How To Make Extra Cash With Your Digital Camera

49 replies
Howdy, folks!

Here’s the method that I promised a while back about how you can make a pretty good income with your simple digital camera. It's very easy too. But, like anything, it’s gonna take a little work, it’s not going to be money that’s gonna fall from the sky for ya, you’re gonna have to learn a few things. The good thing is that everything that we know up to this point is something that we have learned, so don’t be afraid to learn.

Anyway, digital images, simple pictures that you take every day with your digital camera. Doesn’t have to be a professional huge digital camera with a nice 7000$ dollar lens. As long as it can take good quality images, it’ll be just fine.


Of course I’m talking about stock photo websites such as istockphoto for example, where people can go and buy the images they need for supposedly some kind of catalog they’re making or an article they’re gonna write in a magazine, any kind of media or web media. All kinds of people go to these places and buy images for their image needs. Whether it’s digital, print, whatever. That’s the deal. And, on the other side of that deal, there are thousands of people who make their living by going out and taking pictures and supplying them to places like this.


istockphoto is a house where people can upload their pictures and other people can buy them, and istockphoto takes a percentage of each sale. So just one picture of yours can be sold thousands of times to thousands of different people for thousands of different reasons. So one tiny image can easily earn you a lot of money!


Let me show you a couple of examples.



Just take a look a this picture right here. Nothing super spectacular, is it? Looks like something anyone can do. Let me tell you, this picture right here has been downloaded 8100 times, which means, 8100 people have bought the rights to use use this image for whatever reason they need.The owner of this picture gets his commissions each time the image is being downloaded, and the minimum he makes is about a dollar per download, MINIMUM. So he made at least a minimum of 8100$ just from this single picture.

Here’s another example:


That’s it! That’s the whole picture. A picture of grass. This one have been purchased 6900 times. 6900 download of this picture of grass. Yup, that means the person who took this picture of grass has made a minimum of 6900$ off this picture.That’s what happens when people buy small sizes of these pictures, they make about a buck. When people buy larger sizes, he can make up to 7$ per single download!!! I’m just giving you the minimum figures here!


Now, look at this one:
Just a regular phone booth. This thing has been downloaded 5.000 times since the author uploaded it. He made a minimum of 5.000 dollars just from this picture.


And again, you can upload this image to istockphoto and other image stock websites such as www.bigstockphoto.com and tens of others to possibly double or tripple your income!
You think you can do this? You think it’s worth doing?


So that gives you an idea. You don’t have to be a Picasso with the camera here. First of all, these image sites don’t want pictures of sunsets or flowers or any of that cliche crap. They want the pictures that are in demand, and they will tell what they want if you ask them! If you go to these sites, do some research, you’ll find what’s popular. Just go to these websites, click on categories, and choose to sort by categories, and it’ll show you what’s popular.


So, as you can see people, huge money to be made here! Get off your heinie and learn something and you can make a bank! All you pretty much need to know is what I already told you. Go to these websites, learn some stuff, do your research and give it a try!
#camera #cash #digital #extra #make
  • Profile picture of the author georgescifo
    wow..I never thought such photos can earn you such amount of money. Thanks for this kind info..seems that it is high time that I turn into photography
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  • Profile picture of the author O0o0O
    Here is a snapshot of what iStockPhoto needs and does not need. Hope this helps get the juices flowing.

    Images that iStock does need:
    • Corporate shots: Illustrate the many sides of modern business.
    • Concepts and Visual Metaphors: Go beyond the literal, and help a designer explain something in a new way.
    • Food and Beverages: Cuisines from around the globe.
    • Groups & Teams: People working together.
    • Holiday & Seasonal Themes: Show all the ways we celebrate. Include more than religious celebrations; let's see local festivals and customs as well.
    • Non-Business Jobs: The word is filled with mechanics, garbage men, baristas, and more.
    • People Interacting: Human interaction is a constant in this world.
    • Religion and Spirituality: The rich tapestry of the world's beliefs.
    • Science and Technology: Accurate and true depictions of the cutting edge of human knowledge.
    • Social Issues: Poignant looks into the issues that impact us.
    • Sports: For fun, for fitness, for glory. We'd love to see more team sports.
    Images that iStock does not need:
    • 3D – Simple Renders: Go beyond the easy and obvious presets.
    • 3D – Extruded Text: Simple 3D text is not enough.
    • 3D – Simplistic Modeling: Spend more time with your polygons.
    • Airplane Wings (& out the window shots): Wait until you land to shoot the vacation shots.
    • Flags: 3D or real, give us something more than the basic flags.
    • Light Blurs: Fun for photo clubs, but rarely is it good stock.
    • Nature Snap Shots: Sweeping vistas and insect macros are great – yet another forest floor is not.
    • Photoshop Backgrounds, Fractals: We've all had fun with filters. Designers are looking for images that they can't quickly make themselves with a few button pushes.
    • People Doing Nothing: Get your models doing something!
    • Shadows of People, Headless People: Photograph people or do not. There is no try.
    • Single Apples (or Green Peppers or Oranges) Isolated on White: The day of the single fruit isolated on white has passed.
    • Sunsets, Cloudscapes, Skies: Be sure the sky really is stunning before uploading.
    • Symbols: !$%@ – Whether rendered or photographed, typographic symbols are less interesting than you think.
    • Your Immediate Environment: There's life beyond your front door!
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    • Profile picture of the author vikassharma3000
      Originally Posted by O0o0O View Post

      Here is a snapshot of what iStockPhoto needs and does not need. Hope this helps get the juices flowing.

      Images that iStock does need:
      • Corporate shots: Illustrate the many sides of modern business.
      • Concepts and Visual Metaphors: Go beyond the literal, and help a designer explain something in a new way.
      • Food and Beverages: Cuisines from around the globe.
      • Groups & Teams: People working together.
      • Holiday & Seasonal Themes: Show all the ways we celebrate. Include more than religious celebrations; let's see local festivals and customs as well.
      • Non-Business Jobs: The word is filled with mechanics, garbage men, baristas, and more.
      • People Interacting: Human interaction is a constant in this world.
      • Religion and Spirituality: The rich tapestry of the world's beliefs.
      • Science and Technology: Accurate and true depictions of the cutting edge of human knowledge.
      • Social Issues: Poignant looks into the issues that impact us.
      • Sports: For fun, for fitness, for glory. We'd love to see more team sports.
      Images that iStock does not need:
      • 3D - Simple Renders: Go beyond the easy and obvious presets.
      • 3D - Extruded Text: Simple 3D text is not enough.
      • 3D - Simplistic Modeling: Spend more time with your polygons.
      • Airplane Wings (& out the window shots): Wait until you land to shoot the vacation shots.
      • Flags: 3D or real, give us something more than the basic flags.
      • Light Blurs: Fun for photo clubs, but rarely is it good stock.
      • Nature Snap Shots: Sweeping vistas and insect macros are great - yet another forest floor is not.
      • Photoshop Backgrounds, Fractals: We've all had fun with filters. Designers are looking for images that they can't quickly make themselves with a few button pushes.
      • People Doing Nothing: Get your models doing something!
      • Shadows of People, Headless People: Photograph people or do not. There is no try.
      • Single Apples (or Green Peppers or Oranges) Isolated on White: The day of the single fruit isolated on white has passed.
      • Sunsets, Cloudscapes, Skies: Be sure the sky really is stunning before uploading.
      • Symbols: !$%@ - Whether rendered or photographed, typographic symbols are less interesting than you think.
      • Your Immediate Environment: There's life beyond your front door!
      What you say about Fashion photography?
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  • Profile picture of the author solomos
    Thanks for your post really helpful. Any tips on how to easier get on the top of a list?
    Cause on a search like eg "rap music" you get 4000 results.
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  • Profile picture of the author royalgalaxy
    yes I used to get paid, by just taking snaps of roads and uploading it..... its a very good site
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  • Profile picture of the author CaliGuy
    Wow - Great idea no joke.... Thank you for sharing... You will receive 10X what you've put out! Way to go
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  • Profile picture of the author lightangel2020
    great post my friend
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  • Profile picture of the author lightangel2020
    Thank you for sharing great information .
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  • Profile picture of the author suhailajmal
    Great ideas. I never thought of it before. I've Nikon digital camera and an iPhone too. I really need to think something and draw some picture. Will definitely take a look to iStockphoto. Thanks a bunch!
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  • Profile picture of the author wlasikiewicz
    what are the chances of actually making some money like this without being a professional?
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    • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
      Originally Posted by wlasikiewicz View Post

      what are the chances of actually making some money like this without being a professional?
      Zero - if you don't DO SOMETHING!

      The first time you sell a single image, you are a professional (check the definition)
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      Sid Hale
      Coming Soon... Rapid Action Profits (Pro)

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  • Profile picture of the author themesplice
    I really liked you idea. It makes sense that people do make money selling just photographs, but do you think these sites would accept any type of photo? I mean, lets say I upload a picture of a different less greener grass. Will that work as well?
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  • Profile picture of the author Vadimarket
    You DON'T have to be an ultra professional to do that. How do I know that? Because I used to that, and I'm far from being professional. Obviously you do have to have a little bit of skill in order to get your pictures uploaded. You can't just desperately shoot everything you see like an immature without doing a little bit of polishing and then hope to be rich.

    here is another example that made its owner over 5k per year:


    Nothing realy super professional, is it? Nothing that can't be done if you take some time and learn a little bit at least.
    Any image can be accepted as long as you do some work with it so it doesn't look like you took it from your cellphone ( and it doesn't violate the guidelines) Will people want it? Well people need all type of things everyday, you'll have to do some research and ask them what's on demand!
    As of me, when I was doing that. Most of the time all I did was taking pictures of my cats. Not to say they were in huge demand, but I made in average 500$-600$/yr per picture, and i took a lot of them. You do the math.

    Here's a few more stock houses that I used to use.

    www.stockxpert.com
    www.shutterstock.com

    Don't be afraid to learn, those "professional" photographers did not born with that knowledge, they learned it!

    Cheers!
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  • Profile picture of the author Hauya
    Very interesting! But as you said it will take much time and effort before you can earn a handsome income. I will give it a try as a part time
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  • Profile picture of the author O0o0O
    I am taking action on this and just wanted to follow up with my review so far. As of yet I've not made any money because I'm still in the process of signing up.

    The signup process for iStockPhoto is very lengthy (which it should be to prevent spammers). You have to fill out an application, submit a scanned copy of your Government Issued Photo Identification. Before being accepted to be a photography contributor, you have to take a crash course in digital photography (took me about an hour to go through), and then take a 10 - 15 question exam afterwards. I failed the exam the first time, but passed it the second time around. They gave me the same questions the second time, so it was easier.

    My final hurdle which I'm still working on is to submit three photos that are in RGB JPG format that are minimum 1600 x 1200 pixels. I have the photos, but they're not in the right format. My photos are in JPG, so I figured iStockPhoto would take them. But it turns out that the photos I have are CYMX JPG format, and iStockPhoto needs RGB JPG. I have no idea what the difference is, but after some research, and some failed attempts at converting them to RGB JPG online, it seems like I have to download Adobe Photoshop software to get it done. That's where I'm at now.

    So far, everything seems legit and I've checked on some photos that have a good number of downloads. It seems like a promising program.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sam Pap
    wwo amazing but have i must have a HD camera and what resolution of images must have
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  • Profile picture of the author ubuddyru
    I really liked the idea. I'll definitely try it out, as soon as my DSLR is shipped!
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  • Profile picture of the author danilion55
    Wow. a very valueable info I never though of selling my photos. I must give it a try
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  • Profile picture of the author etechadvice
    Even though i suck at taking snaps, gonna give it a try! looks easy.
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    • Profile picture of the author Brocke
      Your idea is very helpful for earning money for those who have digital camera thanks for your posting.
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  • Profile picture of the author xInd
    Awesome, thanks for this post. I've always been aware of the stock photo sites and the possibility of doing such, but anytime I seriously considered it either I didn't have the right equipment, or had other things I needed to be doing. Now I have the equipment, and my other half has a keen interest in photography so it's something we can do together and not worry about how long it takes to see real money from the time spent.
    Cheers!
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  • Profile picture of the author ProServices
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author ProServices
      A special thanks to Vadimarket for sharing and giving back to the Forum. We are all grateful.

      Let me say that Vadimarket is the real deal and I like a man who lays it all out without the fluff. This is better than some of wso's out there.

      One last thing. Can you please recommend the best digital camera so that I take photo's like shown above? I need to invest in a camera so it would be nice to buy a decent one.

      You Rock Man!

      Cheers
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    • Profile picture of the author ProServices
      THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS THREAD

      Any chance of making this into a detailed/advanced Blueprint for a WSO? I would definitely buy.
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  • Profile picture of the author rising_sun
    Banned
    wow,i know about this site from you,
    really it's a giant collection of photos.
    I am a new photographer,but my 1 question is the payment method is reliable?
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  • Profile picture of the author charm01
    You need to have a high resolution digital camera and of course you need to have the angles and take a shot like photographers do, then sell it online. There are istockphotos, shutterstock, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mauiman
    I have a picture that I think could work out for me but I will have to post more here because I just registered here. Heck the system would not allow me to put in a Introduction as there were some links in there which there were no such thing in there XD but hey this place is great. So I am going to hold on to this page till I could get that big 15 and yeah. As for this link that you provided I shalt keep it under my cap for now on. Thanks and Kudo's to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author wpthemedesk
    This is absolutely correct, there are some websites where you can submit your unique photography and when it's sold you get your earning. But it should be somewhat different and useful that makes you more and more successful leads.
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  • Profile picture of the author Richard Miller
    This stuff is for skilled photographers. Unfortunately I'm not a good photographer(
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  • Profile picture of the author apkkadam
    Cool idea. Sounds interesting
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    • Profile picture of the author AndreAyton
      Wow ... Never Thought That Was Posiible
      Thanks for sharing
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      If you are not making somebodies life better then you are wasting your time


      Life is too short to work 40 hours a week
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  • Profile picture of the author bookworm techie
    great share! I have known its idea before but haven't tried to post and sells stocks photos. This time I will now try to do it. thanks for reminding us!
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  • Profile picture of the author Wooten
    Great share, will definitely try it out! This is something I've never thought about.
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  • Profile picture of the author ashishkakran
    There are many ways to earn extra income, but here I make a few restrictions to prevent this post from being too broad:
    I only cover how to make extra money online. This way you can work wherever you are in your spare time.
    I only cover ways to make money in relatively short time.
    1. Writing
    2. Designing
    3. Programming
    4. Tutoring
    5. Selling stock photos
    6. Microworking
    7. Selling stuff
    8. Website flipping
    9. Translating
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  • Profile picture of the author Mitja Drame
    Thank you for sharing this tip with us, I'll try it and report in the future about it. I think it's an easy method to make some extra cash. I always wanted to make some great photos I can sell then And I already have some great ideas.
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  • Profile picture of the author ElbaneDark
    I like this idea. I actually thought about doing this so I'll definitely take a look, thanks op
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  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    I visited istock but can't find how to contribute or upload photos..
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    Moderator's Note: You're only allowed to put your own products or sites in your signature.

    Signature edited.
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    • Profile picture of the author Vadimarket
      Originally Posted by Adie View Post

      I visited istock but can't find how to contribute or upload photos..
      Have you signed up? What seems to be the problem after that?
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  • Profile picture of the author DrunkenHorse
    thanks , good info
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  • Profile picture of the author ckdaro
    Thanks for the share, some good info.
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  • Profile picture of the author snippnet
    Awesome information. Thanks a lot - do you have a list of other sites that would want more pics? Also, how would you suggest finding trending photos?
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Harwick
    Thanks for this simple, yet DOABLE money making idea.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Sutanto
    cool.... I never think about sell photos to those photo sites.......
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  • Profile picture of the author Sondunkilthim
    Brilliant idea, thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author Tony Nguyen
    Cool thanks for the share
    This looks promising
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  • Profile picture of the author ProServices
    Things Never Get Better, They Just Get Worse!

    This is a wonderful thread, however, I've been rejected by istockphoto 3 times now. I thought I had some good photos of stuff that is in demand according to their list. I even paid someone at fiverr to give me 3 top photos ( sent over the document with what istockphoto are looking for) but those photos got rejected.

    Can anyone help me find a place where I can get 3 photos that will be approved with istockphoto? Any help would be appreciated.

    Thank you
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  • Profile picture of the author emmanuelad
    Thanks nice information
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  • Profile picture of the author PinkOwl
    Originally Posted by Vadimarket View Post

    Howdy, folks!

    Here's the method that I promised a while back about how you can make a pretty good income with your simple digital camera. It's very easy too. But, like anything, it's gonna take a little work, it's not going to be money that's gonna fall from the sky for ya, you're gonna have to learn a few things. The good thing is that everything that we know up to this point is something that we have learned, so don't be afraid to learn.

    Anyway, digital images, simple pictures that you take every day with your digital camera. Doesn't have to be a professional huge digital camera with a nice 7000$ dollar lens. As long as it can take good quality images, it'll be just fine.

    Of course I'm talking about stock photo websites such as istockphoto for example, where people can go and buy the images they need for supposedly some kind of catalog they're making or an article they're gonna write in a magazine, any kind of media or web media. All kinds of people go to these places and buy images for their image needs. Whether it's digital, print, whatever. That's the deal. And, on the other side of that deal, there are thousands of people who make their living by going out and taking pictures and supplying them to places like this.


    istockphoto is a house where people can upload their pictures and other people can buy them, and istockphoto takes a percentage of each sale. So just one picture of yours can be sold thousands of times to thousands of different people for thousands of different reasons. So one tiny image can easily earn you a lot of money!


    Let me show you a couple of examples.



    Just take a look a this picture right here. Nothing super spectacular, is it? Looks like something anyone can do. Let me tell you, this picture right here has been downloaded 8100 times, which means, 8100 people have bought the rights to use use this image for whatever reason they need.The owner of this picture gets his commissions each time the image is being downloaded, and the minimum he makes is about a dollar per download, MINIMUM. So he made at least a minimum of 8100$ just from this single picture.

    Here's another example:


    That's it! That's the whole picture. A picture of grass. This one have been purchased 6900 times. 6900 download of this picture of grass. Yup, that means the person who took this picture of grass has made a minimum of 6900$ off this picture.That's what happens when people buy small sizes of these pictures, they make about a buck. When people buy larger sizes, he can make up to 7$ per single download!!! I'm just giving you the minimum figures here!


    Now, look at this one:
    Just a regular phone booth. This thing has been downloaded 5.000 times since the author uploaded it. He made a minimum of 5.000 dollars just from this picture.


    And again, you can upload this image to istockphoto and other image stock websites such as www.bigstockphoto.com and tens of others to possibly double or tripple your income!
    You think you can do this? You think it's worth doing?


    So that gives you an idea. You don't have to be a Picasso with the camera here. First of all, these image sites don't want pictures of sunsets or flowers or any of that cliche crap. They want the pictures that are in demand, and they will tell what they want if you ask them! If you go to these sites, do some research, you'll find what's popular. Just go to these websites, click on categories, and choose to sort by categories, and it'll show you what's popular.


    So, as you can see people, huge money to be made here! Get off your heinie and learn something and you can make a bank! All you pretty much need to know is what I already told you. Go to these websites, learn some stuff, do your research and give it a try!

    WOW! Thanks for the idea. I just got a great digital camera, a Sony Alpha, and I was wondering how I was going to make money with my new toy. Now I know!
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  • Profile picture of the author goingup
    You can also do this with public domain images, but you do need to adjust them.
    See realfaststockimages dot com
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    Only dead fish go with the flow.

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    • Profile picture of the author 7generations
      Definitely something to consider for the future. I've been wanting to take a few photography courses in the evenings just out of interest, so this might be the motivation I need. Hadn't really thought about it before in an earning capacity. Guess there's lots of competition like anything else.......but it's worth a shot.

      Thanks for the info!
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