Promoting your Photography

Even though you are still in school, once you get a body of work together, it doesn't hurt showing it to people to try and get work. Who says you can't make money off your photography while you're a student?! Also think about selling your work online- either as prints or as stock. If you sell prints, might be wise to set up editions (anywhere from 5-20 is norm).

Join ASMP or APA while you’re still a student. They’ll give you access to the emails of tons of photographers in the city. Great way to get assisting jobs.

For selling your images, Getty Images is a great resource. Go to their website and see how much they charge for their stock images.

Stock photos- put your work on iStock or a similar site. Remember if you submit pictures of people, you must have a model release.

Check Mary Virginia Swanson’s blog often for ‘calls for entry’. Try to apply for 1 thing a month. www.marketingphotos.wordpress.com. Also look at The Society for Photographic Education www.spenational.org and www.artdeadlineslist.com for calls for entry.

Sell your work on etsy.com

Send emails to photo editors. Get their addresses at mastheads.org. Sending emails with your website is sometimes more effective than postcards.

Mastheads.org: an amazing resource for contact info for magazine people. It’s like $25 for the year. Will give you photo editors’ phone # and email info.

Send gifts/press kits to photo editors every holiday you can think of (drop off at messenger center). I picked about 5 and keep working them.

Conde Nast: 4 Times Square (mess center entrance is in the back of
the building on 43rd)

New York Times: 620 8th Avenue, messenger center is on
40th Street between 7th and 8th, just east of the
building entrance. Ask in lobby if you can’t find it.

Drop off your book constantly to magazines. Call or email and ask what their portfolio policy is…several mags have a specific drop off day & procedure. Always have your book out.

For event photography, call up law firms, schools, non profits etc and ask for the name and # of their PR person/ Event planner. Several Law firms also have “art buying committees” which choose art to hang in their offices. Banks can also be good clients for selling fine art prints to, or even leasing them.