Photography is a hobby that is loved by many, but very few people actually turn to it as a full-time career, as it is often considered to be a hard field in which to become successful. But much like any other path you take in life, if you're willing to work hard to make it work and you're willing to take the necessary steps to ensure your triumph, you can't go wrong.

And when it comes to photography, one of the very necessary steps you should take is to give your business an online presence. With so many advancements in recent technology, people are going online for almost everything these days - and photography is no exception.

In fact, as a photographer, you stand the most to gain from the progression of the Internet! Never before has it been so easy to share your photos with millions of people around the world - and with something as simple as starting your own domain and blog on photography, you can greatly boost your financial and career prospects!

1. Share, Comment And Learn

One of the most important benefits you will gain with your own domain and blog is the chance to share your photographs with the rest of world in an easy and effective manner that you simply cannot do any other way. You literally reach out to millions of people - a big jump from being able only to share them with your friends, family and peers.

And by sharing your photos with people, you also have the chance for them to comment and give their views, much like they would comment on a blog post. By creating a network of like-minded individuals who visit your blog to see your photographs (and you visit theirs too, of course), you can hone and perfect your skill based on their input.

2.Make Money Selling Photos

Of course, you also want to make money, and that is another big aspect of getting yourself a website. By displaying smaller sized (and watermarked, for added security) photos on your website, you can give people the opportunity to purchase high-quality images that they like simply by setting up a shopping cart and merchant credit account. Thus, your visitors can buy directly from you using their credit cards, and you can make money in your sleep!

3. Make Money Selling Your Expertise

Another way for you to make money is to sell your expertise in photography. After many years in the business and with a lot of experience under your belt, you will no doubt have many jewels of knowledge to share with other budding photographers. With your own domain, you have the opportunity to turn this knowledge into cash, and here are two easy ways to do it.

Firstly, you can sell information via e-mail. In return for a monthly membership fee (to join your mailing list), you can send weekly or daily e-mails to your customers outlining photography tips and tricks that you have picked up. This is a useful way of earning recurring income for a minimal amount of work, since your e-mails can be pre-written and stored to be sent our automatically.

Another way to sell your information is to write short electronic books (in PDF format, for example, as you save a lot of money on printing and distribution) that cover a certain aspect of photography that you are an expert in. Since people who visit your website are clearly interested in photography, they are the best prospects for you to market your book to, again saving you money on marketing and advertising costs!

4. Build A Reputation

In any business, the more people that know you, the better it will be for you career. Photography is certainly no different, and one of the best ways to get people to notice you is to get a domain that is your own name. Thus, anyone that visits your website will know who you are and all about your expertise in photography. Over time, this prominence on the Internet will turn into greater opportunities in the physical world.

As you can see from the benefits above, turning to the Internet is an indispensable option for all photographers. Most importantly, however, since budding photographers often don't make much money, it is important to note that getting a domain and blog is incredibly easy and cheap to start up and maintain.

With so many benefits at such a small price, it's no wonder that many photographers have already turned to the Internet. Isn't it about time that you, too, jump on the bandwagon?