DECOUPAGE SERVICE - Offering to turn any photograph into a work of art can be a valuable service to offer through a frame shops or studios. To do this, start with a print, preferably color, made in the usual way. Next, take a piece of smooth lumber 1" thick and cut it to the size of the print. Mount the print onto it with dry mounting tissue. Then take a woodworker's gouge" and scallop away the right-angle edge formed by the print and the sides of the board. Cut into the print in an irregular pattern as you do this. An optional step is to take a blowtorch and carefully scorch the sides of the board and the edges of the print. Finally, paint the sides and the entire print with a shellac or varnish such as CRACKLE-IT. This will produce a crackled, antique finish when dry. [Back]

DISASTER DOCUMENTARIES - When a bridge fails, a dam collapses or a radio tower comes crashing down, most of us think of the event as a press or news photo opportunity. Many of these events are documentary opportunities with the companies or groups that must spend days, weeks or months cleaning up or repairing the disaster. Repair firms often come from out of town, move in quickly to "shore up the damage" and get it under control, then have to settle in for the long haul to begin repairs. They'll often contract the first photographer they see to do the documentary photos needed during the repair process. These photos will be used in press releases, progress reports and company historical records. Be on the scene at the right time with your camera and business cards and you may get a lucrative contract. You can make $100 to $5,000 on such contracts.[Back]

DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHS - Community problems often offer themselves to a photographic approach. Examples of such subjects are chuck holes in busy streets, dangerous blind intersections, rough grade crossings, buildings that should be condemned, and environmental risks. Combine the photographs with articles and you will have a nice package to offer local newspapers or special interest group newsletters. 

EASTER CELEBRATIONS - The Easter Bunny is almost as popular with kids as Santa Claus. Churches, schools, and other organizations often hold Easter Egg Hunts for children where you can take pictures of the kids finding eggs and talking to the Easter Bunny. Team up with the sponsoring organization and arrange a time and place to take pictures of their event. Make sure that there is an Easter Bunny present to provide the eggs and decorations for the Easter Egg Hunt and to provide you with photo opportunities. You should make sure that your presence and contact information is provided as part of the literature. There are many ways to do this, you can charge a fee for coverage, or exchange rights to your photographs for access to participant lists and the right to set up a booth with the bunny for photographs. You should be able to market prints to the organization, parents, and with a release, stock agencies. You can send proofs or contacts to the parents of each child, along with a price list and package options. Another option is to use a Polaroid camera. You can attach the picture to a decorative border and the parents and children can see the picture immediately and can take it home that day. Either option will bring money your way.[Back]

EXHIBITION NEWS - Visual art exhibitions are frequented by celebrities, artists, art patrons and art judges. Photos of these events sell well both to the art organizations as publicity pictures and to the local newspapers. Great candids of artist and patrons may sell to the individuals in the picture. Check your local newspapers for exhibition schedules. You'll have best results if you can get the the names and titles of people in the photos and captions for the works of art that appear in the photos. [Back]

FASHION SHOWS - Fashion shows can be the first step to a lucrative business shooting pictures of beautiful women. In fashion shows, models put their best foot forward. As a photographer, you must do the same if you want to achieve excellent results from your work and to make money in the process. Your images will speak for themselves if they are of good quality and will eventually lead you down your own runway of success. Here are a few things to remember when shooting models in fashion shows: Take several shots of each model as they walk down the runway in their different outfits. This will give them more to choose from when selecting photos for their portfolios. More pictures for the models means more money for you. Have a portfolio of your work and a price list with you for other models to look at. You never know, someone might like what they see and contact you later.[Back]

FILM DEVELOPING AND PRINTING - If you are a good darkroom worker you can find a ready market of photographers who are willing to pay you to give them that personal touch that a large lab will not give them. Advertise your work in the local papers or in classified sections of national magazines. A little research will tell you if your market already has people serving this need at a reasonable price.[Back]

FLOWER PHOTOGRAPHY - One idea is to make movies of flowers opening and closing using a video or movie camera with a time-lapse feature. After you have about 15 minutes of film on "flower action," you are ready to show, or sell, to local flower and garden clubs, camera clubs, and ladies' clubs. It may sound trite, but would you believe that a person could sell videos of a fireplace burning? They did and made a small fortune doing so. You can charge a fee for the presentation, or use the opportunity as an advertising opportunity. While you are at it, try taking stills that can be sold to people or to magazines, calendar companies, and picture agencies. [Back]

GLAMOUR PHOTOGRAPHY ADVERTISING - Glamour photography appeals to all kinds of people. There are a number of ways that you, as a photographer, can put a little glamour into their lives. Tanning saloons and workout gyms are excellent places to advertise your services. The patrons of these businesses are perfect candidates to target your services. These people work hard to be good looking, and often have someone who they would like to share that with. Special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, and Christmas are open season for glamour photographers to make money fast. Start with the equipment you have on hand, study glamour magazines for men and woman, and add some simple props. To do this right, you will need to make sure that your lighting equipment can produce the kinds of images associated with glamour. If you are serious about this kind of photography you will need to really study the characteristics of this type of photography. For example, you must be able to create lighting that can take you from the soft lighting ususally used for women to hard lighting used for men. ADD-ONS - They say you have to spend money to make money, and the glamour photography business is no exception. The more you shoot, the more you sell. During the actual photo session be sure to take many shots of the model in a variety of outfits and settings. Take full length as well as head shots and other tasteful poses so that the model will have a variety of proofs to choose from when making her selections. After the initial shoot, sell as many pictures to the model as possible. Offer the model the proofs at a reasonable rate or any amount that would cover your film costs with the purchase of a package. The models will most likely want to buy more than one of their poses, so you should be willing to create a desirable package. ASSISTANT - If you are a woman, and have some skills with hair and makeup, you can sell your services to male glamour photographers by pointing out to them that they can make their customers feel more at ease with your presence. Explain to them that they can increase their income by selling your makeover services and by taking away the model's anxieties of being alone in unfamiliar surroundings with a male photographer. Assure them that having a female assistant present during the shoot will not only make the model feel more at ease, but it will give you an edge by providing you with extra help. STYLIST - Hair and make-up are essential elements in achieving the "look" for glamour photography. You can offer the model these additional services for a small fee. Do some looking around and you will find a cosmetologist and/or hair stylist that is eager to cultivate new customers from your business. This will increase your profits from the photograph session if you charge an extra fee for the service. Most women will take this option, no questions asked, especially since each set of pictures will require different looks; thus new make-up and hair styles for each situation. You can easily charge an extra $25 to $50 a session just by offering these services. [Back]

CONSULTATION CHARGES - Set up an initial consultation with the model at a modest fee. Somewhere in the range of $10 to $20 is sufficient. The meeting will help you get acquainted with the model and the charges will help make sure that if the model changes their mind you are compensated for your time. During the session you should note the model's likes and dislikes, and to reassure her that you have her best interests at heart. The initial consultation serves another purpose as well. It allows the model to see the studio, the costumes, and the settings in which the pictures will be taken. You may also choose to use this time to show the model examples of your work. Use all the tools you have available to do this such as slide shows, portfolios, photo albums, and videos of actual sessions that you shot. By having such a complete resume available, you will increase the model's confidence in you and your credibility. You will also encourage interaction which is important in the development of a good customer. If the consultation fee is $20 you can add an optional $10 fee for a test shot (use a Polaroid camera). Be sure to inform the model of your fees in advance. During the consultation let the model know what the payment is and when you expect to be paid. Get your payment for the consultation when the model arrives. This will guarantee some cash coming in even if the model changes her mind and decides not to use your services. The consultation is a product that you are selling. Like any product, you must define the product, its price, and what the value is to the customer. [Back]

GREETING CARDS - The summer is winding down and the kids are back in school. With the holidays right around the corner the stores are starting to prepare for them. Get started with holiday picture cards by setting up appointments with your existing customers. They may prefer to have their pictures taken in their own living room or in front of the fireplace or your Christmas tree. Take several shots to ensure that you have enough of good quality to show the customer. Their favorite picture can then be developed into a 4 X 6 card with a border at the bottom where the family's message can be pre-printed. (Example: Happy Holidays from the Smith Family). The border can also be left blank, giving the family the option of personalizing each card themselves. Holiday picture cards are great because in a sense, they are a gift from the family to the people they send them to. To make your own greeting cards check out Label Plus, PO Box 84334, TROY MI 4804;(800) 727-1976. [Back]

GROUPS - SPORTS - Ball leagues are always looking for group photographers. Contact a local trophy company or park board to get the names' of coaches and where the teams are playing. [Back]

GROUPS - CONVENTIONS - Whether it is the event manager, or a family manager gathering the family together, the offer of free photographs in return for information about the meeting will help make it a more profitable event for you. Once you have information about the key groups you can contact the group leaders to to learn more about what is going on, what events should be covered, and to offer your services. The earlier you can gain access to the contact person the greater your chances of being able to be included in official correspondence. The advantage of that is that people will come prepared to purchase photographs. Regardless of how much you are included in the official correspondence you should also have a flyer at the registration table. [Back]

HALLOWEEN HAYRIDES AND PUMPKIN PATCH VISITS - Halloween is a fun time of the year for children, especially when they get to dress up and go trick or treating. Moms and dads usually have the honor of taking pictures of their little ghosts and goblins before they leave on their quest for candy. But there is another part of Halloween that they might forget about. Trips to the pumpkin patch to pick out their very own jack-o'-lantern are rarely captured on film. This is where you can do a little trick or treating of your own. Set up times with the owner of the pumpkin patch or with a teacher who is taking the class on a field trip. These trips usually include a hay ride where you can get some great shots of the kids playing and having a good time. Once you have reached the pumpkin patch, take some more candids of the children as they select their pumpkins. Then take individual portraits of each child with the pumpkin that they picked. This will make them feel special. You can charge a location fee, but you will have better luck if you shoot the job on speculation. In a speculation shoot you take the photographs and then send proofs to the parents and include a list of package options and prices. You don't want to overcharge and risk not making any money, especially since parents will be thinking about having pictures taken again during the holidays. PROMOTIONS - Because of the malicious violence that happens during Halloween many cities have special events for children. Capitalize on this by working with radio stations or mall merchants to hold costume contests. Make sure that your name is used as part of the advertising and that anyone receiving photographs knows who they can order reprints from. [Back]

HAUNTED HOUSES/LOCAL LANDMARKS - Sepia toned images of haunted houses or local landmarks with a rich history can make a good calendar or postcard for local citizenry or tourist. Combining a photograph with a story can be quite interesting to local history buffs or tourist looking for a souvenir of their visit to your city. While you are at it, try submitting your photograph and story to magazines that cover human interest stories.  [Back]

HOLIDAY PICTURES - These seasonal photographs can make you money all year. Many photographers start to think about their holiday shots much too late. The secret to success is in submitting your seasonal material AT LEAST 4 OR 5 MONTHS EARLY! !! That means Christmas pictures in midsummer, fireworks in February or March, and Easter bonnets before Thanksgiving. Many of these photos can be staged months ahead of time. For those that cannot, just shoot them when you can, and then submit them to end-users such as ad agencies and stores about 6 months later. [Back]

HOMEBUILDERS - Contractors who are proud of their work will want to use your photographs to point out their quality workmanship. Purchasers of the homes will likely want the photographs as a souvenir or a new-house announcement, and both sides may find the photo-records useful as a legal record of how the home was constructed. [Back]

HOME BUSINESS TIPS - Since most of us start in this business from a home operation here are some tips that will help you start out on the right foot: 

• Enhance the look of your home's exterior. This vital first impression can be very helpful. Compare your home exterior to your impression when coming to a commercial location. 

• Make room in your home for the business. If possible, the "selling room" should be apart from the living quarters and be easily reachable. The room should be lit well, have plenty of room, and be decorated with examples of your work. When planning the area and room keep in mind that people will need to use your restroom. 

• This room should be clean and prepared for your business guests. Don't forget to work with the household members to make sure that they understand the importance of the business environment. Your customers need to feel comfortable in your home and not like an intrusion. Pets, shouting kids, and loud electronics are not conducive to the decision making environment. 

• Have a business phone. This does not need to be a separate phone line, but it should appear in the business section of the telephone book and be answered as such. 

• Be considerate of your neighbors. Different locales have different rules regarding home based businesses. Regardless of whether you are running within local rules, or maybe bending them a little. Do your best to make sure that your business does not interfere with your neighbors lives. Make sure that they do not lose their parking places and that the traffic flow is not impeded by your customers parking.

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HOW-TO ARTICLES - Photographers who have a fair writing ability can team up with craftsmen who can help them write how-to text. There seems to be no end of subject matter for such illustrated articles. No matter who you are, or what your work is, you know how to do SOMETHING that other people do not! Start by making a list of the things you know how to do best. Next, select the one with the broadest range of interest, and write the article in a simple, straightforward manner that a broad range of readers can understand. Keep it short -- 250 to 600 words is best. Add plenty of B&W prints and transparencies to show the details of the operation and the finished product. Include hands and people in the pictures whenever possible to keep the human interest side. Once again, a good source of contacts can be craft shows. [Back]

INSURANCE - Individuals, families, and business organizations need a way to document the property that is covered under their homeowners or business insurance policies. Photographic or videographic records have established themselves as one of the most reliable ways for the insured to prove what kind of possessions were lost in a theft or natural disaster. This kind of photographic work requires the utmost trust between the client and photographer. Pricing can be tricky because of the large number of photos needed to document everything. Start with a per print price with a price break after the first 12 prints - another price break after 24 etc.. Later you will be able to estimate your costs accurately and work per contract Contract photography works well here. After showing the client samples of your work, agree to shoot 10 or more rolls of film to document the property. [Back]

KEY CHAINS - Everybody has them and you can add "life" to what can often be a dull home for keys. It is a fun way for people to have a picture of loved ones with them wherever they go. Create photo key chains from pictures you take in your studio of the customer or their "subject" whether it be their spouse, children. friends, or pets. These can make excellent add-ons for you other segments of the business. Order blank keychains from the suppliers listed elsewhere on this site. [Back]

KID'S GROWTH CHART - How many times did you hear, "He's gotten so big!", while you were growing up? One way to actually keep up with the growth of a child is with growth charts. Most day care centers have growth charts on the walls where the children can stand to see how tall they are. Pictures of kids standing by these chars are a great way of capturing how much a child grows in a certain time period. They are also very unique and fun to look back on when the child has grown into an adult. Set up a day and time with the director of the day care to take pictures. Try to set these shoots up in the fall, or as soon as the school year begins. You will want to take a comparison shot again in the spring. This will allow the children to see how much they have grown in a short time span. Take a group picture of the class, the teachers, and of each child standing next to the growth chart. Be sure that the numbers are visible, so that a comparison can be made in the spring. Sell packages of the fall growth shots with a 5 X 7 print of the class with every package. You may also want to include a $10 off bonus coupon to be applied toward the spring package. Sell individual class pictures for $7 to the parents who do not wish to buy a package. You will still make money this way. Go back to the day care center in the spring and take pictures of the children again by the growth chart. It will be fun for the kids to see for themselves how much they have actually grown. When selling the packages to the parents offer two options: 1) For the parents who bought packages in the fall, offer a package of the spring pictures only. Charge a lower price of $15 to $20 for the spring package. Also offer to sell them reprints of the fall package, highly discounted, if they want them. You can afford to discount them since your production costs have already been covered with the initial fees. 2) Sell a "Then and Now" package to the parents who did not purchase a package in the fall. This way they still get a chance at both packages. Charge a little extra for this service (add an extra $5 to the original package prices). Growth chart pictures allow the children and their family and friends to see how much they have grown in a certain time period. While they are watching the kids grow, you will be watch your income grow.[Back]

LECTURE - SPECIALTY EXPERTS - Guest speakers at clubs and other meetings are always in demand. If you are (or can become) an expert on one or two phases of photography, such as "nature photography", "portraits", or "outdoor portraits" you should have no trouble in obtaining speaking engagements at camera clubs, business meetings, schools, and the like. [Back]

LEGAL PHOTOGRAPHY - KODAK has an excellent publication which covers the basics of this type of photography. The book number costs around $9, is numbered M-2, and can be ordered by calling 800-242-2424. Another source to check to learn more about this type of photography is to write EPIC @ 600 Main St., Honesdale PA 18431;1-800-356-3742.[Back]

FOREIGN TRAVEL - Are you a good speaker? Do you have a lot of unique travel photographs? When traveling to someplace of inordinate beauty take a lot of slides and carry a cassette tape recorder to capture the sounds of the places visited. When you return, edit the slides and tapes to produce a fascinating multimedia slide show using two projectors and a queued tape. Prepare an accompanying lecture and you will have a marketable presentation for local groups. Send letters to clubs, Chambers of Commerce, churches, and other organizations across America in a straight line from coast to coast and then back by a different route. Once you get going, enclosing an advertising video will help sell your service. You can price your service on a per-head basis with a minimum, or just as a flat fee. While traveling, spend a little time in each town and take additional photographs that can be used for future materials. 

LEGAL PHOTOGRAPHY - Attorneys are always using photography to make their cases in liability cases. A couple of pointers that you should be aware of is that a ruler is often needed, special perspectives should be used, and special filtration required to bring out accurate coloration. This is not a field to jump into without some preparation. Check with your local police department to see if they know of any state or local organizations for legal photographers. When you find one find out if they have an organization library available to their members.[Back]

LIFE SIZE STANDUPS - Have you ever wanted to have your picture taken with a famous person? If you have then just stop and think about how many other people have had the same dream. You may not be able to provide the actual person, but you can create a life size standup of a famous person that can be placed in different settings to make a picture look realistic. All you have to do is have your customer choose a celebrity to have their picture taken with. Then you can start the process of making their dream come true. Get a life size standup of the personality your customer has selected from a supplier that carries these kinds of props. Advanced Graphics in Martinez, California advertises a variety of life size, full color standups of famous people and cartoon characters for as low as $12.50 each, however, you should budget $300 to $500 for the initial investment to get started in this business. Charge the customer a fee of $50 that will cover the cost of ordering the standup from the manufacturer as well as shipping and handling. You can expand on this idea by making life size standups of your customers. Check with a supplier to see how much time and money is involved. They can be used at all types of parties, such as birthdays, anniversaries, wedding engagements, Bar Mitzvahs, and graduations. Life size standups are a great way to make someone feel special by giving them a chance to make their dreams come true through the magic of photography.  [Back]

LITTLE LEAGUES - Any sporting event is fair game. A good telephoto lens and a little knowledge of the game and you can deliver photographs that they will outdo what the parents can take. Combine a team picture with each child playing the game in a mat and you will have a very marketable product.[Back]

MAGAZINE - SCENIC SUBJECT IN FOUR SEASONS - Patience will land you a series of photographs that has a lot of magazine potential. Select a scene with plenty of trees, mark the EXACT position of your camera or tripod, and return during the four seasons. Color transparencies are recommended because most printers can do better separations. ABSTRACT DESIGNS - Abstract designs can be very interesting and are often sought after for their uniqueness. For example, go to the airport at night and set your camera for a time exposure. Then point the lens at the runway lights and move the camera around in Concentric circles. The lights will be recorded in a strange and beautiful pattern. Use high speed film, preferably color transparency type. Another approach is to suspend a penlight lightbulb from a string, start it spinning over an open camera lens. A little thought should bring endless other ideas for abstract designs to mind. In addition to magazines you might approach local art galleries. LIVESTOCK PICTURES - Livestock magazines and farm organizations are regular buyers of farm animal pictures. Horse lovers alone have thousands of dollars invested in a single horse, saddle, and tack, and yet have no professional photographs of their investment. You can go from ranch to ranch, visit local feed stores, or go to shows handing out your photo-business card. Besides selling the prints and slides to the owners, livestock pictures find a ready market in farm magazines, encyclopedias, calendars, and picture agencies. PICTURES OF UNUSUAL ANIMAL PETS - A sure seller for newspapers, magazines, and through photo stock agencies. The trick is to get a strange pet, such as a squirrel, raccoon, frog, monkey, mole, etc. and take close-ups of the little critter alone and with its owner. If it knows a few tricks, so much the better. For example, you might show a raccoon washing its face, a frog looking at himself in a mirror, or a monkey chewing on a cigar. Picture editors are always on the lookout for such attention-getting shots. IN GENERAL - Just like stock agencies magazines require a little research into what they often use and what they are planning for upcoming issues. [Back]

MARKETING CITY SKYLINES - Any large metropolitan city has a skyline of high rise buildings. Representative photos of major cities are used all the time in travel brochures, national ads tourist promotions, magazines, and posters. Stock photo agencies are always in need of current skylines because they constantly get requests for them. Once you have targeted your market, write a query letter to the publishing company or advertising firm that might use your material. Briefly describe your pictures, including the format (35mm or larger), whether the shots are vertical or horizontal, and any other features that might interest them (like a full moon rising over the Empire State Building). Shoot lots of verticals (even though you may like the horizontal composition better), because most ads and brochures use the vertical format. Outdoor film, like Kodachrome 25, 64, and Fujichrome 50 are appropriate for use during daylight hours. At night, these same films will render city lights yellow-white, i.e. at the warm end of the spectrum. If you want a very cool, bluish look, use film balanced for tungsten, like Ektachrome 50 or Kodachrome 40. Stick with slow films - you don't need a fast emulsion because you'll be using a tripod. The best time to photograph a city skyline is dawn or twilight, when the lights of the city mingle with the pink and orange hues in the sky. Your exposures will be in the vicinity of two to ten seconds, so lock up your mirror and use a cable release to keep the camera sturdy. Take your meter reading from the sky, and then bracket one stop in either direction. When the sky goes dark, use the following guidelines: f/4, 10 to 20 seconds, ASA 64. Night photography is perfect for experimentation with filters. Use cross screens, diffraction gratings, color filters, and so on. The biggest problem you may find is locating markets. It may be difficult to compile a list of potential end users. Start with travel agents. They always have huge racks of brochures that are free for the taking. Study these and look for shots that are used to represent cities. Find out who produced the brochure and contact them in your query. Next, look through dozens of national and regional magazines and look for shots of skylines. Contact the advertising agency who produced the ad (you can get this information from the company whose product is advertised) with your stock list or other promotional information. Stock photo agencies will tell you that city skylines are one of their biggest sellers. Make sure that your shots are razor sharp, have good color (forget about shooting on gray days), and are composed well. [Back]

MARKETING IDEAS - NEW NEIGHBORS - People just moving into an area or a housing development are often good targets for your marketing. Here are some ways to make contact with these people and start a new relationship: * Work with local Chamber of Commerce to establish a Welcome to Our Town Portrait Gift. * Some cities will give/sell listings of new utility hookups. * Legal notices section of the paper. Once you have started this you can, with the people's permission, provide the photo to the local paper for a "Our New Neighbors" section. Don't forget the credit byline. * Work with Realtors to see if they will provide a coupon to their customers who are just moving to town as an appreciation of their business.[Back]