The Thing Every Wildlife Photographer Needs

If you're a wildlife photographer, we both know that you've worked really hard on the images that you make. Some are honestly much better than others -- and we shouldn't necessarily base that on how Instagram followers are rating it. We all have those one or two images that we're truly in love with, but others aren't. Sometimes, you end up capturing a moment that's rarely otherwise seen. These are the images that matter the most -- they're part of what makes you unique as a photographer. Look around on eBay, Etsy, and other places -- you'll find that these prints go for hundreds of dollars otherwise. And to maximize how much you make from those images, you should check out Lumaprints.

This article is presented in partnership with Lumaprints.

So why print your photos? Well, this is part of a whole different economy. If your posts on Instagram are all about the attention economy, your printed images are an essential part of the real-life experience. You're probably leading tours around certain places to help others get better bird photos while also teaching them about conservation efforts. And for that, we're going to adapt a similar thought process to musicians.

When you go to a concert, you're inclined to want to buy swag from your favorite artist to give them some extra support. And the same thing happens with photographers. People know you from social media, and they want to help you and the work that you do. For that, you can do stuff like sell prints. In this case, the folks over at Lumaprints have done something really special. They're making canvas prints really affordable and attainable for small business photographers like you, and even for general consumers. Yet at the same time, they're delivering some of the highest quality that we've seen.

Canvas is something truly fascinating because it looks good everywhere. Shiny prints often need light coming from directly above for them to really bedazzle people. But canvas is great because someone buying your images can put them anywhere in their home and they'll look incredible. The key with modern prints is to go big. So Lumaprints has 45x60" available for less than $120. Of course, not everyone has that much room, so it means you can go even smaller than that and still have a high-quality product to sell to folks.

The kind of photographer that would make the most of their wildlife prints are those with an established and varied portfolio. If you had to choose only 5 images that you think are insanely unique, think about what those would be.

All you need to do is choose the photos that have the most impact. And for that, we need to think less digital. Consider this: what do you have in your portfolio that generative AI would find difficult to create? If you can figure that out, then you've got something that's worth printing. Photos like these are rare -- and that's one of the reasons why they're also worth printing on a surface that can look its best anywhere.

When you're selling the photos, consider donating a portion of the sales to some sort of a good cause that helps with the environment and preserving the space for the wildlife.

But here's another idea: don't sell the work. Curate and keep your best images as prints made just for you in your own home. Every time you pass by it, you'll be reminded of the time you shot it. And when you feel you've graduated beyond that point, get another print made.

Try Lumaprints and you'll see just how much of an impact and great feeling prints can have for you and your work.