondering if they should try something similar.
This has been a good learning experience for me, and while I obviously won't be making a living taking bicycle photos any time soon, I think it was worth the effort (now that I've sold three pictures). :)
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06/06/2012 10:56:49 AM · #2 |
Congratulations, ive been considering this for a while with the Athletics meetings I compete in and shoot at. It would never be anything other than to make a few quid but in the long run all those pennies can buy something nice, afterall photography is not cheap.
Now that you have dipped your toe in you should carry on.
I suppose your experience was like hitting the update button when you have a great score on here ;-) |
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06/06/2012 10:58:41 AM · #3 |
I've seen folks at many cycling events taking pics of all the riders and offering prints for sale later. There is even one woman in my bike club who does that.
I was out at a t-shirt ride last year, driving SAG and photographing the event (I had just healed from my broken kneecap and wasn't yet up to riding even the short route myself). I noticed an "official" photographer out on the route, and later on some other big cameras near the finish. I realized later on that was what they were doing, rather than trying to take interesting photos of the event, as I was.
I was curious how well such pics sell, though I don't have any interest in pursuing that route myself.
Message edited by author 2012-06-06 10:59:12.
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06/06/2012 10:59:34 AM · #4 |
First, congratulations. That first sale, no matter how small, is affirmation you're doing something right.
Secondly, I'll share something similar.
Right after the launch of my website, I went and photographed an indoor track and field meet. Took 2300+ photos, pared it down to around 300, and posted them for $5 digital downloads. Made sure to do it all that evening. After processing the decent ones, went to bed around 08:00 the next morning when the meet finished at 21:00 the night prior. These are university students or Olympic aspiring poor athletes, so I couldn't charge more. Point being, by then end of that weekend I had sold nearly $400 in downloads, and by the end of the week I was just shy of $600. Most of the sales were bulk to certain individuals. I know most of these people as they're friends, so I knew ahead of time who's either going to the Olympics or are very close, and made sure to snap the shit out of them.
Like  JiaBob, find something you enjoy doing and shoot the snot out of it. I would have been there anyways taking pictures, might as well try to make some coin while I can. |
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06/06/2012 11:18:56 AM · #5 |
way cool!
as pointed out, the key here is extreme efficiency: how fast can you get them from the camera to the gallery.
it takes time (years) to build a business of this type, and a lot of events; but, if you stick with it, you can pick up some nice income. some events will pay off immediately, some never, and some down the road. i shot an event over a month ago for an organization that didn't send out the gallery link until this past friday. within hours i had orders, not just from the most recent event, but also from other events shot for this organization three years ago!
here are some things to think about when it comes to community photography (if you poke around the site, you might find other useful nuggets).
good luck!
Message edited by author 2012-06-06 11:19:28. |
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06/06/2012 12:44:32 PM · #6 |
| Congrats. That was pretty quick for a sale. I had photographed several special Olympics events and from Smugmug sold over 60 photos. It is definitely a real charge to get that ChaChing in your email. |
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06/06/2012 12:46:56 PM · #7 |
| When I was on my university's cycling team, when we hosted the championship race weekend I volunteered to photograph the race since I was recovering from a crash and couldn't race. For the road race, we had a lead motorcycle and after some discussion, I shot the race from the back of the motorcycle seated backwards so I could get good shots of the leaders. It was an interesting experience made even more interesting by the need to reload the film without stopping the bike. |
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06/06/2012 01:18:22 PM · #8 |
Congrats. If I were in the race, I'd certainly want a photo.
Those automatic photos offered at roller coasters are fun too.
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06/06/2012 01:31:34 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by Strikeslip:
Those automatic photos offered at roller coasters are fun too. |
In case you don't read XKCD.
CS |
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06/06/2012 02:04:30 PM · #10 |
Good for you! That's such a self esteem booster.
My similar story- about a month ago I did a group photo for a local business celebrating 100 years (awesome!) and they ordered a bunch of prints off of my website. Yesterday, I got an email that they ordered MORE prints. It wasn't a huge order, but I was so elated by the fact that they ordered prints before and liked them enough to order more. |
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06/06/2012 02:11:05 PM · #11 |
IMO, people are generally unlikely to pay for a picture they didn't ask to be taken - the higher the price, the less likely. (Why should I pay $x for a picture when I can get a print at ... for 19 cents?) I think that makes your sale even more special & exciting. But wait - there's more - if your pictures are good, with 11,000 views, you've just done an excellent bit of advertising. Even if the rule of 1 sale per 100 contacts holds, you've got the potential of 10 or 11 paying jobs in the future as a result. No guarantees, of course, but...
Best to you.
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06/06/2012 02:27:12 PM · #12 |
| Congrats!! Where's the link to your smugmug??? |
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06/06/2012 04:23:11 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by cosmicassassin:
Originally posted by Strikeslip:
Those automatic photos offered at roller coasters are fun too. |
In case you don't read XKCD.
CS |
Haha! Thanks! :-D
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