Images that Sell

David Bigwood, LRPS

Published by Bigwoodpublishing.com at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 David Bigwood

Smashwords Edition, Licence Notes

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About the Author

David Bigwood is a regularly published writer and photographer with his work having been used in well over fifty publications, mainly in Australia and the United Kingdom.

He is a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society and a member of the Australian Society of Authors.

For three years he was a columnist on freelancing for the UK magazine F2 Freelance and Digital. He writes regularly for Australian Photography and has written for Australian Camera and Better Photography.

He founded and edited The Black and White Enthusiast magazine (later Silvershotz) and was one time editor of the Journal of the Australian Photography Society.

He has images with Alamy, the on-line photography library.

Freelancing — Perseverance Pays

Photography has never been the cheapest of hobbies and at times it seems that it swallows cash like a baleen whale gulps down krill. So, when many years ago I found a book by Louis Peek, one of the leading freelance photographers of the day, called Cash from your Camera, I pounced upon it.

By following his advice I began sending black and white 10x8 prints to a variety of magazines and, to my delight, began making sales. And, while the cheques were nice, I found that the most excitement was seeing my work in print — something that still gives me a thrill today.

Maybe you are looking for some return on your photography and would like to try freelancing but before you do, be warned. Freelancing has never been easy and unless you are the exception to the norm and have photographs that editors are desperate to use and pay you lots of money for, it is hard work, it is frustrating, it is time-consuming, but, if you get a kick out of seeing something that you created in print knowing that an editor is prepared to pay you for using it, then it is addictive.

It is also a business and needs to be treated as such with proper records kept to show what images you have sent where so that you don’t run the risk of sending an image to competing markets at the same time. And, of course, you will need details of your income and expenditure for tax reasons.

So, what is this book about? It is an attempt to show fellow freelances and would-be freelances some of the images of mine that have been published in a wide variety of magazines, calendars, books, showcards, postcards, and in some places that I have no knowledge of except that a library has paid me when it has made a sale of one of my pictures that they have on file.

The aim is to show you the variety of images that can be used and how some very ordinary subjects can appear in print if the image does the job for the publisher.

You will note that a number of pictures are shown as having been used with articles I have written so this is an opportune moment to remind you that while pictures are said to be worth a thousand words, sometimes it is the words that enable a picture to be published. Even if you do not feel competent enough to write a full blown article, remember that editors are often pleased to have a picture with an extended caption to fill some of the awkward spots that always seem to end up in a layout.

As a final comment, no matter how good your images are, if they don’t get out into the market place they will have no chance of appearing in print. While rejections are not pleasant, they are a part of this freelancing game which even the most well known photographer will receive. So, don’t let them discourage you because as all successful freelances have learned, perseverance pays.

Acknowledgement

I have mentioned Margaret several times in this book and included one of her photographs. She had decided that rather than stand around waiting for me while I wait for the light, she would join me and since taking up photography seriously a couple of years ago has shown a fine talent for composition and is taking pictures I would be proud to call my own.

Early morning on a mid-north coast of New South Wales beach. I couldn’t decide whether to fish or make photographs. With Margaret in her red jacket, there really was no contest.

These were BD (Before Digital) days and I was shooting with my Mamiya RZ67 camera on Velvia film. The image was used on a Beautiful Australia page in a women’s magazine and has also been used as an illustration in one of my articles.

It is also on file with the on-line library, Alamy.

What makes it saleable? The attractiveness of the surroundings, the subject doing something, the red jacket, the quietness, the composition with the subject following the rule of thirds, the space for text in the sky or the sand and it is comparatively timeless.

What detracts? The fact that the dog’s tail is cut off.

I have had the transparency professionally scanned so that is now useable in the digital age.

It was one of those magical days that can occur in the English summer. I was on the top of Flamborough Head in Yorkshire looking out over the North Sea as a breeze played with the grasses in front of me.

My RZ67 camera was on a tripod with my Lee 81B and 1 stop Neutral Density graduated filters attached and Velvia film in the camera.