Where can I look to begin selling photos?

I fell rather silly asking this question, seeing that I just aquired my DSLR and really probably dont even have a single good photo. But my curiosity has been spiked by reading some of the post on here! When the time is right, where does one start trying to sell their work?

Almost all the photos I look at on here are great. I dont leave comments because, well I really have no grounds to voice my opinion yet. I only hope I can take photos of the same caliber as all of you somtime soon.

Thanks

That depends what market you're after. You can start by purchasing a copy of "Photographer's Market" which is basically a directory of venues for selling your work.
A quick look through any supermarket tabloid will prove that you don't necessarily need good images to make a sale

Guy

Hey Chris, you could pick up a copy of John Shaw's book, The Business Of Nature Photography. Has some great info.

Hi Chris,

I got started by sending a shot or two I was proud of to a local magazine that published that sort of work. They bought and I was hooked. Since you're interested in nature I suggest when you get some images that you think could be published that you go see if your local sanctuaries or wildlife rescue places could use the pics. You probably won't get paid but you will get some exposure and do some good at the same time.

Meanwhile Guy and Mike have given you some good advice.

Re you comment about not commenting about images you see on NPN I urge you to jump in. People like to have feedback and most are very willing to share information if you have questions.

Chris, I agree with Ed. Feedback and constructive critique help us to grow as photographers and artists. And questions help us to articulate what we're doing and why; and that way we get to pass along the gifts of knowledge that were given to us.
Photographer's Market is a great resource. A little overwhelming at first but it sure shows the depth and breadth of the market. Start small and go from there.
Best wishes and have a great time with your new DSLR.

I've sold a couple of images, but don't have enough experience to give you any further advise. I do recommend however, that you start commenting! It does help you to "see" images better, and you do learn a lot from it. Just say what you think about an image...you'll be surprised how much you start to pick up on.

AND post your images! The thing I have found with many people is that they greatly underestimate their own abilities. Remember, what you are seeing here from many photographers is the best of hundreds of images shot with years of experience behind them. We all start somewhere.

Actually, I think one of the best things about this website is the variety of image quality. The range is from beginners just learning the basics to people with an established track record of sales as full time professionals. The photo textbooks such as John Shaw's books (which I highly recommend) are great in that you see many top end images. But the one weakness is that they don't have types of mistakes that us normal mortals make and need to have pointed out occasionally. To see a photo, realize that there are weaknesses in it which are also present in your own photography, and then having the information to strengthen the image is a huge boost. Learning to recognize the weaknesses in our own photography is the quickest way to improve.

Looks like you already have some sound advice in the above comments Christopher. All I would add is spend the first year or two building up a decent portfolio. Once you establish a relationship with an editor (I would start locally if at all possible) they will request images from you that they need for future publications. Without a large amount of images to fall back on, you will not be able to fill their needs.

NPN has a ton of knowledgeable photographers you can learn from for $50.00 a year, I don’t think you can beat that deal anywhere. Post and comment, it’s the fastest way to improve your photography

WOW! Thanks for all the help. Tonnes of great advice. I will make sure I begin to comment and I will start posting pics as soon as my new DSLR is in my hands. (Its an X-mas gift and my wife wont let me have it yet!!! )