An Insider's View of Istockphoto.com

It's Not a Photo, It's Intellectual Property
There are many amateur photographers who take great pride in their work. They purchase digital cameras that rival the quality of professional level cameras - and nearly match the performance level. Comitted amateurs take hundreds of photos each year, often spending more time than professionals to get just the "right" shot. Now, web sites like www.istockphoto.com are giving these talented amateurs a chance to sell their work to art directors and creative shops across the nation.

The Web Creates New Markets
The size and demand of the marketplace are what makes all of this possible. As an example, at IStockphoto, some images sell for as little as $4 for non-exclusive publishing rights - providing a great cost savings to the producers of brochures, advertising and other print material. IStockphoto acts as a middleman, showcasing the work, and brokering the purchase. The photographer then receives a share of the proceeds. Four dollars doesn't sound like a lot of money, but it can add up for a photographer who is shooting for the "fun" involved with the hobby.

Meet David Lewis
David Lewis is a corporate communications professional who works full time and takes photos as a hobby. He's been doing it for years. He has an expensive camera and has developed quite a talent as a photographer. I asked him to tell me the story of one of his most popular shots - a photo of his daughter.

"It's the most frequent seller of all of the 980 images in my portfolio. It went up Feb. 25th and has sold 131 times, or an average of 95 sales a month. My 15-year-old daughter needed to do some research as the downtown library one Sunday afternoon, so I told I'd take her if she'd work with me on a few photos there. Got several keepers out of it, and she found the books she needed. Win! Win!"

Lewis has already made several thousand dollars via IStockphoto (the secret is the high number of photos he has placed on the service). He's like many amateurs who never thought they would be making from their favorite hobby. The Web continues to find new opportunities for talented amateurs. Maybe it's time to get the picture? See David's photos at www.istockphoto.com/dlewis.33