Shoot to sell

Turning professional means one thing above all others: the need to sell your photographs…

- Paul Wikinson

One of the hardest things to adapt to when turning pro is that your priority shifts from creating images for the sheer love of it to creating images for money: you will need to sell your craft for more than it costs you to produce – and remember those costs will include the acquisition costs of finding the client, the cost of your kit, your insurance, taxes and numerous other business-related expenses that you haven’t even thought of yet! And whatever is left? Well, that is yours.

I know this all sounds obvious, but it is an inevitable balancing act to stay creative and be able to pay your bills (and your wages). This constant pressure on your creativity is one of the numerous reasons you hear so many pros talk about the importance of personal projects to keep yourself motivated. What you hear much less about is the importance of shooting to sell.

Art for art’s sake, money for goodness sake

It doesn’t matter what genre of professional photography you pursue, at the end of the day you need a buyer. Which means you need to create images that you can sell.