Creating Images for Publication:
Magazine and book publishers require good pictures and are often open to receiving submissions from freelance artists and photographers. Although the market is competitive, if you can produce brilliant images that suit the target publisher’s style and readership, you’ll have a great chance of gaining commissions.

Tip: Focus on your strengths and target your markets.

Art & Photography for Greetings Cards:
The greetings card industry is huge and companies are constantly looking for fresh, new artwork. Most pay a one-off fee for your work.

Images for Business:
It’s worth contacting local businesses to see if they require pictures for their premises. Offices and workspace look so much more inspiring with the right images on their walls.

Tip: Prepare a sales letter and portfolio to present to local businesses. Give out your business cards at enterprise shows and conferences.

Working to Commission:
People and pet portraits are still the most popular art & photograph commissions, but you can also succeed in other picture niches. Perhaps you specialize in cartoons, landscapes, industrial, or social imagery. Focus on your niche and make yourself available for commissions.

Tip: Create a good website to promote your work!

Staff Artist & Photographer:
There are still plenty of staff jobs about for talented artists and photographers, either in design houses, media, or with specialist companies. Medical photography, for example, is popular and well paid!

Tip: Make sure your CV is up-to-date and create a good portfolio of work.

Sell to Stock Libraries:
As a freelance, one of the best ways of generating income from your pictures is to sell to stock libraries. There are plenty to choose from and popular images can generate regular royalties.

Enter Art / Photography Competitions:
Entering competitions gives you the chance to win prizes and create more exposure for your art and photography work. If you win, your images gain extra kudos and can increase sales.

Tip: Follow those competition rules carefully!

Set Up Your Own Online Studio:
There are plenty of ways to promote and sell your pictures and one of the most popular is to set-up your own online studio. You can either create your own website or have a gallery / profile page on other art and photography sites.

When you gaze at an artistic photograph of the female form right away you can tell that the model is being posed and lit with the utmost respect. Always try to decern the intent of the photographer. Is he/she being gratuitous in any way or is the photographer trying to make a statement about the beauty of the human body.

Look again, do you get the sense that the photographer is honoring the subject matter by rendering an image that speaks first and foremost to the viewers highest sensibilites. Do you get the feeling that the nude is being photographed as though it were akin to a lovely landscape?

A good example of art photography of the female form are the images of Alfred Cheney Johnston who was the premier Ziegfeld Follies photographer during the Jazz Age. Most of his photography was of the stars of the Follies. But it was discovered after his death that he’d done a number of photographs using nude models. If you look at the photographs of his clothed models right next to those images of the nude models you will fine no difference in his intent to take artful photographs.

In all his images he shows nothing but a fine artist’s artistic approach to shooting photographs of the female form. You can see that his intent is always to glorify women and their place in the world.

So the next time you look at a photograph of a woman, I hope you will have a better understanding of what constitutes art photography of the female form. Art photography will ALWAYS be based in integrity and the classic rules of the fine arts.

Incoming search terms:

• photography female form
• beauty female photography
• photography and the female form

One of the most emotional components of photography is the study of art photography. People naturally love or despise a photograph much as they love or despise a particular painting or sculpture. Art photography has the ability to move viewers past just looking at an object or image to seeing an emotion, a passion or a concept that stirs the thoughts as well as the feelings within an individual.

What is it about art photography that moves people and invokes emotional responses? Often viewers themselves cannot determine exactly what causes this extreme response within themselves when presented with an image. Some of the most famous art photographers such as Ansel Adams, Anne Geddes or Dorthea Lange all had a specific topic or theme they photographed, often representing the images in ways that were not typical of how they would normally be viewed.

The following artists have all contributed to the development of art photography by using themes in their photography:

* Anne Geddes – famous for her many pictures of babies, this art photographer is one of the most well-known modern photographers. Her works are often featured on cards, calendars and books.

* Dorthea Lange – best known for her amazing and haunting photographs of the depression, Dorthea Lange also did some photographs capturing the internment of the Japanese-Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Due to the sensitive nature and political climate of the time, many of these photographs were not released until 1972.

* Ansel Adams – amazing and breathtaking photographs, usually in black and white, of nature at its finest. Ansel Adams used his camera to show the world the beauty of National Parks such as Yosemite.

* Galen Rowell – famous adventure photographer that has captured wildlife and nature from around the world. His photographs range from the wildlife and terrain of Africa through to the Antarctic.

* Henri Cartier-Bresson – these strikingly moving photographs of people of all ages are very thought provoking. While some of the subjects of the photographs such as Truman Capote and John Houston are well known, many of the photographs are of everyday people with no special fame or renown.

* Jim Brandenburg – this artist features very close up and detailed photographs of wolves in nature. Brandenburg often spent literally hours waiting in extreme conditions for just the right angle and shot.

All art photography is a combination of luck and technical discipline. Being able to wait for just the right light, expression or movement to capture what the photographer is trying to explore is both an art and a science. Those art photographers that have become famous for their talent and training have spent years developing techniques and styles that make their pictures truly unique. Learning art photography is a wonderful way to capture images to save for future generations.

I call it Photo-Art. I should probably coin a more trendy term, or make it sound more avant garde. Perhaps I’ll call it anti-dystopian. But, I like to think my work speaks for itself, and I usually disdain trendy except for some great new restaurant that I just have to try. Well, not where I live, but in a real city, certainly. And, that is where you would see my work! Trendy restaurants, chic hotels and offices would all showcase these pieces. It is commercial art for the new generation of technically savvy businesses and the globally interconnected community.

The process I use begins with photography. Why? Because I can’t paint. So, instead of paints, I use photographs as my pallet. Yes, I know you have heard this before. So have I. And really, I am totally bored with hearing that from photographers. If you are shooting photography, it is quite it’s own genre. You don’t need to suck up to the world of painters. Period. Photography is it’s own art, and one I am certainly a fan of. So why do I say it? Because, I actually mean it. My final works are not photographs, they only originate there. Just like a painting is not the paints. It only originates with paints. I am Jack’s larynx in an opera house, a product of the digital age and my poor skills with a brush.

I manipulate the photographs until they are no longer photographs, but something else. I blur the line between photography and painting until a laymen cannot tell the difference. I’m sure you can, but you are not a laymen. It might surprise you that half the people I talk to at art-shows ask me “is that a painting?”

I then have them printed on one of several substrates: watercolor velvet, canvas or white aluminum substrate. Occasionally I put them on lustre paper as well for price-conscious clients. My favorite substrates are the watercolor velvet and the aluminum. The velvet doesn’t reflect light, and is the one often associated with the questions of “is it a painting?”. The aluminum, however, seems to glow with its own light. It’s a truly amazing thing to see. The beauty of these kind of artworks though, is their versatility. The same piece of art can be transformed for size, shape, substrate, or even color. I often color match my works for particular client needs. If the predominant color is green, I can make it blue. No problem. Need a couple pieces put together to make an eight foot strip of art? No problem. This is where classic art ends and photo-art begins. Photography is great for this too, but sometimes people want more than a photograph. They need an interpretation, or a feeling, or a mood only an abstract painting could generate.

Lets break it down into a step-by-step process from start to finish… Find galleries who accept or are looking specifically for your brand of work. This task is probably the most difficult part in the overall process. First off, most reputable/successful art galleries have their own website, listing their preferred style/brand of artists/photographers, their targeted browsers/buyers, their contact information and submission instructions. As you begin the daunting task of visiting the many and varied gallery websites whether in your location or nationally/internationally, you will quickly discover that most of them are not even accepting submissions. Ouch! Reality shock here. Yes, these are the cold hard facts. Most galleries will list this on their websites, or explain this to you via phone/email.

Now, assuming that through your tireless research you finally find a gallery that exhibits your style of work and is currently taking submissions, please follow their submission instructions carefully. It doesn’t hurt to call them just to be sure their website information is current. This will save you much wasted time and money. Many sites will accept your work electronically, either on CD disk, some even via email. Others prefer hard copies. Postal mail sometimes is the only method. Regardless, do exactly what they request. Generally they will ask you for 5 to 10 samples, sometimes more. Do this please. Do not send them dozens of pieces. Rather, select a few samples that best represent you the Artist, which reflect your soul, your personality, your inner work. Pick the work that expresses you the way you want your viewers/buyers to see you as an artist. Even include some work already sold if it exemplifies your best work, but its probably best to have the majority of your pieces not sold yet.

After submission, wait at least the minimum time per their instructions before contacting them with a follow up call/letter. Often this will be 4-8 weeks or longer. Trust that they received it and be patient. Now, give them a call. Formally introduce yourself. Be polite and professional. Let them know that you are extremely interested in their gallery, their style of art, and their sponsors/buyers. Be sure to keep detailed records for yourself, listing dates of your submissions to which galleries, contact names, phone and email addresses. Keep in mind that staff come and go at galleries, so it is very important to be able to drop a name of who you spoke to. If a visit in person is possible, this is the preferred follow up. Give them your business card. Smile, and appear confident. They are fully aware of the tedious process that you have been through just to be lucky enough to submit to a gallery. Do not appear frustrated or defeated. Look and sound upbeat and ready to discuss business. Be sure that you have thoroughly read through their website prior to your first contact.

Do your research. Be able to speak knowledgeably about their gallery. Leave them with a positive memory about your interview. You may only have a few minutes to chat on the phone or in person, so make it count. If you are lucky enough to have submitted to a local gallery, look professional and dress appropriately for each visit. Bring a professional portfolio with you. In it, be sure to have a current and complete hard copy of your resume. Include all past art showings that you have done, with the most recent listed first. Include names, dates, and references. List all of your relevant educational degrees/certifications.

Of course, include in you portfolio high quality hard copy photos of your samples, and at least one CD disk with samples. They may ask you for samples in person. Again, look and sound professional. Before visiting the gallery, be sure that you have made a previous trip to scope out the location, brand of art viewing customers, management and the parking situation. Realize that most art/photography galleries are physically located downtown in most cities. Allow time for traffic commute and parking. If this is a follow up interview, do not be late. Remember the saying, ‘early is on time, and on time is late’. Be punctual. If a gallery is gracious enough to agree to interview you either in person or via phone, come prepared.

About the time they were becoming tired of brick-counting, someone said, “Chimney pictures are interesting, but is photography really art?” Some people are still asking the question.

Well, that’s not exactly fair. Most people made up their mind pretty quickly. A camera was, to them, a machine that was to be used to record information, and photographers were machine operators. Early photography shows reinforced this belief. The exhibitions were associated with industry and not art, and photographs were judged on their technical, not their artistic, merits. The daguerreotype competition at the world’s fair of 1851 was won by M. M. Lawrence. His pictures were judged “remarkable for clear definition and general excellence of execution. … Notwithstanding their large size, they are, throughout, perfectly in focus, and are beautifully finished in all details.”

Most photographers were content to see themselves as technicians. But there are always a few people who don’t get the word. To this minority, photography was definitely an art form, and they set out to convince the general public of this fact. But how?

A few pioneers reasoned that if photography was to be accepted as an art form, it had to look like other accepted art forms. In short, it had to look like painting. And, unfortunately for these well-intentioned pioneers, the prevalent type of painting – the one they had to imitate – was Romanticism. So photographs had to become emotionally intense, mystical, melodramatic, brooding, somber, and exotic. It would also help if they were theatrical.

As far as technique, Romanticism was just the opposite of photography. Photographs showed great detail. They allowed people to count the bricks. But Romantics believed that so much detail didn’t allow viewers to fantasize. Photographs left no room for imagination. In Romantic works, on the other hand, boundaries between shapes were blurred. Detail was avoided. Forms were only suggested. Brush strokes were evident.

In other words, for photography to be accepted as an art form, it had to stop looking like photography. So photographers found ways to destroy what was photographic about their photography in the hope that their altered pictures would pass for some form of art. And these are some of the things they did.

They found that they could manipulate a picture either mechanically, when it was being made, or chemically, when it was being developed or printed.

Photography is a buyer’s market. Digital photography has flooded the photography market with an endless sea of photographers who want to sell their work. This article seeks to teach you how to begin selling your photography.

We see photographs every day, and many of them in connection with advertising. Photos of beautiful landscapes which people cannot identify are not interesting to buyers at an art fair. For example, I live in Naples, Florida. I’ve been to dozens of art fairs and one thing rings true every time: Rarely do buyers purchase a beautiful photograph of a beach scene unless they know where the scene is. They want to buy local photographs of local places. They want to feel connected with the photograph. A “generic” landscape photo which the buyer doesn’t identify with might as well be a $2 poster at WalMart. The first lesson to learn is to take photos of local scenery. What are people in your town proud of? The beautiful mountains surrounding the city? The pier going out into the bay? The downtown lights at Christmas time? Every town has something beautiful. Remember, though, that you’ll have to photograph that scene in a way that they wouldn’t view as plain or ordinary. Dress the scene up in beautiful light and make it dramatic.

If you plan on showing your work off, you have to be ruthless. Be ruthless with yourself. Take all of your very best images and put them in one folder on your computer. Look through each image and ask yourself, “Would this image ‘wow’ someone who saw it for the first time and who was not there to see the scene first hand?” If the answer is no, then take it out of your art show. If the answer is yes, then choose 10 of your friends who have the least tact and ask them if they are “wowed.” Photography is subjective, so you’ll get conflicting answers, but remember…if it doesn’t wow them, there are 10,000 other images to choose from. Including “less-than-wow” images in your gallery will drag down the perceived value of your art.

You might be proud of the technical perfection of your images, and your photo club might be proud, but the average small-time art buyer just doesn’t care. The truth is that buyers purchase whatever strikes them as beautiful, and simply do not care if an image has technical imperfections. The buyer just doesn’t care if you use a 1D Mark IV or a Canon Rebel XT. The proof is in the pudding.

So where are you going to sell your local fine art photography? A few things you might try are art fairs (if you can’t find them, you aren’t looking, because they are EVERYWHERE), placing your work in coffee shops for free to decorate their shop and then have a sticker on each image for people to buy, or submitting articles to your local paper with a link to your website.

Good luck in selling your fine art photography. The truth is that the market is so saturated that it is extraordinarily difficult to sell. To beat the bunch, you have to go local. Make your town proud of your town.

In this type of photography, the model is the co-creator. So respect is a must. It is imperative that the photographer chooses one who is comfortable in doing a project of this scale. Because of lascivious photographers, most women, even men are initially reluctant to become a part of this kind of projects.

But because there would be no photographs if there is no model, there are of course ways to find the right model for the job.

First things first, not all fashion models are good models for this kind of photography. Most fashion models are too thin thus making them look less fluid in the photographs. Some of this kind of pictures are nude photographs so ample curves are necessary to register really rewarding shots. In this trade anorexia does not sell. And even before the work starts, the photographer should set up a meeting with the possible model to talk about shaving, hair styles, tattoos, make-up, nail polish and other possible requirements that she needs to prepare.

Then there is attitude. As much as possible it is good to have a model that has done this kind of work. It is easy to find them through art workshop connections. But if a model is new to this kind of work, she or he tends to be a nervous so the photographer should be prepared. Professionalism is important in creating an atmosphere where the model can be comfortable to pose in the often difficult positions that the photographer might require. Remember, lewd marks are of course more prone to irritate the model.

Enthusiasm in the collaboration is also necessary. The model who understands what a photographer wants out of the work would be able to internalize the message and thus give more meaningful posses.

The photographer needs to remember that the model should not be overworked on the onset of the shoot. Especially if the posses done are relatively taxing, the photographer should allow the model to rest, if there is only one or allow for alternates so that the model always look refreshed and thus stunning. Remember, fatigue and agitation shows.

After the shoot, the photographer best settle the accounts and pay the model. Simply because it would make the model feel that her work has been rewarded well. It is possible that the model can be a reference when the work is published or sold. Nevertheless, the model should be of legal age, especially if the pictures are quite revealing and must have signed a release form stating that the pictures are the sole property of the photographer and that he can sell or publish it.

Everyones most common question – where do I start? Let’s just say that you’ve been taking pictures for a while now and you’ve received regular feed back from your friends and relations as to how well you take pictures. You may have done a couple of jobs here and there and you customers have commented a number of times about the quality of the shots. Maybe you’ve even thought about establishing a booth at some of the fairs as well. Art shows can provide a viable way to earn a living doing what you like to do, taking shots.

Lets Look At Some Important Points

Some people make the first few attempts at shows by only going to those close to home but this should be short lived and should only be a stepping stone to a bigger and more frequent attendance. You see there are bigger and better art shows out there that will reward you handsomely if only you can find it in your soul to dismiss the habit of eating a sandwich and reading a book at the standard small fair while people look at your pictures.

I’m talking about the better art shows, I’m talking about the sale of photography as a business, and in approaching it, see that people do art shows on a very professional level for a living to support their families and enjoy some wealth creation while they’re at it. The competition can produce some of the best photography you’ve ever seen. But of course you think that you have something of value to contribute. Real photography art which people are waiting in line to purchase.

You need to get these two points right if you’re planning on applying to some of the better art shows. You must understand what other photographers are selling and how they go about displaying their work. Walk through a major show and observe the competition.

Fact#1 - On a business level it’s competition for the money

Fact#2 – on a photographic level it’s the competition for the space in the show.

Why It’s Important To Have A Unified Body Of Work

There are TWO reasons;

Fact#1 – Customers hate being confused and will walk rather than ask for clarity due to embarrasment. When you have people standing in your booth thinking about making a purchase, there is a point in time where if they haven’t made up their mind, they walk away.

Fact#2 – The other is the “your booth”. Most application requirements at art shows require that you submit individual slides of your work (about 4 or 5) plus a picture of your display. Now listen carefully – the display slide will look more professional looking if the body of work is unified.

Something to consider carefully is how you will attract someone to your booth, given that they will be walking past many. I suggest that your whole booth become a show stopper. By this I mena thta the them and composition should be interrelated and have exceptional impact.

Image Preparation

There’s no avoiding it, especially when you’re starting up. Printing, mounting, matting and framing all have to be done professionally.

Your materials and labor will become a factor in your selling price, as will competition from your peers. As a generalization, you can’t spend $50 to print, mat and frame a 16×20 if you plan on selling it for $100. But you can if you’re going to sell it for $300. But you can’t sell it for $300 if the other photographers are selling that size for $200.

You will need a source for framing supplies. There are multitudes of companies that sell frames. You can find some in the advertisements in Décor Magazine.

It’s best to use non-glare glass with photography. That way customers can be distracted to the photograph from where evre they’re standing at my booth and other reflections don’t deter purchase. It’s a personal choice and doesn’t work for everyone. Non glare glass costs twice what regular framing glass costs. Fome cor is an acid free backing and mounting board that is widely used in the framing industry. Some photographers base their sizes on the available materials. Because mat board and fore cor are available in 32×40 inch sheets, that 32×40 sheet can be cut to produce four 16×20′s with no waste.

You can also sell unframed picture for sale. This places the framed pictures in a more up-market category and helps justify a higher price. This serves three purposes. It gives you a less expensive item to prepare and sell. It generates money, and it lets you display different images that might not have the same theme as the ones hanging on the display.

The unframed photos can be matted and mounted, just like the framed photographs, and are displayed in clear plastic bags to protect them while people handle them.

Art Show Applications

How to find an art show to start with;

Believe it or not most exhibitors hear about shows from other exhibitors. However her’s a short list to start with -

Art Fair Sourcebook, The book is published annually and is an expensive but necessary resource if you’re considering art shows as a profession. It lists the top 300 art shows in the country.

Another is Sunshine Artist Magazine, which is the closest thing there is to a trade magazine in the art show business.

To start off, evaluate the potential of your eBook by asking yourself how relevant the subject of your book is and what kind of readers you are targeting. If you are confident and convinced about its success you may prefer to keep its sole rights and hope to make a good profit from comparatively higher up-front payments. Alternatively, you may decide to offer resale rights and be content with lower profits on each sale, keeping the option of making affiliate commissions.

If you are convinced that you have written something refreshingly new that, has the potential of attracting the attention of readers, as well as benefiting them, you would do well to set a high price without offering resale rights. This would help you retain the value of your book and avoid competition.

However, you may go for granting resale rights if you have projected yourself in your eBook as a potential affiliate of other products or services. In that case you would be advised to charge a lower price to ensure that your product reaches the maximum number of potential customers helping you earn a good deal of affiliate commissions.

Before you determine a price for your eBook it is imperative that you are outright clear about the objective of your book. Ask yourself what the volume of monetary benefit would be if a prospective reader were to follow your advice described in your book. If the expected amount of money would only help a potential reader make both ends meet he or she wouldn’t be willing to spend a fortune on buying your low profile book.

What is most important is that while selling your eBook with resale rights make sure you don’t sell it at such a low price as to prevent other sellers from making any profit. On the contrary, if you sell it for let’s say $8 then the next seller can sell it for $7. Here the point is: don’t do anything that may ruin the marketability of your eBook.