$20,000.00 in sales. A Milestone.
I have always had a love of photography. For decades I have enjoyed capturing moments or places on film. And then came the advent of the digital camera and editing programs. I found I was more inspired by digital photography because I could immediately see what I had captured. And yes edit the photos to what I felt was perfection.
Here I am a number of years later and I have just reached a milestone (for me anyway) of over $20,000.00 in sales of my photography prints. Considering this is a part time hobby and a passion I have to say I am totally psyched! While it wouldn’t support me full time it is nice to know other people love my photographs as much as I do.
I have sent my photos all over the country. Some small and lately larger and larger prints are being requested. 24’x36”, 30”x45” and I know my print is going to grace someone’s wall. My prints grace the lobbies of many offices. I even have some canvas hanging in the headquarters of the Mass Military Reservation. How exciting is that?
My progress has been slow and steady over the years. First I started taking courses in how to use the settings (other than manual) on my camera. Experimenting. Then I took courses in many different editing programs until I found the ones that I regularly use. I had to learn all about opening online shops and even how to write some code. Most importantly was learning about SEO optimization that affect where you show up in the various search engines. Editing and SEO are always changing and so I must continue to evolve with them. I invested in new camera equipment upgrading as I went. I found out the important value of outsourcing certain things that were just too costly and non profitable to do myself. Partnering with companies that specialize in certain things and do it better than I could.
Next I had to figure out what type of photography I was. I loved taking photos of my grandkids and people when they were unaware, candid photography. I soon realized that Portrait photography was not my thing nor was wedding photography. People are so picky about how they appear and I am probably the worst offender. I didn’t care for the multiple editing and time that was required. I leave it to the people who love to do that.
Personally my love is landscapes, city photography and floral. I have learned that what most people are interested in purchasing are my landscapes/city photos. A shot of a place they once visited or lived that bring back happy memories. Many people who buy my prints tell me what it is in the particular picture that attracted them to it. Summers spent on the coast of Cape Cod. Winters sledding or snowmobiling in Maine. The iconic beauty of many of the towns in New England. Everyone has a different memory and I love that I have captured a favorable moment in their past.
It took me many years to learn to simply photograph what I love and not to worry about what other photographers were doing. The people would eventually come. And so they have. There will be a point in my future when I will be able to focus more time on my photography but in the meantime I am thrilled with the progress I have made. Through photography if nothing else I have learned to look at the simplest things differently. The way the light may shine through the branches of a tree after a fresh fallen snow. How the sun reflects off the ocean. The undeniable beauty of flowers when you look very close.
Whatever your passion may be don’t give up on it. There may be people who don’t believe in you. But don’t worry about them. Just stick to what you love and you will absolutely improve. And that is the best part of all of this! So thankful.
If you care to visit one of my sites they can be found at the following links:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElizabethThomasPhoto
https://www.elizabeththomasphotographyofcapecod.com/
