The first time I heard about photo books being created I thought to myself "this is horrible!" (I could have sworn that I came up with that idea a few years back!) But, it was inevitable… take a couple of great photos, print them into a book, add cover and wait patiently for…

The Look On Your Friends Faces
When They See Your Photos!

But how many people do you think are actually using public domain photos to create their photo books?

My guess is, probably very few. Now in my humble opinion using public domain images is a cool little untapped resource that you can milk as much as you want and need…

Except for one minor problem…

Most folks have more than enough of their own photos!

But if you don't have your OWN photos then using public domain photos is the NEXT best thing.

You see, using the public domain (free to use images) means you can focus on creating "niche" photo books that a) you can potentially sell, and b) have absolutely nothing at all to do with…

All Those Weird Family Photos
You Have In Your Photo Album!

See what I'm getting at here?

It's OK if you want to create a photo book for your own family, say a wedding book, family reunion, collection of your favourite handguns, vacation to the top of the world (etc) type book… Because that's the kind of book you would normally want to share with family (…well, most families at least!)

But what if you want to sell your photo book online?

Here's where using public domain photos takes the cake. Once you've got some ideas about what sort of theme you want, then it's just a matter of using a site like www.sxc.hu to source the right images.

Having said that – you might need to add some bylines in your photo book to give credit to the photographers whose photos you are using — read the download restrictions regarding what you can and cannot do with your photos.

Sidenote — you don't want a photographer getting all nasty on you claiming you didn't credit her for that photo book you've been selling all year on eBay… You want her calling to say thank you for all the extra promotion I got from your book dude!

Alternatively just fork out the extra expense and grab these wickedly effective stock photos that will really blow your photo book out of the water!

There is a catch though (isn't there always?)

You may be rustling around inside that great photo site I mentioned above and come to a startling conclusion…

A Lot Of Great Photos But Gee,
Thanks But No Thanks!

This is the rub with using public domain photos… there's a LOT of photos out there and it can take a LONG time to source the right photo for the job.

But still, it's always worth a test run.

You might just be able to create a photo book filled with images of a particular niche… like model trains and railways for example. Or poodles at play, or 20 photos of my favourite eatable flowers …

And then when folks order it on eBay you can immediately fulfil the order through Cafepress, Snapfish or Lulu, and get it in the next mail to them…

Actually the whole process of creating your photo book has pretty much been perfected with sites like Snapfish, Photobox or Shutterfly. These guys have nailed it – made it easy and simple to upload your photos, choose a great photo book template, purchase your book and get it mailed.

Whichever way you go, public domain photos are still going to be the cool dude's option…

Here's a few public domain image based sites to boogie down with:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/
http://www.sxc.hu/
http://www.public-domain-photos.com/

Got comments? Don't be shy… go ahead and make my day!

Image by EricGjerde via Flickr

How to make money online with public domain pictures and images?

More often than not, when you’re mulling over – or in the idea phase, of a new information project, you think about writing, audio or video. Those product creation methods have always worked very well for me, but the other day I ran into a new eBook that sent me spinning into ‘idea universe’ with its fresh and ambitious approach to product creation.

And, in case you haven’t already guessed, this new approach to product creation is none other than using the magic of Public Domain images.

http://hurleypix.com/pictureproject

My good friend, Tony Laidig (the Public Domain Expert) told me that he has made thousands of dollars selling copies of maps, photos and more. And I know he wasn’t kidding either. He proceeded to tell me about his buddy, George, who takes Public Domain images of Native Americans, prints them on leather and then sells the new ‘work of art’ for hundreds of dollars… And get this… he can’t keep the prints in stock.

Tony also told me about another guy is quietly making hundreds of dollars EVERY day selling image collections on eBay. Then there is the dude who’s making nearly $20,000 per month selling poster prints of Public Domain images.

So if you’ve been wondering how to make money online then this should open your mind to wild and wonderful possibilities…

Then Tony shared something about Public Domain images that dropped my jaw… there are millions… tens of millions of photos, fine art and illustrations available for you to use anyway you want! He’s not talking about Cafepress t-shirts and greeting cards here either (although you could create those if you wanted).

http://hurleypix.com/pictureproject

Tony just created a killer, new eBook called “Easy Money Picture Project” and he reveals strategies in the book that NO ONE else is willing to talk about. And here’s the thing… these image-based products actually sell so well that Tony has people e-mailing him to beg him NOT to tell anyone about their websites or their methods.

In the book, Tony shares over 90 websites (like the one I love that has over 1.3 million images on it in high-res) where you can find and download Public Domain images. He also tells you everything he has learned about using Public Domain images from his 20+ years experience working in the printing and publishing industries…

In the “Easy Money Picture Project” you will learn:

=> Where to find Public Domain images online and offline

=> What to do with Public Domain images once you’ve found them

=> How to profit from Public Domain images

=> Who your potential customers are and why

Some people talk theory about new ways of selling, but Tony speaks from experience. That’s what I like about him. (Plus he’s always happy to email me – no matter what time it is!) So if you want to be part of the huge and profitable ‘picture business’ but you haven’t yet got your own photos, or you want to know how to make money online using images, then this will be a godsend!

Enjoy!

http://hurleypix.com/pictureproject

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