subject: Selling Photographs Full Or Part Time - How Good Should Your Camera Be? [print this page] Selling Photographs Full Or Part Time - How Good Should Your Camera Be?
Whilst you don't need professional equipment, there are some basic requirements that are necessary if you hope to sell photographs full or part time. You don't actually need a digital camera at all, though you will find everything much easier if you do have one. A film camera can be used if you have a scanner for your computer. However, you cannot see your pictures until after you have developed them, so I recommend you go with a digital camera.Digital cameras vary considerably in price, but don't believe you can only make money from the most expensive models. The first compact camera I used cost no more than $100. It may be possible to get digital cameras even cheaper than that now, but as an investment in a business you are planning to start, $100 is not excessive. You may already own a camera that is perfectly capable of taking acceptable pictures.An important consideration when deciding if the camera you have is acceptable for selling photography services will come down to the resolution of the picture. In many cases, a camera over 6 megapixels will be adequate for your needs. However, these days 10 - 12 megapixels and way above that is more affordable, and far superior if you can get it, allowing you to make enlargements of your prints without degradation in picture quality.A compact model may suffice to start with, but I do recommend that, once you are in a position, invest in a decent SLR model. Canon or Nikon are the most popular makes, with the widest range of lenses and peripherals available. Using a SLR gives you absolute control over Aperture and Shutter Speed factors, for example, and, therefore, much more influence on the final exposure. A Canon EOS 550D (including a lens) may be acquired new for under $1000, and has a powerful 18 megapixel sensor, packing many professional features into an affordable, yet serious, camera.When you want to sell photographs with your camera, you initially won't be taking pictures that hang in galleries. In most cases, people will require your photographs for personal reasons, or business purposes. You will not be trying to create works of art, and therefore relatively inexpensive camera and equipment will do until you find your feet. Later on you may be tempted to move into a more artistic side of photography. However, that is not an easy arena in which to make money, but may be considered rewarding in other senses of the word.
