Make Money Selling Stock Photos

Someone once said, "Write about what you know." Well I say, "Photograph what you know." Look around you. What great things are a part of your world?

Maybe you have an interesting hobby that you can use for inspiration. Or you have a couple of cute kids who enjoy posing for you. Or you might live in a tourist destination. I happen to live in the third most popular tourist destination in the USA (depending on which magazine you read) and the oldest state capital - Santa Fe, New Mexico. I can walk down the street and have 400-year old adobes to photograph, like this turquoise window photo that I just added to my Dreamstime portfolio. Yes, I am quite fortunate, but I'll bet you are too.

What's special about your everyday life? Or what's absolutely ordinary? Inspiration and photographs can spring from the most common sources. And popular, saleable photographs are probably right in your own home. Here are a few suggestions:
- shoes

- your favorite recipes

- still lives composed of fruit

- your shell collection

- game pieces

- close-up details of your computer

See? It's easy. Sit down and brainstorm a list and before you know it - you'll have ideas and photographs poring forth in abundance.

From time to time I come across a spectacular site that blows me away. If your creativity is in the crapper and you need a shot of inspiration, do a spin around cyberspace and check out what other photographers are doing.

Here's one to stir you're creative juices. LensModern is part fine-art gallery, part stock agency. Created by a group of photographers who felt their work could not be fairly represented by a standard stock agency, they pooled their talents and resources to publish an exquisite showcase of photography.

LensModern can be found at http://www.lensmodern.com/. The photographers represent several countries and the work on display is flavored with European panache. The site itself is clean and lean - gallery black and white allows the images to POP! on the screen.

Spend a little time paging through LensModern galleries and portfolios. You'll come away inspired and enriched seeing the world through other's eyes.