The nice thing about selling photography is that anyone can do it – you are not dependent upon physical ability, age, or background. It’s all about attitude, effort, and outlook.

Presenting Your Portfolio

Step 1. Organize Your Photos

The easiest way to store and share your photos is with an online photo album site. There are many to choose from, and your choice of site would depend upon your application. Here are two examples: Flickr and Smugmug.

There are photo communities, photo blog repositories, file storage services, printers that will store your photos, photo album sites supported by advertising, and paid-subscription sites that allow you to license your images.

Many sites are free. Some have restrictions. The sites may have limits for image file size, storage space, and duration of storage (e.g. your photos may get deleted after 90 days of non-usage).

For a monthly subscription, you can often upgrade to a “premium” service, which may increase the size of files you can store and reduce the amount of advertising you endure.

Some sites permit printing and licensing, so you can make money off your photos, similar to stock photography.

Step 2. Make Your Own Web Site

Creating your own website has become almost mandatory if you want to sell your photographs professionally. If you are motivated you can learn web design yourself. Or else, hire a professional to create a website for you.

First find a web host. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) may offer this, or you can sign up for a paid account with a hosting company.

Web hosting rates are going down and can vary between $10-25 per year. You can get your own domain name for a few additional dollars.

Include text to describe the pictures so your site will get found on search engines such as Google. Include an email address and/or phone number so you can be reached.

You can include copyright info if you like (e.g. Copyright Trent Burkholder Photography 2007). Don’t get too nervous about people stealing your images.

Magazines and other companies respect copyright rules. Besides, an image on the Internet is usually too poor quality to be printed well.

Remember- it’s better to display your images on the web risking theft, rather than hiding them in the closet, where no one can see them except spiders.

Where To Sell Your Travel Photography

Now that you’ve uploaded and organized your best work, here are 11 places you can market and sell your photographs:

1. Magazines

Magazines are a good way to see your picture in print. There are many magazines covering a wide variety of subjects, and they need pictures for each edition.

The Photographer’s Market is an excellent directory that lists hundreds of magazine listings where photographers can submit their images.

The book also provides valuable insight into what types of pictures each market desires. The brief description in Photographer’s Market will help you to make intelligent decisions about which pictures and articles to send to the various editors.

2. Web Photography

The Web is the easiest place to get your photos published.

Websites are constantly in need of photos to showcase on their web sites. Different types of web sites require certain genres of photography.

Web sites use low-resolution images, which means you don’t need an expensive, high-megapixel camera, and you don’t have to worry about unauthorized usage in other media since printed media requires higher-resolution images than typically found on the Web.

For example, an office site will require images of people in office settings, equipment, or images conveying a work environment, whereas a website offered by a travel agency will depict images of exotic cultures and open-air market settings of different countries.

Real estate agents, tourist/convention-and-visitor bureaus, and companies in the tourism industry are also often looking for good travel photos.

3. Commercial Advertising

Commercial advertising is where the money is. If you can sell a picture for an ad, you could be cashing thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.

Advertisers require exceptionally high quality. The picture must be sharp, very high resolution, correctly exposed, and with accurate lighting across the picture.

Simply a “good” photo of your baby is not good enough for a baby-product advertiser. Professionals have a team of helpers, lighting gear, and big high-res cameras for commercial photography.

In some cases, you may have to compromise your integrity as a photographer to sell a specific image. You decide if you are willing to do that, in order to earn an income.

4. Postcards

Postcards are the lowest-cost printed products. You can make your own quite cheaply, which means low-risk and easy market entry for self-publishers.

There are many online printers for postcards. You could make samples on your own inkjet printer, take them to local stores, and ask for feedback.

5. Stock Agencies

Most publishers already have a photo solution and don’t want to work with “small-timers” and “amateurs.” So, why not let someone else promote your work?

Consider using a stock agency. They represent your work and depending on the images sold, the photographer gets a commission.

With the Internet and digital photography, there is a proliferation of web-based agencies. Find an agency that fits your quality of work.

Select one that lies between the big three professional stock agencies of Getty, Corbis and JupiterMedia, and more amateur and hobbyist-focused “microstock” agencies such as iStockPhoto, ShutterStock, and Everystockphoto.

You can even split your work over several agencies, particularly ones that accept “non-exclusive” submissions, which means that they don’t prohibit you from submitting the same photo to another agency.

6. Combining Your Writing and Photography

Magazines are always looking for stories, so try packaging your photos with a pre-written article.

Think of some interesting and unique angle about your trip or the subject of your photos. Write in the style of the targeted magazine, with a similar word count. If you keep the rights, you can re-package the same article for different magazines.

This does not mean you have to write like Hemingway. With photographers, editors expect to do a certain amount of reworking on the writing. Photographic magazines in particular look for photo/article packages.

Magazines often have fixed pay rates. There is no negotiation. Articles are commissioned and paid by word count.

Photography rates depend upon the size printed. A full page, for example, pays more than a half page, and the cover shot pays the most.

7. Greeting Cards

Travel photos create beautiful images for greeting cards. Images of nature, wildlife, and temples make wonderful greeting card images.

Consult books that have sayings for greeting cards for special events like birthdays, Hanukkah, and Christmas to insert in your card.

Various software devices like Publisher now make it possible for you to make your own professional greeting cards without having to spend a penny. It only costs you energy and time.

8. Photography for Functional Products

Any product that can display a photo is a potential revenue source for photographers.

Magnets, T-shirts, mugs, plates, stickers, cards, mouse pads, bags, the market is unlimited. You can license your photo for others to use on products, or make and sell your own products.

Publishing Your Own Travel Photography Book

The two basic ways of publishing a book on travel photography are 1) Finding a publisher and 2) Self publishing.

Finding a Publisher – Read the publisher’s guidelines. Once you get some magazine articles published approach book publications with your photographic samples.

First submit a book query. Then, if the publisher is interested, he/she will ask for a complete book proposal.

Self Publishing – Another way to get your book published is to do it yourself. If you are not concerned about making a vast amount of money, then you may consider self-publishing.

You can print your book at a regular printing press, pay a publishing company to do it for you online. However, the distribution and marketing will be your sole responsibility.

For an example, see Timen’s book of Southeast Asia photography.

Getting your travel photography book published is useful in several ways:

• You are having a gallery opening and would like to give attendees a printed book that discusses and displays your photography
• You want to send a copy of your book along with your portfolio to curators, philanthropists, and jurors
• You want to have a few copies of your book at your studio, for visitors to browse through
• To earn an income

However you decide to publish and sell your work, remember, persistence is key. Best of luck!

Preethi Burkholder is a professional grant writer and author of ten books. Learn more about at Gifted Hands Writing.

Grants are awarded for travel research, humanitarian work, airfare, lodging, education, career advancement, and to cover living expenses while you are in another country.

I have won many grants to do humanitarian work in Sri Lanka. Through grants I have helped build homes for tsunami victims, started a guava jam project, and bought books and pencils for children in low income areas.

The grant proposal is the basic document that enables applicants to get money. First off, there are three types of grant proposals:

• A Letter of Inquiry (LOI) – A letter of inquiry is a one to two page summary that outlines the project. Funders request a brief description of the project before making a decision on whether to ask for a longer and more comprehensive proposal.
• Letter Proposal – A letter proposal is a three to five page description of the project plan, the purpose for which funds are being sought, and background information on the applicant requesting funds.
• Long Proposal – The most common document that funders seek is the long proposal. The long proposal is three to ten pages long. It contains the cover letter and the proposal summary accompanying it. The common format includes a need statement, goals and objectives, methods, budget, and evaluation.

Knowing where to look for money is key. Researching funders that are likely to give money to carry out your work requires time, patience, and perseverance.

Always remember to look at the funder’s current guidelines. Grant profiles, contact information, and funding criteria change frequently. The internet is an excellent source to look for funders.

You are likely to find the most current information available online, simply because web sites are easier to update than print publications.

How To Research Funders

Researching the right places is a critical component of increasing your chances of winning a grant for emergency expenses. The research phase is fun but requires patience.

If you have a family member or a friend who is willing to perform a good-will hunting on your behalf, you are likely to save a lot of time, energy, and effort. The reality, however, is that you are the most likely person to do the best job of researching potential foundations that are likely to cover emergency living expenses.

Get started here: The Foundation Center

This is the first place to begin your research on private foundations, community foundations, and corporate giving in any part of the country.

The Foundation Center Online provides links to individual foundations’ websites, offers news about foundations and giving trends, links to research materials, links to foundations’ 990 tax forms, and much more.

If you want to look at private foundations go to the home page and click on “Grantmaker Websites,” then click on “Private Foundations.”

National Funders – Where To Look

Expand your funding hunt to national sources as well. Here are some excellent sources:

• The Federal Register – When it comes to finding federal grant opportunities the first step is to go to the source: the Federal Register Online. The Federal Register is the official daily record of all meetings, notices, regulations, and other functions of the federal government.
• Grants.Gov is a centralized grant site for the federal government. The home page has a link to grant opportunities released during the previous week.
• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) – The Catalog online is searchable by a variety of categories and key words. Click on “Search for Assistance Programs” on the Home Page to get to the search page. Then click on “Find a Grant.” This brings you to a list of categories, each of which has its own subcategories. Each subcategory has a number of grant programs.

When dealing with any funder, remember to read the instructions carefully before applying. Simple as it may sound, this advice is very important. Because grant makers receive so many applications, they are often quick to discard those that do not strictly comply with their instructions.

You may have excellent grant proposal writing skills and an uncanny ability to submit award winning proposals, but if you don’t know how to read the guidelines and obey them, the likelihood of winning funding is slim.

Ten years ago hard copies of directories were the standard method of hunting for grants. They are still widely used, but the internet is gaining more popularity when it comes to researching funders. Sometimes the internet version is more up to date than hard copies, which are only published once a year.

How To Evaluate A Potential Travel Grant

Look at each individual foundation’s profile. Most foundation listings are profiled as follows:

• Eligibility: Tells if individuals or organizations can apply.
• Funding Criteria: gives an indication of how large or how small the grants are. Some give a range, such as grants between $10,000-$500,000 are awarded
• Restrictions: tells the categories of support
• Contact Address: tells you who and where to contact to receive an application form.
• Areas of Funding: tells the fields that the foundation prefers to fund.
• Submission: tells how applicants can submit their work, whether by regular mail, e-mail, fax, or hand delivery
• Deadline: tells when the applications are due.
• Purpose of the foundation: You also want to make sure they share an interest in your project. Do they target a location? Check for geographic priorities. If the foundation only makes local grants and your organization is on the other side of the state cross its name off your list. If the foundation makes national grants, your project must have national importance if it is to be considered.
• Limitations: Look at the restrictions or limitations. Statements of limitations include “grant funds are generally limited to charitable organizations already favorably known to the foundation,” and/or “grant funds are committed.” Both statements mean the same thing, that the foundation already is working with established organizations and committed money to those same organizations year after year.

Sample Guidelines for Grant Applicants

Guidelines vary from funder to funder. Some are very basic while others are more complex. Here are three sample guidelines taken from private and federal funders:

Sample Guidelines #1

To apply to the foundation, please submit a three-page application. Applications over three pages will not be considered. Electronic submissions in Microsoft word or PDF formats are also accepted.

On the first two pages include the following:

• 1. Title of the project
• 2. A brief (two sentence) description of the project
• 3. Overall objective and significance of and benefit from your project
• 4. Clearly and in detail set forth the specific goals of your project, how you will accomplish these goals, and the time frame for the project. The foundation will primarily focus on stated goals and the plan to accomplish them in reviewing all requests
• 5. On a separate single page please provide:
• a. The dollar amount requested and the specific budget for the project and its justification.
  The foundation generally does not provide funds for organization overhead, routine equipment, standard photographic equipment or personal computers. Any related funding, active or pending, including “in-kind” funds should be explicitly described including the budget.
• b. The applicant’s name, address, and phone number
• c. Any affiliations of the applicant
• d. Identify all previous requests to the foundation

Use regular mail. Do not use a mail service that requires staff signature.

Debunking Travel Grant Writing Myths

Myths about grant writing can derail even the most skilled and motivated grant seekers. Don’t fall for the traps carefully laid out by a few self-seeking individuals.

Here are some myths to watch out for. Buying into any of these myths can keep success at arm’s length for many grant writers.

Myth #1: If you Craft an Excellent Proposal, You will Always get Funded

Not exactly. Even if a grant writer submits an exceptionally persuasive grant proposal, there is always the likelihood of a funder rejecting it.

The grant proposal is not the only factor that determines whether or not a proposal is funded. Most established grant writers would agree that the success of grant proposals depends on four factors:

• 1. The quality of the nonprofit organization
• 2. The innovative nature or critical importance of the proposed project
• 3. The emerging priorities of a funding source or the competition level in a particular grantmaking cycle
• 4. The skills of the grantwriter in building a compelling case. No matter how carefully and strategically a proposal is prepared, these other factors impact the outcome

Myth #2: There is No Money Available.

This is not true. Billions of dollars are waiting to be claimed.

Furthermore, those who are entrusted with dispersing this money are just as eager to give it away as organizations and individuals are to receive it.

With philanthropists like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffet giving away billions of dollars in grants, the grant writing well is flowing quite strongly.

Myth #3: The Money Only Goes to Big, Prestigious Institutions; Not to Individuals or to Small Nonprofits

Wrong again. It is true that over ninety percent of grants are given to nonprofits and that individual applicants qualify only for a meager sliver of funding.

It is also true that enormous amounts of money are given to the same institutions, year after year. However, these reasons do not mean that small institutions and individuals do not qualify for grants.

Small institutions and people who are “unknown” to the general public are getting hundreds of millions of dollars too. Knowing where to look for them is key.

Myth #4: Successful Grant Seeking Requires Connections

Connections can help but they are not required. Connections may play a role in federal grants but private foundations are open to applications from anyone who fits the guidelines.

Myth #5: The Contact Information of Funders is Usually Kept a Secret

Far from it. By law, philanthropic organizations and federal funders are required to make their charity giving public knowledge. The 990PF reports are the tax returns filed by private foundations.

Legally, nonprofits are required to disclose their tax returns to the public, interested in learning about their grant giving trends. Knowing how to research funders is important.

Preethi Burkholder is a professional grant writer and author of ten books. Learn more about grant applications at Gifted Hands Writing.