Sell & Re-Sell Your Photos (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What distinguishes Rohn Engh's book on how to sell photographs--now in its fourth edition--from the many volumes on the subject? Could it be his honest, no-nonsense approach to the topic, as opposed to the get-rich-quick slant of many competitors? His practical, step-by-step advice? His pragmatic sales techniques and principles, which teach niche marketing and explain the vast difference between good pictures of popular subjects (sunsets, wildflowers) and the type of photographs in demand by the editors who actually buy them? All of the above and more, including solid advice about selling photos in the electronic age. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Completely revised and updated, this classic book shows new and veteran photographers how to sell their work. Filled with photos, charts, tables and sidebars, Sell & Re-Sell Your Photos helps photographers focus their goals and improve their profits. Includes advice on:. Good pictures vs. marketable pictures. The web and how computers are being used in the stock photo business. How to market by mail - and present a professional image. Promotion techniques that get pictures noticed. A filing method that keeps pictures easily retrievable. How to approach a stock photo agency

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books; 5 edition (March 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582971765
• ISBN-13: 978-1582971766
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #234,816 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Anything for Money, August 21, 2005

By	Conrad J. Obregon (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Sometimes it's hard to write a review because the author's style is so grating that even though he has a lot of useful information, you dislike the book and wonder if you can be fair. After thinking about this book for some time, I think I can be fair.

Engh's basic point is that a photographer who wants to make money with his photographs will sell from stock to markets that are not competitive. He then tells the aspiring stock photographer how to determine what those markets are, how to find the photo buyers in those markets and how to deal with those buyers to get your stock photographs sold. Although I'm not a stock photographer most of the steps he advises have a ring of truth to them and agree with what the stock photographers I know tell me.

But if you are interested in "landscapes, birds, scenics, insects, plants, wildflowers, major pro sports, silhouettes, experimental photography, artistic subjects, (such as the "art" photography in photography magazines), abstracts (such as those seen in photo-art magazines and salons), popular travel spots, monuments, landmarks, historic sites, [and] cute animals" Engh says forget about them. Well, maybe that's too strong. He says when you put those areas on the back burner, "you'll stop wasting time, film, postage, and materials." When I came to this advice, I almost put the book down, because it was clear that Engh wasn't talking to me. Most people take photographs because they are interested in some subject matter or approach and not just to make money.

I also was disturbed by how often in the book the author shilled for his company and web-site, where, he says, useful information is available. It may be, but it appears it's always for a price.

In summary, if all you want to do is make money with your camera, without joy or pleasure, this book may be for you.

73 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I owe it all to Rohn Engh!, September 28, 2004

By	Karen Mullen "khmullen" (Lynden, WA USA) - See all my reviews

I read an earlier edition of this book shortly after graduating from journalism school in 1983. I wanted to make money with my photographs and Rohn Engh's book answered every question I could imagine. I followed his advice and for years was a successful stock photographer. I was also a stay-at-home mom homeschooling three kids, so I only worked a few hours a week, yet still managed to plump the family income. Now I'm a portrait photographer and still do a little stock on the side. I advise anyone who is interested in selling their photos to read this book and save a lot of time in the process.

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Blinded by pre-conceived notions?, January 11, 2006

By	James Walley (Maple Valley, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Engh has, apparently, made a good living in the field of "environmental portrature" -- people in their own natural surroundings. Unfortunately, when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail; and it seems that Engh's advice is for his readers is that their only chance lies in adopting the exact same approach.

In Engh's view, there is only one type of photo sure to sell: one which shows, in front of an appropriate and uncluttered background, a person involved with a symbol of the subject matter in question. He even reduces it to a formula of "Photograph = Background + Person + Symbol + Involvement." Anything else, according to Engh, is merely a "pretty scene" with little or no commercial potential.

Now, that may or may not be the case. However, I can't help but notice a glaring discrepancy in Engh's book. Just after enumerating his "P = B + P + S + I" formula, he gives a case study of "John," who goes through the book's recommended program of determining one's areas of marketable photographic interest. At the top of "John"'s list is gardening, and Engh notes approvingly that there is a highly-profitable market in stock photos for gardening magazines and books. After reading this, I decided to research some of these gardening publications. What did I find? That the vast majority of photos in these publications were of flowers, plants, and scenics -- the very subjects that Engh advises his readers to avoid! Furthermore, no matter how many such publications I checked, I failed to find even a single photograph fitting Engh's "Background + Person + Symbol + Involvement" formula. Given this, I can't help but suspect that Engh's approach might be a little too dogmatic.

Finally, I would note that, although this edition of the book is barely three years old, it is already quite dated in terms of technology. Engh is (was?) dismissive of digital photography, asserting that photo buyers will only consider submissions shot on film. Hence, any coverage of digital is restricted to providing quick previews of film-based work, and much time is spent discussing concerns such as the filing, packaging, and labeling of transparencies. Judging from the most recent Photographer's Market, this film-only approach is no longer the standard with publications, and Engh may wish to further revise his work with digital photographers in mind. But perhaps not. Somehow, I would suspect that an approach as rigid as Engh's when it comes to subject matter may well extend to not being able to see any other methods of doing business, either.