Great Escape Publishing

Posted September 4th, 2014 by Bonnie Caton & filed under Travel Photography.

Following our workshops, we get a bunch of new success stories from people who applied the things we taught them.

But a few of them will write in again to report another success… and another… and another. Those are the people I want to look at today. The repeat succeeders…

People like Roy Stevenson, who came to his first Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop as a P.E. teacher and went on to get over 100 articles published in the following year. Today, he’s a full-time travel writer going on free trips left and right and having the time of his life.

And people like Theresa St. John, who I mentioned yesterday, who came to her first Ultimate Money-Making Photo Workshop last year and has since gone on to sell her photos in stock agencies, as fine art, to magazines, and directly to clients. She just scored an amazing free trip to Ireland for herself and a friend (one she met at the workshop no less)… and she’s on a roll.

I’ve watched our most successful attendees for the past six years, and it turns out they do the same five things that all successful photographers do. Really, they’re the same five things that successful people do in ANY field.

Here they are:

1. Get going.

The most successful photographers don’t wait until they’re ready. You’re as ready to sell your photos now as you’ll ever be. I repeat. You’re ready. Start now.

2. Be open to opportunities, and try everything.

The other day, Theresa wrote in to tell us that she was taking photos at a friend’s bridal shower. Since it was catered, she arrived early to photograph the food for her stock portfolios. The caterer asked to see the photos… and offered to buy some from her. Try selling your photos as stock… put together a collection to sell as fine art on Etsy.com… pitch some photos to magazines… and keep your ears open wherever you go. Opportunity could come from anywhere.

3. Don’t take things personally.

A rejection — or worse, silence — from an editor or a stock agency is enough to send most of us (yes, myself included) on a week-long ice cream pity binge. But rejections happen to even the most established professional photographers. Upload some new photos, pitch a new editor, and move on.

4. Take small steps.

If you only see your end goal, it’s much harder to know where to start. If you want to be published in your local city magazine, start by picking up a few copies and reading through them. Look at the photos. Find the contact info for the photo editor. Look through your photos for some you could send in. Approach each of these steps as a small goal and put them on your calendar if you have to. Don’t be afraid to celebrate each step along the way, too!

5. Make it fun!

The more you approach photography like a fun game, the more you’ll learn… the more you’ll shoot… and the more you’ll earn. There is no specific photography subject that you HAVE to shoot in order to make an income. Shoot what you love, and keep at it.

Try doing these things this week and then write in next month to tell us how far you’ve gone in just a month!