Hey Shutterbug!

Are you a good photographer?  Are you one of those people who live to point that camera and take a picture of just about anything from a beautiful sunrise or sunset, to animals, old barns, and baskets of fruit on a table to a picture of a juicy steak on a plate? If so, you need to be turning your photography skills into a little extra cash for your pocket.

There are many websites on the Internet that will pay you for your pictures, no matter what the subject matter is. There are people who will pay a fee to download your pictures and use them on their websites and you are paid for that downloaded picture.  How great is that?

In most cases, you will be required to complete an application with the websites you want to use to carry your pictures. Pay can range from 20 cents or 25 cents per download to as much as $7.50 or more, depending on the websites. Some require that you hit at least $50 in downloads before a payment is issued to you, but do not let that discourage you, if you have a good variety of subject matter that money adds up quickly. You can give a website either exclusive or non-exclusive rights to your materials. Be sure to read their contract agreement so that you can determine whether you are giving them the rights to your photos or if you are able to retain ownership.

Believe me when I say, there are people out there right now who are making a nice monthly income just off of the photographs that they are putting up on the Internet for sale. Here is a list of some of the better known sites although I am sure there plenty more that could and will be added to this list over the coming months as more and more people begin creating websites who are in need of art work for their website.
These websites are not listed in any particular order.
ThinkStock.com
123rf.com  (rf stands for royalty free)
Crestock.com - with this company you can retain the rights to your photographs
Shutterstock.com
Dreamstime.com
IStockphoto.com
Bigstockphoto.com
cutcaster.com
fotosearch.com

So go ahead, take a picture of that bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce or that cute kid with the dirty face from eating it!  Alternatively, a picture of that sink full of dirty dishes to the dogs out playing in the sprinkler.  You never know what someone is looking for from the most mundane subject material to those that you would most likely think someone would want to use on their websites.

Are you in need of ideas for subject matter for your photos?  Just go browse the Internet for ideas, believe me, you will have so many ideas running through your head by the time you have spent an hour or two looking, you will feel like you are on a merry-go-round!  Oh hey, there is a shot for you!

Get out that digital camera and get clicking and you will soon be on your way.

Rat Race Rebellion

I would like to take some time today to highlight a company that I really like and that is Rat Race Rebellion. 

One of the reasons I really like them is because they take time to pre-screen all the jobs that they list, which is so important because out there in cyber space there are many companies that are scams and they try their very best to be sure that they only list legitimate companies with real offerings for you to look at.

They list companies from a variety of venues where you may have an opportunity to work at home or be able to work directly for a brick and mortar company.   Today they listed a very unusual opening for needs from a reputable company that will provide some nice "perks". Their needs are only in certain cities, there is paid training at their offices and it will allow you to get outside and have contact with the customers you will be servicing.  Have I tweaked your interest?  If so, head over to their website Rat Race Rebellion and take a look for yourself! 


While you are there, go ahead and sign up for their emails so you are notified of other positions that might be of interest to you and enjoy reading their blog, which is listed on the left side panel, for some uplifting ideas on how to handle today's job hunting world.

New Year and New Goals

Okay, you’ve had a couple of weeks now to adjust to the let-down of the holidays, all the hustle and bustle and the worry about where you were last year at this time!  Now it is time to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and go after that new job that you are in need of in order to survive.

I am sure that you like everyone else, made out your New Year’s Resolutions and have already promptly filed them away in a drawer, never to be seen again.

Now it is time for some serious evaluation here and you need to make out a GOALS list that you see every single day. No cheating now!  This has to be a BIG GOALS BOARD where you are going to post all your wants and needs for your new job.

It needs to be out where you can see it on a daily basis. Statistics show that people who make visual goal boards are more likely to obtain their goals than those who do not! 
Be realistic but dare to dream as well.

Start with the types of jobs you are looking for
The salary you are expecting to earn
The benefit packages that you want included
The regions of the country where you are willing to go to obtain these goals.
What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses? Not only skills wise but also personality wise?

Now what are you going to do to reach those goals?

Are you willing to work Temporary jobs while you look for what you want and need?
Do you need to think about going back to college? Can you get a grant…? Not a loan to do so?
Are you willing to relocate to another city or state?  Have you done your research? 
Have you reevaluated your salary needs?  Can you get by on less now than you thought you could 6 mos or 12 mos ago?
Are you willing to sell some of your “stuff” in order to be in a better position financially than you are now?
Have you considered the idea of starting your own business?
Have you thought about working from home for a while?

When you see what you have to work with and what you need to get where you want to go your chances of getting there are so much better!

Let me know what you are doing to reach your goals, I would love to hear what you are doing.