Golden Lyre

Have you considered using digital photography to bring in some extra money? Digital photography is a hobby that is becoming more and more popular, as most people today have a digital camera in their home. If you just have a little bit of creativity digital photography can turn into a money making business. Actually, there are several ways that you can make some extra money with your digital camera.

All it takes is a little imagination, a flair for showmanship, a bit of salesmanship and the willingness to do some work – and you are set.

If you are a digital photography hobbyist, the chances are good that you already have the equipment you need to get started. You will need a digital camera, ideally with features equivalent to an SLR film camera, a tripod or two for certain picture-taking occasions and a printer capable of printing excellent quality photographs, or a printing service.

You will also need good digital photo editing software. Adobe products like Photoshop CS3, Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0, and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom are among the best digital image editing software applications on the market, along with Corel Paint Shop Pro X.

If possible, you should invest a couple hundred dollars in marketing materials.

Now, we should discuss a common misconception before going any further. Many people believe it?s impossible to make money at photography these days. They explain that almost every person has a digital camera or a camera phone. Most people think that no one will pay for pictures when people can take their own pictures.

The answer is simple. It is true that just about every household has a digital camera, or a film camera. But how competent are they at using it?

If you look closely at the pictures that most people take, you will see what I mean. Let’s be honest. These pictures suck. Motion blur from holding the camera incorrectly. Bad color too. Awkwardly posed subjects. No composition skills. They do not know how to avoid things like shadows over their subjects faces. Even those people that know how to use photo editing software may need help when it comes to taking amazing pictures. There is only so much you can do to correct a poor photograph.

What do you think is going to happen when these people try and print their photos. I am sure you have seen photos like this. The prints have poor resolution. The person taking the photograph had no understanding of the camera settings that ensure pictures suitable for printing.

This is good news for you. Use your extensive digital photography skills to work up a few samples that you can show to potential customers and reel them in.

Are you still apprehensive? Recently, I attended a friend’s birthday party. The host paid an amateur photograph who wanted to start their own business just like you.

Almost everyone at the party brought their own digital cameras – but once the party got rolling, who remembered to take pictures? And those shots that we did take were unplanned and poorly positioned.

The photograph still got money for what they did. A couple of days later, the photographer posted the photos on a web site. People that went to the party got the link to the pictures through email. The photos were then downloaded, printed, or saved to the computer of those that attended the party.

This photographer had a good gig, since she didn’t even have to bother with printing and delivering the work, although she received generous pay.

How cool is that?

You could to it, huh? So, learn all you can about photography and photo editing, create a marketing plan, and get out there!