How to Make Money with Your Christmas Photos

Christmastime is just around the corner and it is the most expensive time of the year when you have to drain your pockets to get all those Christmas presents for family and friends. With your digital camera on hand, why not put it to good use by earning some extra money to help fill those pockets. With just keen observation, a little foresight and some careful planning, you may just have the best Christmas ever.

You always take photographs on every occasion, including Christmas, so why not consider making a profit from all those holiday images. Here are some ideas how to earn:

Know what Christmas images sell in most of the stock photography sites.

Almost anyone who owns a digital camera would like to share their images with the world and is probably already a member of at least one stock photography site. If you haven’t joined yet, it’s about time you did. You might not even think of making money when you share your photos online, and you might not yet be aware that selling your images as stock photos can be really lucrative and can make you earn some extra money without any trouble at all.

Remember though, that not all Christmas stock photos sell. Even frequent buyers who look for images in stock sites have already chosen their favorite photographer from the many people who upload. Make sure that you upload quality images. It’s not the quantity of images that you have in a site but rather the quality of images. By choosing the great shots that you’ve taken and uploading these, you’re sure to have a steady stream of clients that will recognize your work and would periodically check on your images each time they need one.

It’s good to know right from the very start what type of images are popular. The kinds of holiday images that particularly sell are the traditional people photos. People enjoying the spirit of the season. These are typically a family seated enjoying a holiday meal, the gift giving scene, children opening their presents, a fire place with Santa’s cookies laid out, people walking on a snowy street lit with Christmas lights, etc. All these images bring about the festive holiday season and are always a sure fire seller.

Portray the theme of Christmas in different ways.

Try experimenting with composition and lighting. Use various angles to capture your subjects. Get close to them, notice the details of the Christmas ornaments, and if your street is decorated with Christmas lighting use the panoramic feature to capture the whole scene. Take a few candlelight images, get some shots of the festive mood such as people shopping in malls, carolers singing, etc. Try to tell a story or make use of techniques such as silhouette or motion blur to spice up your shots. It’s always easy to spot a great scene this time of the year so be prepared and don’t let it pass you by.

Use your Christmas photos as part of merchandise.

Aside from uploading your images in stock photography sites, you can always use your images for Christmas postcards, greeting cards, t-shirts, coffee mugs and so much more. You can sell these to your family and friends or aim bigger and sell them in local fairs or even online. All it takes is some initiative and great images. Everyone gets into the spirit of the holiday season and there will always be an opportunity to put those great holiday shots to good use to make you extra money all year round.