Digital Camera - Ken Gilbert

44
ditch the dayjob
Thosewho
can, teach
Teaching an evening class won’t
get youout of your dayjob,but it’s
a great way of making a bit of extra
money, sharing your experience
with like-minded people and
perhaps even learning something
from them too. However, before
you can start you need to do a bit
of homework yourself.
First off, you need to identify
learning centres that run part-time
evening classes (although not
necessarily in photography). It
might sound obvious, but try and
keep them local – you’ll be getting
paid an hourly rate that won’t
include your commute.
pitCh it right
Take a look at the ‘competition’.
Colleges that already run part-time
photography courses will obviously
have one or more tutors, so you
need to approach them with
something different –there’s no
pointproposing abeginner’s
photography class if they already
run one. Think your course through
and write down exactly what you’ll
be teaching on a week-to-week
basis and, most importantly, what
the students will learn from you
(the ‘learning outcomes’).
Once you’ve got your course
plan together, it’s time to make
your ‘pitch’, which means arranging
a face-to-face meeting with the
course co-ordinator. This is
basically a job interview, so make
sure you sell yourself and your
course – all going well, you’ll be well
on your waytothe frontofthe class
and a fulfilling future career.
DiffiCulty rating
DigitalCamera July2010
Earning potEntial
Ten great tips for
selling prints &
merchandise
Twelve years ago,
andrew Ray owned a
pet shop and had just
takenupphotography
as a part-time hobby.
However, in 2008 he became a
full-time photographer, supplying his
images as fine-art prints, cardsand
calendars to galleries and shops across
the county, and selling direct at local
eventsand through his website
(www.andrewrayphotography.com).
So howexactly doesapet-shop
owner become asuccessful fine-art
photographer in the spaceoften
years? He shares his top ten tips:
1Alocal galleryorcraft fair is a
good way of determining if people
areinterestedinyour work.A
selection of 20 images produced as
both mounted prints and cards is a
good starting point.
2Captureimages at different
times. Manyofmycustomers
prefer printstaken in the type
of conditions they would experience,
rather than the ‘golden hours’ around
sunrise and sunset.
3Offer similar images in both
horizontal and vertical formats
wherepossible,and in avariety
of sizes. Don’t worry about framing,
though, as mostpeople prefer to
choose their own frames.
4Print and mount the
photographs yourself when
ordersare received. This helps
keep costs under control and prevents
Andrew Rayhas
made the giant leap
from pet shop
owner to full-time
photographer
“a selectionof20images
as mounted prints and cards
is a good starting point”
overstocking –commercial printing
requires quantitypurchasestobecost
effective,and dead (non-selling) stock
just ties up your capital.
5Invest in quality equipment,
including aphotoprinter
capable of producing archival
professional prints to at least A3 size.
A printer that can use a variety of
media will broaden your range.
6Presentation is important.
Many shops/galleries require
youtosupplyyour owncard
racksand photostands. When selling
at craft events, lightsare important to
display your work to its potential.
7Set up awebsitewith the option
to purchase via PayPal. There
arenumerous cost-effective
template styleoptions available,such
as Clikpic, which helps advertise your
business and increases sales.
8Mounted printsand cards
arebestsuited to postal
distribution; onlyspecialist
carrierswill accept framed prints
under glass. Mounted printscan
easily be shipped in a flat-packed box.
9You’ll need to inform your
taxofficeifyou start earning
anything through selfemployment,
and will need to keep
records for your tax return.
neglect your
photography! It’seasyto
10Don’t
getcaught up in printing
and selling, but people will expect a
newselection of images to choose
from on a regular basis.
DiffiCulty rating
Earning potEntial