Tips for Becoming a Travel Photographer
At some time or another, every photography buff dreams of becoming a travel photographer. It’s the ideal job for the person who dreams of traveling the world in search of interesting and beautiful things to photograph – and getting paid to do it. The money isn’t terrific – a salaried travel photographer generally makes less than $30,000 a year – but the perks are spectacular. You get to indulge in travel, meet interesting people, eat exotic foods and get paid to do something you love to do.
Needless to say, the attractions of being a travel photographer make the field of travel photography a crowded one. If you decide to pursue a career taking photographs in distant locales, you’ll be competing with thousands of others who have the same dream. And because it’s such a popular aspiration for a photographer, you’ll find a lot of tips online on how to take great shots as a travel photographer. You won’t find quite as much information on how to do the most important part of your job – selling your photographs.
Because make no mistake about it – the difference between a guy who takes great pictures on vacation and a travel photographer is that the latter knows how to make money with his camera. If you aren’t willing to put as much time into developing a market for your work as you are into taking photographs, you’ll end up with a portfolio of stunning photos – and a depleted bank account. If you’re serious about becoming a travel photographer, these tips can help you get on track to making money with your photography.
Diversify Your Shots
You may love taking portraits of the people you encounter in your travels, but you’ll be much more successful if your portfolio has a lot of variety in it. Some travel photographers specialize in underwater photography or wildlife photography – and there’s nothing wrong with having a specialty. But the wildlife photographer who also knows how to photograph native foods and local landmarks can pad his portfolio with shots he can sell to various markets.
Know the Markets for Your Photos
A moneymaking travel photographer takes the time to study the markets for his photos. Of course you can sell to glossy travel magazines and wildlife magazines, but those publishers are only a small subset of possible buyers for travel photographs. In addition to magazines, you can find work taking photographs for local Chambers of Commerce and tourism bureaus, postcard manufacturers, advertising and marketing agencies, hotels and restaurants that need brochures, amusement parks and even schools and websites. You can also make extra money selling your work from your own website or marketing your photographs online through one of the many stock photography websites.
Be Professional
The world of travel photography is a small one. That can work in your favor – or against you. If you make a name for yourself in a segment, people will seek you out – but if you manage to acquire a reputation for being difficult to work with or missing deadlines, that word will spread, too. Meet your deadlines, always offer your best work and always, always honor your contracts with buyers no matter how tempting it may be to resell a spectacular shot.
Being a travel photographer has its rewards. It’s not an easy life, but it is an adventurous and fun one. If you dream of making a living selling photographs, you’ll need to cultivate more than just your photography skills. Learn to market your underwater photography, wildlife photography and other types of photographs to maximize your earning potential as a travel photographer.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the world’s MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.
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