by Lesley Rigg

Created on: April 02, 2009

There are two main methods to market yourself and your photography, and dozens of mediums. The first and best way to market yourself and your product in nearly every case is through using the network of professional and personal contacts that you have in your life, and network out further to meet their contacts. Secondly, in order to reach out further is advertising and promotions to colder leads who you want to introduce yourself to.

If you already work in the photography industry in some form, then your contacts may be able to point you in the direction of work more readily, however, everyone uses photographers for personal events such as parties, weddings, engagements and other important gatherings, so nearly everyone you know is in effect a potential new customer.

Another brilliant way is by showcasing your work in some way. Many of the big contemporary galleries will offer cheap "sitting" fees to get people into a studio and then they offer standard pricing for any prints that are bought afterwards, once people have already committed to a sitting.

You can also contact groups and associations that might want a photographer to offer prints. This can range from the local pony or polo club to a weekly mother and toddler groups or a school or summer camps. These are all great ways to market what you can offer, whilst still making a living, and encourage people explore what else you can offer.

Any marketing you do have should feature prominently the style of your work, some people mini-portfolios that they carry around with them in case they can get into conversation. Having stylist contact cards with one of your signature images on them is also important.

If you are not going to specialise in portraits, then you need to look more to the fine art side of things or alternatively to microstock photography. Contact any galleries close by and if you take pictures of a particular area of outstanding natural beauty or have local interest pictures, then they may be keen to show-case your work for a small commission.

Micro stock on the other hand is on line and do the marketing for you, there are a number of agencies, most notably Shutterstock, http://www.shutterstock.com/?rid=216559, or Bigstockphoto http://www.bigstockphoto.com/?refid=JLQyinftyh, who offer small amounts every time your photograph is downloaded on a royalty free basis. This requires consistent and reasonably high uploading of marketable technically precise shots which would help market or sell a product or service.

Ultimately though the most important thing is to decide what it is you want to be doing in your photography life and plan a range of activities that will bring you closer to that goal. It is important that you talk to other people about this goal, first because it becomes more real to you, and also because those people will think of you when that sort of work is being discussed elsewhere and may recommend you.

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