If you’ve fallen in love with landscape photography, then you’ve most likely had a friend or family member tell you that you really ought to consider going professional one of these days. You’ve probably also entertained the idea with a wistful smile on your face right before dismissing it because you weren’t sure where to start.
While you certainly can eventually make a living taking commissions or going on dedicated shoots for clients, you shouldn’t dismiss the idea of licensing your existing photos. With the convenience and potential reach offered by the Internet, licensing has never been easier. Here are some ideas on where you can start.
- Microstock Sites
Stock photos of all types are in high demand these days and with good reason. Everyone from advertising executives, to independent artists, to bloggers is in need of a steady supply of usable stock images for a number of purposes and landscape photography is pretty high on the list when it comes to the most popular image types. Consider testing the waters by opening an account on Shutterstock or iStockPhoto to see if your photos have what it takes to stand out.
- Greeting Cards
Have you ever stopped to think about how many greeting cards involve stunning landscape photography? Everything from birthday cards, to condolence cards, to get well cards occasionally leverages the beauty of nature to get the message across. Your photography could potentially do the same. If you live in a famous area with high tourism rates, postcards could be a good option as well.
- Puzzles
Many landscape photographers also earn an excellent supplementary living licensing their best work to companies that specialize in puzzles, mugs, mousepads, and hundreds of other options that make excellent canvases for gorgeous photography. As with greeting cards and postcards, this is an especially solid option to consider if you have multiple shots of famous landscapes or landmarks. The more famous the place and the more unique the shot, the more likely you are to make a sale.
- Your Own Website
Every landscape photographer needs a website to promote what they do. However, there’s no reason why you need to stop at blogging or keeping your audience up to date on your upcoming projects. Consider setting up a web shop complete with images you’d like to make available for licensing. If you’re not sure how to go about it, consider hiring freelance professionals that can help you set up a shopping cart and handle marketing.
- Newspapers and Magazines
Once you’re accomplished enough and comfortable enough with the idea of image licensing, you can consider shooting on a freelance basis for periodicals. Start by looking for opportunities to sell images to your local paper or a few independent press outlets and take it from there. You might wind up shooting for National Geographic before you know it!
Of course, these are just a few of the many options out there when it comes to licensing your beautiful landscape photography. Don’t be afraid to explore the possibilities and let the sky be your only limit!
