Submit your photography to the International Museum of Women'sPicturing Power & Potential, a new opportunity for photographers around the world to have their work displayed in an exhibition in San Francisco City Hall in the summer of 2010 and online at IMOW.org. Picturing Power & Potential is a collaborative project between I.M.O.W. and the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery. A project of Economica, this special photography exhibition will include a global celebration of women as economic change-agents. As many as fifty works will be selected from the submissions for display in both the physical exhibition in San Francisco and in a special presentation online at I.M.O.W.'s Web site. For complete submissions guidelines, click here.Calling All Photographers!
Submit by April 10 and You Could Be Part of an Exhibition in San Francisco City Hall
Three Things You Can Get Paid to Photograph on Your Next Vacation
0 comments Posted by Faten Abdallah at 9/24/2008 11:40:00 AMby Shelly Perry
To most travelers, a vacation is a time to relax, take in a few museums, enjoy coffee in an outdoor café, eat out, and meet new people. But to me, a vacation is also an opportunity to make some easy cash.
Take Paris, for instance. (I’ve been there twice.) I enjoyed the cafés … the lavish meals … the leisurely strolls along the Seine. And I took pictures as I went – just like we all do when we’re on vacation.
The big difference for me is that I don’t just slide my pictures into an album when I get home. I sell them. And the truth is, thousands of websites, magazines, and travel agencies buy vacation photos from travelers like me all the time. And it’s not hard to find those buyers …
I sell a lot of my photos to online stock photo agencies, also known as “microstock sites.” And I make enough money, in some cases, to cover the cost of my trip. Some of the leading sites are: iStockphoto.com, Bigstockphoto.com, Shutterstock.com, and Dreamstime.com.
These sites are happy to work with amateurs, but they do expect near-perfect photographs … so you’ve got to have a good digital camera and an eye for composition.
Travel agencies, art directors, and even high school kids looking for photos to illustrate their MySpace pages or their geography and history papers are all customers of these online stock sites. It doesn’t cost you anything to upload your vacation shots, and their buyers can download whichever pictures they choose for anywhere between $1 and $15 a pop, depending on the size of the image they want.
You get a percentage of that fee. And though $.50 might not sound like a lot, keep in mind that you’re looking at volume sales.
I use iStockphoto.com, and I average $.90 per image (per month) or $ $1.83 per download for the photos I have on file with them.
Over time, I’ve uploaded 1773 images from my travels – and even shots from my home town. I don’t have to do any marketing … these photos sell even while I’m sleeping. At the end of the month, I get a check for a thousand or so dollars for my efforts.
It’s fast, easy, and fun.
Here are three things to photograph on your next trip that you can sell for stock. Keep them in mind when you travel, and you’ll have fun, take lots of pictures, and make some extra cash to boot.
1.Farmers’ Markets
Farmers’ markets are teeming with stock shots … from the repeating patterns and colors of seasonal fruits and vegetables to signs scrawled in chalk and people picking out their wares.
Almost every online stock agency requires you to submit a model release for images that include recognizable people, so I suggest you focus on the fruits and vegetables at first. Model releases are specific to each site, so get your account up and running before you try to submit people photographs.
2.Your Hotel
One photo of a front-desk bell has sold 1,021 times on iStockphoto.com. And I’ve sold photos of curtains, pillows, and more. Do some research and look up hotel pictures on these stock sites before you leave, and get acquainted with your competition. It’s okay to photograph the same things – just be sure to make your shots unique. But look for what’s selling and what’s not. Put your efforts into taking the kind of photos that sell best.
3. Textures and Patterns
People like to buy photos of textures or patterns to use as backgrounds for their websites … fine art on their walls … and a myriad of other things. Keep an eye out for these as you travel. Peeling paint, rusted metal, brick walls, cracks in the sidewalk, bark on a tree … all make for interesting backgrounds.
One final word of advice: Make sure you read the online stock agency’s technical requirements and submission guidelines before you start uploading pictures.
This article appears courtesy of The Golden Thread, an e-letter from AWAI that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on how to build your freelance copywriting business. For a free subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/thegoldenthread
Writing at the age of 12, drawing at the age of 13, photographing at the age of 17, and graphic designing at the age 21, Mis Smith balances her work with motherhood everyday. "It's not always an artist's life-- it's a mom's life, with art on the side," Mis says humbly. Art is so important in Mis' life that she has encouraged her children "to take pictures, draw, and read." Because her children are encouraged to do those things, Mis says she is living a "momma's life, with art on the side." Mis and her family live in Missouri.
Faten: How did you get started as an artist?
Mis: I really just needed a creative outlet, so I tried a lot of things. Luckily, a lot worked out for me.
Faten: Does your family support your work? Explain.
Mis: Yes, most certainly. First, Derek has bought all my equipment. He suggests shots, critiques and really encourages me to do what I want to do. You can't ask for much more than that really.
Faten: What kind of work do you create or produce? 
Mis: I mainly do photography and a lot of playing with Paint Shop Pro, making "siggies" and lots of fun stuff for emails, websites, myspace, etc.
Faten: What do you want people to know about you as an artist?
Mis: others look at pictures, they all see different meanings, and that's one of the things I want people to know that every picture I take, means something to me, personally. When things that makes me love working on my art so much. My art can branch out to anyone, and a piece of art can mean whatever you want it to mean. It doesn't only relate to the artist. Also, I want people to know that ANYONE can be an artist. All you need is ambition, and imagination.
Faten: How do you plan to grow as an artist?
Mis: Well, new equipment would be nice. I want to grow as an artist. I think that I would like to be able to travel more to shoot. I think it would help me in learning new tricks with photo manipulation, learning angles and how to use certain lenses. I'd love to be able to do more wildlife shots.
Faten: What do you hope to accomplish from your work?
Mis: I'm not really sure. I'd like for someone to see one of my shots or read one of my songs, and notice it. It would be really neat. I would like my art to be appreciated and enjoyed.
Faten: How has your product or work been used by others?
Mis: My work has been used by others many times. I allow usage of my work (after written permission) for email stationary, siggies, and other non profit things. I sell prints and have sold calendars with my art on them.
Faten: What kind of advice can you give to a budding or aspiring person in your line of work?
Mis: If you are into photography, take your camera everywhere--even to the grocery store. You never know what will come into your line of sight. If you are a writer, write what means something to you, otherwise, its an empty outlet for your creative juices. 
Faten: Any finals words of wisdom before we wrap up the interview?
Mis: Just be creative. If it looks neat or cool to you, it will to others. Always have meaning behind your work. Let it have a story. If a picture is worth a thousand words, it shouldn't be too hard. Don't always be ordinary. Do things that you don't see often. Be experimental.
Mis runs the following websites:
