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Making Money With Photography: How To Set Up Your CameraDollars ClickBank Link

March 16, 2009 By 3 Comments
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Here’s a quick 5 minute video I created to show you ways you can start making money with photography…

Basically this video is an introduction to getting your ClickBank affiliate link set up so you can then promote any digital photography book you want. (It doesn’t just have to be CameraDollars!)

Although I used Brian Moore’s CameraDollars because his product is such an excellent example, and, from I can see, converts very well.

Have a look at this video and let me know your thoughts in the comments section below…

If I get enough comments I’ll create another video. If not, I’ll go and talk to my friend Robert Plank about why his marketing methods are not working. :)

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How To Set Up A Digital Photography Blog In 10 Minutes

March 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment
digital-photography-blog
Farewell to the Golden Age
Image by ecstaticist via Flickr

What is a digital photography blog and how can you get one in 10 minutes?

Let’s break it into steps. Here’s how Wikipedia describes a photography blog…

A photoblog (a.k.a. photolog or phlog) is a form of photo sharing and publishing in the format of a blog, but differentiated by the predominant use of and focus on photographs rather than text.

In the case of PhotoMarketeers we use a WordPress template blog, and add the occasional small photo attachment to every post. (The excellent plugin that automates the ‘add photos’ part easily is Zemanta).

You could do a similar thing of course by starting out with WordPress. You can download WordPress for free at http://wordpress.org/

And when you get to the ‘writing’ stage,  (like I’m doing now) remember you can add more than just images too… Use bullet points, graphics, etc, to break up the text and make it easier on the eye when your visitors ‘speed browse’ your site.

But I digress…

To keep things simple, what you’d do is add thumbnails or small photos to your photo blog, with links out to your FlickR photo folio, or to SmugMug photo sharing (so the viewer can go see more snaps if they desire).

All this depends on what YOU want your viewers to see…

In our case the emphasis is on the content, and we support the words with images.

But if you wanted to put the focus more on the images themselves then you’d use a photo blog template that’s specifically designed to display photography work. Do a Google search for ‘WordPress photo blog templates’ to find a list of these.

You can also invest in a digital photography blog that’s pretty much plug and play.

That means it’s all set up and ready for you to just add your photos, your content, and then go hassle everyone you know about it.  Go here to see one of these (never used this – can’t confirm how good it is!)

If what you’ve just read sounds good then why not take it further and get your hands on my ‘How To Make A Stunning WordPress Blog‘ (for photographers)?

You’ll be able to download this (free) rockin’ guide within minutes once you sign up to my free photo marketing ezine.

That guide explains how to set up your digital photography blog in greater depth with step by step screen pictures showing you exactly what to do, and how to do it.

It’s not that difficult to set yourself up with a photo blog. You can get yourself started in 10 minutes. Next week we’ll explore how to host your photo blog too.

What do you think?
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 :)

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10 Quick Ways To Sell More Photos Online

January 25, 2009 By 1 Comment
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All Around Washington
Image by danny.hammontree via Flickr

1. Explore digital stock photography… Cast your eyes over iStockphoto or Fotolia… Learn more from Yuri Arcurs who makes an exceptional living from selling his stock photos. Yuri says “…branding yourself by having a unique style that is recognizable and consistent is probably the most important aspect in microstock.” Here’s a list of 10 popular microstock photography sites to sell stock photos.

Read more photo articles about digital stock photography…

2. Nurture your brand of one… Create stunning t-shirts, calendars, greeting cards, clothing etc that makes folks go wow. Use CafePress to sell your photography, photo image or photo illustration you created in Photoshop…

Right now if you look around you’ll spot lots of t-shirts, prints etc that are inspired by President Obama and are probably still going to still be popular for a while to come… How can you tap into this? Turning your photos into a photo product WORKS…

3. Stand in front of the hungry crowds… Use eBay to sell your photos on CD or DVD. Take a selection of interesting photography you have… find out what is selling well on eBay… then automate the whole eBay to DVD to buyer process by using Auction Acrobat.

4. No time to reinvent the wheel… Know about public domain? This means photos and illustrations and music etc that is copyright free and freely available to be used by you (the public!) Dig around the public domain until you find an amazing image or two, then re-idea them to your heart’s content… Think t-shirt designs, logos, website photography, blog headers, etc. Tony Laidig is the master of public domain and his picture project will get your visual IDEAS clock spinning madly…

5. Get a name for being unique… Use boutique photo galleries or photo agencies like these friends of mine (www.farmboyfinearts.com) to get your abstract or landscape photos lining the walls of restaurants, resorts, billboards, upscale hotels, etc… Create custom artwork… site specific artwork… Every wall needs a photo, right?

6. Create free desktop wallpaper screen-savers… Create screensavers or other popular downloadable ‘toys’ – stuff such as wall papers, desktop screen savers etc that put your photos on other people’s computer screens… Look at http://www.download.com for more…

7. Take the photos that no one else wants to take… and then get paid for it! See what I mean here: $200 A Day… Think of all the folks that need insurance, home, vehicle etc ‘photo documentation’ and then you BE the one who does it…

8. Tap into people’s passions… Everyone is enthusiastic about something right? Hobbies, enthusiasts… think modified cars, trucks, motorbikes, sports, homes, vacation spots etc … Make the necessary arrangements then shoot… After which you present said collection of images in a beautifully bound digital photography book using PhotoBox

9. Explore the 7 seas… Travel based photography ring any bells? Be the wordsmith and wield the camera, or just shoot and then develop a working relationship with another writer (they can live almost anywhere too)… You’ll want to be familiar with posting the images you take on blogs, using web 2 sites etc. Think ‘how to’ articles, either for photo blogs, or offline publications… Photo/text features easier to sell than individual photos… Plus you can on-sell this photo article to other magazines…

10. The wide world of pets… Folks LOVE pets like nothing else! And they’d like a photo of them too, wouldn’t they? Here’s some thoughts on the matter… “Before you hire yourself out, though, practice with your own (or a friend’s) pet – when people are paying money for photos, they want good ones. Some tips: Don’t use a wide-angle lens at close range unless you want an elongated, distorted look. Enlist the pet’s owner as an assistant to help manage the subject. And get some shots of the pet with the owner too…”

OK that’s 10 quick ways to sell more photos online (and off)… Comments?

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Can A Digital Photography Blog Help You Start Making Money In Photography?

January 17, 2009 By 2 Comments
xray_bus
16 SortidozZ
Image by Paco CT via Flickr

Do you lie awake at night ‘imagineering’ potential ideas in your mind… mulling over the creative possibilities of where you could go with a digital photography blog?

Photo blogging is actually one superb way to start making money in photography. Of course though, you DO need to put the effort into it (like anything, right?)

Although it’s easy enough to set up a WordPress blog (like this one), keep in mind you’ll still need to post (write) to your blog often, be willing to work hard at it, learn the basics to blogging, and make sure you keep firing questions to passionate marketeers like me!

However it’s not always as easy as it sounds. You kind of need to have your own ‘mission’ and blog purpose – and continue working on it no matter what. Otherwise you can have “…unrealistic expectations of how fast your readership will grow and how much money you will make, and when these expectations are not met, the disappointment can crush the desire to continue blogging.”

To counter-defend yourself against the frustrations that inevitably sneak up as you look up to the summit and see how far you’ve STILL got to trek, you need to have a realistic plan and stick to it. Everyone has their own plan, but in any case, it can be something as simple as writing a blog post, or contacting another related photo blog for a reciprocal link once a week.

And if you’re serious about making money in photography from blogging, then you’re going to have to do a little bit of photo marketing too… Stuff such as taking the time to let other folks know about your photo blog, posting comments on other related blogs, making comments in photo forums, and so on.

More often than not though, you’ll automate some of these processes to save you time. A really good example of hands-free, easy-automation is Jonathan Leger’s 3 way linking tool that’ll help to get your digital photography blog ranking highly in Google. But all in all, prepare to work at it for a good while before you start seeing results. :)

Once you understand that it does take work, you’ll know that to cultivate the regular visitors, you’ll need to keep posting on your blog, and continue the photo marketing side of things as much as the actual writing part.

You can also do things like drop a subscription form into your blog that invites your visitors to join your mailing list, or promote affiliate products through writing reviews or using banner advertising. When a website visitor clicks and buys one of these products you’ll earn a nice little commission.

The key to all this is staying committed to your project. To stay motivated, set goals for how often you will update your photo blog, and how many readers you want to attract, and then reward yourself for sticking to your plan. By mastering the basics, and taking action, you’ll be ahead of 99% of the market…

So, a digital photography blog does a few things well… It’s a creative ‘canvas’ for your ideas, a good way to ‘put you on the map,’ and a potential (and very cool) way to start making money in photography too!

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:)

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Random Photography Tips And Fantastic Festivals Somewhere In India

December 4, 2008 By 1 Comment
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The 2001 Kumbh Mela.

Image via Wikipedia

Just a quick post today as I have been one very SLACK bunny. For some weird reason it’s easy to get waylaid never mind the fact that it only takes about 10 minutes to post a blog comment!

So, let me update you on new projects.

The first is a complete redo of my Digital Photo Toolkit guide – I re-wrote the sales page basing it on a story about me being stuck at the Kumbh Mela festival in India, with a Pentax K1000 and not much else. That was a few years back now, but nevertheless still a memorable and adventurous week. See that selling photos online guide here.

I’ve also busied myself with writing articles. I encourage you to do the same if you have a website setup and/or an information product. Articles? What’s writing got to do with photography? Well… you’d be surprised!

A bunch of my recent articles have touched on digital photography tips, but with a slight twist. Check this out for a title… Digital Photography Tips – How to Raise and Train Your Camera! These articles DO bring interested visitors through to my blog, and it’s a great way to become an ‘expert’ in your field too…

You can see exactly what chaos I’ve been creating by checking out the photography tips articles here.

Enjoy…

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:)

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A Beginners Guide To Learning Photography From A Hard Core Marketer’s Perspective

August 30, 2008 By Leave a Comment
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69 at one time or another.....Image by Saffanna via Flickr

For me I believe that learning photography is an intuitive, highly creative act that works best when one is immersed head first into the doing (action) and the learning.

In my case, I ‘learnt’ by taking pictures – honing my talents, sharpening my sword so to speak. Along the way I observed, and appreciated, the fascinating array of photographers and photography styles, whilst thinking and dreaming (idealizing) about how to do something similar.

So if we are talking about learning photography here then my suggestion is that you can go and look at stock photo agencies and microstock photo sites (check out istockphoto ) and see what great work is coming out and what is happening there.

Then you can emulate or try out certain styles and see how they fit with you. Of course you’ll bring your own personal, unique individuality to the table, and everything you do anyway. (Ie. The photography that you produce will be unique for you). Keep in mind that your images (more often than not) will need to be sellable too… but that’s a story for a rainy day. Let’s get back to learning photography, or the happy little world of beginners photography…

It usually does take a long time to get good… It’s said it takes 10 years to become an expert at something. So, that means you do need to work at it. And keep practicing… and GO find that particular photographer, photography style, or digital photography tutorial that motivates you so much you can’t wait to get out there and shoot.

There’s a fine balance between the learning and the doing. You also need to have a clear, measurable goal and destination. What this means is that if you want to create photography specifically for microstock photo sites, then you’ve given yourself a project to learn all about what type of images sell best, with a target of getting accepted and uploading 50 new images a month. (As an example).

However if you want to just create local photos, or want to start your own photography business, or even make your first information product in the photo niche, then I suggest you find the experts who are already doing this, and emulate what they’re doing.

Hold on – let’s get clear on the meaning of emulate first…

Emulate: To compete with successfully; approach or attain equality with. Also: strive to equal or match, especially by imitating.

Clear on that?  So… at the end of the day learning photography is all about having a mission, Ie. knowing what it is you want to do with your amazing creative photo talents, and then focusing intensely on that goal, learning everything there is to know about it, and continuing to take photos as you go.

It’s also about asking questions, getting involved (photo forums are helpful), and contributing something special to the world. I think that about sums up what learning photography is, do you?

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:)

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Little Known Ways To Benefit From Yahoo Answers

June 27, 2008 By 1 Comment
Yahoo Answers Introduction

Yahoo Answers Introduction

Let me introduce Yahoo Answers to you with this quote…

“When your focus shifts from getting rich, selling more ebooks, and banking more cash to a mindset of adding value to more people’s lives, helping them get richer, healthier, happier, more successful… a paradigm shifts in your success level.”

The above quote by my friend Dr.Mani does a lot to explain ultimately what is at the heart of all successful businesses… whether that’s in Internet marketing, digital photography or any online niche. It’s all about giving. It really does pay to give your knowledge away. :)

And one great way to give is by using Yahoo Answers. Basically this is where you can go to ASK any questions you have, or answer other people’s questions. (To answer other people’s questions, just search for questions on your preferred topic, and post with an answer. Make sure to drop in a link to your website too!)

I love Yahoo Answers because you get some really, terrifically HONEST questions being asked. And to be able to help these people out is very rewarding. There’s a photography section too, and so you constantly get people looking for photography tips, printing photo questions, selling photos, website help etc.

IF you are knowledgeable in a particular area, it’s worth contributing, and posting your perspective. I try to get in there every week and give it a blast. If your answer is chosen as the best answer, you can end up (down the track) with some good search engine rankings. Yahoo comes with a LOT of link power!

Answers.Yahoo.com – remember to add to Yahoo Answers with quality input.

Yahoo! Answers allows you to make someone’s day each time you reply, give value to people no matter where they live in the world, and share your intelligence (and depth of knowledge) for a good cause.

:)

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Digital Photography Tips: Free Guide Shows You How To Increase Website Traffic

June 6, 2008 By 5 Comments
Digital photography tips: article marketing guide

Digital photography tips: article marketing guide

Download Article Marketing Strategies Here

“I used to work hard. The 18-hour days. The 7-day weeks. But I didn’t start making big money until I did less – a lot less. For example, this ad took me about 2 hours to write. With a little luck it should earn me 50, maybe a hundred thousand dollars.”

That’s not my quote but you get the idea… The idea is that as a photographer, you want to be utilizing your talents and knowledge and inbuilt genius in the best ways possible. One of these ways is with photography.

You go out and you create art, or beauty, or amazing digital landscapes, or abstract photography, whatever it may be, and you form it into an image. Your genius goes into this image, and then the image travels the globe, end up on magazine stands, posters, postcards, websites, exhibits, t-shirts and a thousand surprisingly different avenues of expression.

For many of you, this is your big mission in life. But having said that, there’s still something missing. You are also capable of expressing your creative talents in words. And if you struggle with this and blurt out “but this is why I take photos, so I don’t have to write!” Then let me assure you that there are an abundance of passionate photographers out there who you can interview at the drop of a hat. In fact, right now, they’re waiting for you to call them!

But make no mistake. Content does rule the Internet, friend.

Cast your mind over the millions of people this very minute with fingers poised, quietly brainstorming within for the right keywords to use to find what they want online. Will they find you? Do you want them to?

But back to the story…

Yes, it’s cool if you’ve got 200 stunning nature pictures on your photo blog or website. But even cooler is if you’ve got articles, reviews and over-deliver with great content on your website, as well as those compelling nature pics.

Because we want to read all about it! We do want to know what makes you tick, what pulls YOU up in the morning, what makes you chase thunderstorms, get up at 5AM to snap the misty start of a new day. All that and more!

And so, after all this… How do you increase website traffic (attract more visitors) then?

Well, one way is by writing articles. (Or do the interview thing I mentioned above). Simple stuff. 500 words or so. Just like you were talking passionately to a close friend. Just talk about what you know best. You can, right? And then you submit these articles to specific websites. Boom.

With a link that points back to YOUR website in the resource box (you’ll put that at the end of your article), your good articles will be picked up by other websites. And all across the web they’ll swim… far and wide. With little friendly links all pointing back towards your website… and LOTS of people reading your article and finding out what makes you tick…

You getting the big picture here? I hope so… Because if I could give you any digital photography tips whatsoever then this one would be HIGHEST on the list.

And now you have no excuse not to take ACTION. Because ‘Article Marketing Strategies‘ (with 51 very revealing pages) is yours to download. All you need to do is click the link above. Or below:

Download Article Marketing Strategies Here

And then go forth and create your digital photography empire!

:)

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Photography Careers – How To Profit Wildly From Taking ‘Local’ Photos

May 24, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Non-life insurance premia written in 2005Image via WikipediaIf you’re mulling over potential photography careers READ this:

Looking out your back door… what do you see?

Where I live I see planes, trucks and automobiles.

Ok not that many planes… :)

But lots of motorcycles and vehicles and stuff that NEEDS to be insured.

And all those vehicles need a ‘record of documentation’ for insurance purposes. In other words, the ‘insurance people’ need photos of your new Toyota Camry, Mac truck, or Ducati 996 Superbike…

Hmm… So who’s going to gather the photos and REQUIRED info to document the transactions that need to take place?

How about YOU?

In terms of photography careers, this little opportunity TAKES the cake.

The Insurance companies are not going to have their own photographer waiting around in every town, are they? (I’ll just have my 48th Cafe Latte while I wait for the next call…)

It certainly wouldn’t be COST effective…

Now think about ALL the people in your local area right this minute going online for loans, leases or purchasing insurance… (Do people actually visit their ‘local’ insurance, mortgage or loan company anymore?) Would you? After all, it’s much quicker to get it all done and quoted on with a click of a mouse, right…?

Now think about all the companies that need basic and specialized photography work – from leasing to insurance companies and many more.

YOU guessed it… they need photos taken to detail all the essential information they need.

Can you see the potential for your own easy-to-run digital photography business here?

It’d be a GREAT part time occupation or a cosy and FLEXIBLE photography career for the ‘enthusiastic’ photographer who likes to work his or her own hours…

You’d need to have your PC or Mac, a digital camera with reasonable resolution, cell phone, transportation, and the WILL to make this photography career WORK for you…

Need I say more?

Go here to see: http://hurleypix.com/wow

:)

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eBay Info-Products Are Still Good To Go, John Says!

May 19, 2008 By Leave a Comment

The Evils of OilImage by Auzigog via FlickrI’ve HAD an ongoing interest in eBay for a while now, sold the occasional photo using my eBay CafePress method, and mulled over the very cool idea of selling e-photos too.

Then eBay pulled the plug on selling digital products from under our noses.

Of course, you can look at that and immediately SEE shining opportunity.

Just think of all the CD cases and DVD cover box design work a good designer or photographer could now get… After all, all those physical products are going to need some pretty pictures to make them stand out…

And if YOU’VE considering putting together a unique digital photography tips DVD, or wants to still sell e-photos and fast track your digital photography business using info-products (plus learn to be an eBay PowerSeller) then there’s still time…

Anyway…

Along comes John Thornhill to the rescue. John looks at the ‘problem’ and thinks it over for a night or two. On the third night he wakes up with the solution, and a brilliant one at that.

John thinks w-a-y outside the square and says ‘why not sell the digital product from your own site?‘ That’s right… deliver digital products from your OWN website (after you drive traffic from eBay!)

OK John, I’m impressed. You win. There is genius in simplicity.

And now he’s re-launched his own eBook Membership website that will show you exactly HOW to do this…

The whole kit is included… tutorials, videos, tools, even the kitchen sink…

And the best thing?

You get a massive $100 discount if you ACT now (before the price goes up on TUE 20th)

Go here to LOOK now:
http://hurleypix.com/90day

Now, here’s a quick rundown on what you’ll get:

# Automatic product updates – Your website will automatically update with the latest products.

# Automated digital delivery – As soon as a customer purchases the product will be delivered via email.

# Search Facility – Customers can search your entire site for their required eBook.

# AdSense integration – AdSense is integrated at the click of a button.

# ClickBank integration – Your ClickBank ID is added to products and all affiliate links throughout the site at the click of a button.

# Aweber integration – Your aweber ID is added to subscription fields throughout the site at the click of a button.

# Add/Remove Categories – The ability to very simply add/remove your own categories.

# Add/Remove eBook Pages – The ability to very simply add/remove your own eBook pages.

# WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing – Editing content within your website really could not be simpler.

# SEO integration – Your OWN SEO is added to your site via simple text in the Admin Panel.

In a nutshell it’s ALL specifically designed to be extremely user friendly and amazingly simple! Nearly every single feature on this website is editable from your own admin panel.

http://hurleypix.com/90day

This special will only last for a few days, so if the link is the normal price, sorry!

It’s still worth while of course to learn HOW to set up your own website to sell photos, how to sell digital info products and that cool unique digital photography tips DVD project that you’ve been telling me all about!

http://hurleypix.com/90day

Remember, eBay is where the people GO. And selling information is still as strong as it always was… Why not learn how to do it with an expert? :)

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