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!

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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• 5 Sites Where You Can Sell Your Photos

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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