Trends in Photography Web Sites

Being an artistic industry, photography is subject to trends and fads, just like any other business related to the arts. Those trends can be in picture styles, post-processing techniques, lighting techniques and print options.

With the rise of the web-based portfolio, there are trends starting to appear online as well. Some of these are positive developments, some of them we could all live without.

More HTML5, Less Flash

This would be one of the positive developments. Flash has several problems related to use on the web. It's not search engine friendly and Flash has a reputation of being slow, inefficient, a resource hog and a security problem.

With the rise of mobile devices, Flash has become an even bigger issue. Many of them simply don't support it. With the rise in technologies like HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3 the need for Flash in photography sites is becoming less of an issue. Most effects commonly used on photography sites no longer require Flash.

Less Music

Another positive trend is photographers are finally getting the hint to turn off the music on web sites. There's nothing like music suddenly blasting out of their speakers to really annoy users. Unless you're trying to leave viewers with the impression that you're an annoying dolt, in which case, go right ahead.

If you want to add music to a slide show, that's fine. Just make sure the music is off by default and that the link to the show is clearly marked "with music". Giving users the option for music will be much better received than trying to force it on them.

The End of Big Text

Nothing shrieks "amateur" quite as loudly as massive block text blasted all over a web site.
The text on your web site should be an aid to navigation and convey information as cleanly and elegantly as possible. After that your photography should be doing the talking, not block text floated over your work.

The same theory applies to watermarks. Your watermark should be large enough to read the name with the unaided eye but not so big it takes away from the pictures. Many photographers attempt to deliberately spoil a photo with the watermark to discourage copying.

In these days of search engines like TinyEye.com, it's possible to search across the internet to find sites or people improperly displaying your work. There's no need for the self-promoting monster watermarks.

More Text

Another positive development is photographers adding more text to their sites. Photos still are not search engine friendly and the text, particularly on your landing page, will help search engines steer users your way.

Another benefit is people searching to hire photographers many times want to know what you have to say.

The concept has sometimes been referred to as the Semantic Web and smart photographers have picked up on the trend. Although photography is a visual art, there is always a desire to learn more about the artist, beyond the mere facts of their personal history.

You'll learn even more with Proud Photography - one of the best online photography schools available today at Classes on photography

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Best Sites to Sell Photos - Where Can I Sell Photos Online?

You have probably heard of people earning extra money by selling photos online, or even making a living from this. Whether you tried doing this yourself or not, you might be wondering what the best sites to sell photos are, so you can maximize your profit.

But first, let's spend some time discussing why anyone would pay for photos taken by regular people with their digital camera.

Considering the constant expansion of the Internet, just like the Universe itself, it can be clear to anyone that new content is always in demand. And "new content" does not only refer to written content, like most people would assume, but photos, too. Thousands of new websites appear each day and a good part of them need original content. This is why website designers, bloggers, business owners and even online magazines need fresh photos. And you would be surprised to find out how many of them are actually willing to pay good dollars for suitable photos, instead of taking them themselves.

Now back to the main point: what are the best sites to sell photos?

In order to give an answer to this question, we must make it clear that there are different types of websites that can earn you money this way. There are blogs, forums and specialized stock photos sites.

In order to sell your photos to blogs, you will usually have to contact the owner of the blog yourself. I like to find blogs that are updated frequently and post a lot of pictures. Most of these have a contact form or an email address, so all you have to do is send a polite email to the owner asking about any potential needs they may have regarding photos. I like to include a link to a website of mine, where most of the photos are available.

Some bloggers will not respond at all, some will politely refuse and some will be interested. If 3 out of 10 emails bring you costumers, you are already earning some good money!

Another way to go is to advertise your work in forums. There are not a lot of buying/selling photos online forums out there (and the existing ones will usually bring you little to no money at all, since everyone there is looking for a bargain), buy you can go another way. Who might be in desperate need of photos? People who need to design a website and are working on a schedule, with a deadline approaching, right? And where can you find these people? On forums about web designing, of course!

A quick Google search will find dozens of such forums, all filled with people willing to pay for a nice looking photo. Be polite, do not spam, and buyers will come.

The last type of websites you can use to sell your photos is stock photos websites. These are actually responsible for the biggest part of my monthly income and are a delight to work with. Shutterstock.com, istockphoto.com and fotolia.com are just a few of the websites I use to sell my photography.

Every photo earns me, on average, $2.5. Knowing that you could make this king of money, how many photos would you be willing to take during a month? One hundred? Five hundred? Do the math yourself and figure out how much money could that bring you! And you don't need to be a professional photographer or anything! I make a good living selling photos online and I didn't take any photography lessons ever and I was a complete beginner when I started.

When it comes to complete beginners trying to make money selling photos online, I can mention my friend Jessica and her quest to making $3000 per month. She started a few months ago and already managed to make a little more than $2000 a month, so her journey is coming to an end. At How to How to Sell Your Photos, you can find a report of her progress and learn a lot from her experience. Make sure you check it out!

Gilbert Robinson is a professional photographer making a living out of his passion.

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