There are many ways to make a profit with photography. One way of earning money from your photographs is to license the images for use on postcards. If you are a photographer who has a large library of location photographs, postcard photography could be a lucrative path. To sell your photography for use on postcards, you must contact postcard publishers and request that they review your photographs.
Look at the text on the back of postcards that you like. The name and address of the postcard's publisher is generally listed on the back of each card, according to Andrew Hudson's article "How Can I Sell My Photo As A Postcard?" featured on the Art Institute of Pittsburgh's website.
Research additional postcard publishers online. Most postcard publishers, and all major publishers, have their own websites with general contact information and postcard samples.
Visit the website of postcard publishers to which you are interested in selling your photographs. Not only will you be able to see samples of the postcards published by the publishers, but some publishers include their photo submission requirements on their websites. If submission requirements are listed on a website, follow the submission instructions exactly. An incorrect submission may be thrown away without response.
Write a cover letter expressing your interest in submitting your photos for use on the postcards published by the company. The letter should differ for each company. For instance, create a separate letter for animal postcard publishers and location publishers, detailing your experience in the individual field.
Send the cover letter to the company along with one or two samples of your work. If the company has an email address listed on their website or on the back of a postcard, it is appropriate to send your query in this manner, along with digital images of your photographs. If the company does not list an email address, send the letter with two quality prints of your images to the mailing address.
Wait for a response from the publisher and send any additional information or prints that are requested. If the publisher is interested in your sample photographs, he will likely request additional samples of your work. Pick out several of your best photographs and forward them for review.
