Selling celebrity photographs can be fun and lucrative. Here is my step-by-step way to take and sell valuable celebrity pictures.
1. Purchase a camera that is of high qualityWhile any celebrity photo can sell for a lot of dough depending on the celeb, circumstances, and cover-worthiness, low quality photographs are not as valuable as high resolution pictures. As a rule, you will need to take your celebrity photographs with a camera that has at least 5 megapixels to be worthy of being published in magazines and/or tabloids. The great news is that it is easier to be a part of the paparazzi world today, thanks to advances in camera and cell phone technologies. Most cell phones are equipped with cameras that are over 5 megapixels - meaning now even cellphones can shoot celebrity photos that are magazine worthy. For example, here is a list of some of today's most popular smartphones and the number of megapixels their cameras feature:
iPhone 4S - 8MPiPhone 4 - 5MPHTC Thunderbolt - 8MPSamsung Nexus S 4G - 5MPMotorola Atrix - 5MPHTC EVO 4G - 8MPSamsung Infuse 4G - 8MPSamsung Galaxy S - 5MP
Feel free to go overboard and purchase a camera with all the bells and whistles if you want to have more features at your fingertips (e.g. histograms, automatic exposure bracketing, etc.) or control over the camera's settings (e.g. aperture, shutter, white balance, etc.). If you are serious about taking and selling celebrity photographs, you will have to purchase a camera equipped with a powerful zoom lens so you never miss out on great shots, near or far.
2. Conduct thorough research on your celebrities to photographAs they say, "If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." You may hate this hackneyed phrase, but it still rings true when it comes to successfully taking celebrity pictures and selling celebrity photos. Begin your research by jumping online. A good place to start your online search is Google News. Use Google's advanced search features to narrow your results down to what is being said nearby and contains words that will appear in articles potentially chocked full of valuable clues pointing you in the direction of celebrity hotspots. Search for words like "Celebrity," "Star," "Movie," "Concert," "Musician," etc. The articles and events that turn up will help point you in the right direction to spot celebrities worthy of your camera's attention.
Remember that the most valuable pictures are those that contain rare subject matter, or weren't snappped by another celebrity photographer. In other words, it is advised to go to spots where celebrities might visit, but are not publicly scheduled to appear. Places like high-end vacation resorts, retail shops, spas and eateries are prone to luring in celebrities. If you're the only celebrity photographer present to snap their photograph, you will have a hot commodity.
Planning will help improve your chances of sighting a celebrity, but it's no guarantee. It is as much of an art as it is a science. One way to really get exclusive access to celebrities is to get a personal insider's tip, which brings us to our next step
3. Leverage relationships to get exclusive photographsCelebrities have huge networks of people that they know both personally and professionally. If you want to really make it as a member of the paparazzi photographing celebrities and selling your celebrity photos, you will need to leverage their vast networks and your relationships, new and old. Spread the word around that if others have a hot lead on where a celebrity is, or will be, to drop you a notification. Additionally, it helps to establish a rapport with local and national news and magazine publications as well as celebrity photo agencies who may deliver a tip for you to pursue. Paparazzi ninjas lean heavily on their connections to take unique celebrity photos and be able to sell them for money.
4. Plan the time and locationOkay, so you've done your research and identified a hotspot or two that you want to check out to shoot celebrity photos. Wonderful. Now, specifically scope and plan out the nooks and crannies that you will claim. It's one thing to take a celebrity photo from afar, but it's an entirely different thing to see them face-to-face and take a celebrity photo of a unique circumstance (thanks to your strategic timing and position). Arrive to events beforehand, scope out the territory and snag a spot to take your celebrity picture. If your plan isn't working as you envisioned, then adapt and move. Celebrities won't seek you out. Be the hunter, not the prey!
5. Respect celebrity privacy when taking and selling celebrity picturesPersonal celebrity photographs can be very valuable, but don't go overboard. Celebrities deserve your respect, which means not encroaching on their privacy. Celebrity photographs containing explicit content or taken on private property will not be purchased and published by large publications and you can be sued by celebrities for trespassing or stalking. Obsess over taking good celebrity photographs, but not at the expense of your reputation or in exchange for infuriating a star.
6. Hand off to celebrity photo agenciesOnce you take a few great pictures, then it is time to market and sell celebrity photographs. The best way to gain maximum exposure for your images is to submit them to the top celebrity photo agencies (e.g. SellCelebPhotos.com or MeettheFamous.com). These companies will accept your submission and market your photos to the most popular online and in-print publications like People Magazine, Time Magazine, TMZ, National Enquirer, etc. In exchange for marketing and negotiating top dollar for your celebrity photos, a celebrity photo agency will take a cut of the sales price (as low as 30% at SellCelebPhotos.com, but normally upwards of 70% of the celebrity photo selling price).
Remember that time is of the essence when it comes to selling celebrity photos. Upload your celeb photos as fast as you can in order to improve your chance of getting top dollar when you sell your celebrity pictures.
7. Review the terms and reap the rewards when selling celeb picsAlways be sure to review the terms and conditions before you agree to sell a celebrity photograph. Make sure that the celebrity photo agency clearly states who purchased your photograph, how it will be used, how much your photograph was sold for, the amount of money you will receive and when you will receive your earned compensation. Once everything checks out, ink the deal and congratulate yourself for a job well done - you've successfully demonstrated that you know how to sell celebrity photographs and you have the cash to prove it!
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