Ryan's TipsSharing Tips With The World Since 2006.

With digital photography, there are a variety of different ways to earn money. Your imagination is your only limitation. For instance, have you ever considered the profitable calendar market? You could begin by simply contacting calendar publishers and inquiring about their photography needs. You could also make and sell your own personal calendars.

Schedule: With calendars, you can market and do the photography year round. However, the time you need to make arrangements to have the calendars printed is in November and early December. You will want to check with printing services to find out their estimated delivery time frame. When considering a time frame, keep in mind that printing companies are often very busy towards the end of the year. You will want to deliver the calendars towards the middle to late December.

A Printing Service: In the beginning, you will need to shop around the best deal on printing services. It is important to consider reliability and quality, along with the overall cost. If you cannot find a local printing service that prints calendars, you can simply run a Google search for “calendar printing” or “get a calendar printed.”

My Google search turned up a variety of different hits. One of the first hits was a company charging $170.28 for 25 calendars, plus shipping and handling. At that price, you will make approximately $7 for each calendar. Sizes can vary, so be sure to decide on what size of calendar you are planning to make. Now you’re probably wondering how you put your digital photographs to work in order to make calendars. Begin by taking suitable pictures. Next find a way to market them.

Below are some suggestions for locating potential markets.

1. Churches, Charities and Other Organizations.

Contact charities, churches, no profit organizations and social service organizations in order to pitch your idea of using calendars for fund raisers. You can charge a set dollar amount for delivering an agreed upon number of calendars. In order for the organization to make a profit, they can then resell them for any price they choose. Remind your contact that the organization can resell the calendars to their members, on their website and to the general public. Assuming you are using twelve layouts, you will need twelve different photographs.

You could make arrangements to photograph the organization and their activities for each month of the year. Or, you could simply ask the organization to provide the pictures, when if need by, you could make digital. Another alternative is to use photographs of local attractions or scenery, wildlife, flowers, cute kittens, etc.

2. Amateur Sporting Events

Contact the managers of different sports teams, especially ones who have children’s teams and pitch the idea of taking their pictures to be used for a calendar. This could be a great fundraising idea for the time or you could simply sell the calendars to the members of the team and their families. Again, you will need twelve different digital photographs spaced through the year. When working with parents, be sure to stress that digital calendars make great gifts for grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other family members.

3. Craft Shows and Specialty Shops

Take a variety of pictures of local attractions, scenery and wildlife. Then, you can generate calendars to sell at craft shows. You can also make arrangements with vendors and specialty boutiques in order to sell your product. I suggest that you steer clear of large department stores, chain stores and supermarkets.

4. Special Community Events

Is your local community planning a special event? An anniversary? Reunion? A walkathon or race? A celebration? Contact the event organizers and negotiate a deal in order to bring your digital photography service to the event. You can take orders for the calendars, which can then be delivered a few weeks after the event comes to an end or to coincide with the next calendar year.

5. Flower Shows and Gardening Associations

Digital pictures and flowers are a perfect pair. What better place to make this connection than at a garden or flower show. Contact the club executives or organizers. Offer to take pictures of their gardens and/or floral arrangements. Then, compile your digital photographs into a calendar. Sell the calendars at the event or take orders for later.

6. Artist Associations

Contact a variety of different art galleries or artist associations and propose a deal to take pictures of a variety of their works of art. Afterwards, you can compile all of the pictures into a calendar. Be sure to include the artist’s name and information with each picture you use. Then, the galleries or associations can sell the calendars themselves or you could sell them directly to boutiques and shops. Before selling any of the calendars, make sure that you have a signed release from the artists, which allows you to sell their works of art.

Remind the artist that by selling their pictures in calendars, customers will be able to view their work of art and have their information to actually purchase the work of art, along with other pieces the artist may have created. If you are selling the calendars for the artist, you could possibly reimburse the artist for a set amount, per calendar sold. Calendars are a great way to not only promote your digital photography, but make some extra money too.