Landscape Photography for Sale: What's Your Dream?

NOTE: Fotodirt.com did not write nor edit this article (except maybe for some minor proofing). It's here as a service to you. Go to the site for categorized summaries and other unique content not available here.

By Martin Hurley

Why sell your photos? In fact, why create a bunch of fascinating (and no doubt compelling) landscape photographs and offer these images to people you've never met? This is one question I asked myself many time in my earlier photo exploratory years.

We could perhaps look at this as an exchange of goods and services. I mean, you've used your time and materials to create photos of quality and if people want these photos for their own reasons, then it's ok to exchange money for them. It's ok and good to get paid for the time and effort you've put into creating something of beauty... something that someone else finds important... So relish, appreciate and treasure that transaction, when it happens for you.

Of course one of the more difficult things to do is actually market your landscape photography effectively. And yet while often it feels so right to create landscape photography (for simple reasons such as the beauty impresses us, the feeling we get from capturing a scene of marvel, the wonder of life and nature, and mostly you don't need to bother with a model release or lighting setups either), it can still be a struggle to sell these types of images.

But the great thing is that, there are photographers who are successful and who have managed to perfect the art of marketing their landscape photography the right way. They've done it many a time, they still do it, and I'm sure they've automated the process of doing it (sales of their landscape photo pics) so that it just happens constantly and automatically for them.

They just focus their time on shooting new landscapes, travel to exotic and unusual wilderness locations, and perhaps marketing themselves or expanding their photo business... In fact if you're creatively inclined, nothing could be better than being able to shoot urban or landscape (name your style) photography, anywhere you choose and anytime you want.

There's a real joy in achieving this -- it surely must be one of the meanings of success in life. Actually the drive to reach this 'freedom to do anything we want in life, anytime, not limited by financial means' is surely one factor that pushes us to keep going, persevere, against all odds and obstacles as they come at us. And just think, the more difficult everything seems to be, sometimes can indicate how fantastic the taste of success and achievement will be... when it comes for you... down the track. :-)

In many ways, it's unfulfilling, for want of a better word, to be creatively inclined and live with ideas that don't get fully realized, or not to further expand the creative ideas that you may have in your head. Creative types should express themselves in the way that feels best. For me, it's photography. It's such a simple, easy and most often instant way to capture a moment or feeling that's important, or a significant landscape or scene of delight.

Perhaps we very well under estimate the value and importance of photography, and we might even take for granted the incredible invention that photography is. Yet in this day and age we could hardly live without it.

So, if we can see that our life has significance and what we choose to do in life is important... it makes sense then to capture this unique perspective of ours in images, to share with others. Recording and documenting our own life choices and lifestyle is refreshing and fascinating. So bring on the artists and lets encourage photography as much as possible...

And hey, when you get to the stage where you are super successful at marketing and promoting your landscape photography (or any photography for that matter), which is truly an admirable trait, let me know because I'd love to learn and document how you did it. :-)

Martin Hurley is head honcho at http://hurleypix.com/ and an unconventional modern day artist, photographer and thinker. He helps people uncover their inner talents and passions... and make money from taking photos! Why not start selling your photos online? Visit now to get a free ebook, an amazing Thailand cloud photo, and sign up to my free ezine.

Fotodirt: "How To" Dirt for Photoheads!