Making Money with Photos
Wildlife control operators (WCOs) and pest control operators (PCOs) make their money providing vertebrate and pest control services to their clients. But most do not know about or perhaps are afraid of making money with photos. That’s right. WCOs and PCOs can make money with photos they take on the job. How is that possible? Let me provide several ways it can be done.
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- Use photos on your website. Too many times, people populate their websites with photos “borrowed” from someone else. I have had this happen to me. I visited a site only to see my photo being used on another person’s site without permission. If you are doing the work anyway, why not use your own photos to drive money (i.e., customers) to your site? In addition, using your own photos will save you money by avoiding lawsuits for copyright infringement.
- Sell your photos to other businesses. This should be obvious. Sometimes people “borrow photos” because they can’t find the photos for sale. I have encountered this problem. I have needed photos of this or that (for a list of photos I am looking for visit Photos Wanted). It is amazing how “fearful” PCOs and WCOs are about selling their photos. I can’t completely explain why, but there really shouldn’t be any fear. Here is why. Don’t sell ownership rights to the photos. Sell non-exclusive use rights to the photos. Use rights just means that the purchaser can use the photo for his/her needs. But you the owner, can use the photos for your own purposes as well as sell them again. It’s easy. Granted you don’t make as much money with photos sold with non-exclusive use rights but you are not selling the complete value either. In addition, watermark your photos when you sell them so that your name/business is always mentioned with the photo. Again that lowers the price of the photo but you will get some marketing out of it as well. It’s your call. If you would like to have your photos watermarked, contact me. I provide watermarking services.
- How much money can you make with photos? I am not claiming you will become rich selling your photos. But it may help you buy dinner with your spouse. I have paid anywhere from 10 to 30 dollars for the use rights to photos. As I recall, one photographer made over 300 dollars on my purchase of his photos. I would love to buy more photos but, as I said before, too many WCOs and PCOs are afraid of selling their photos.
Hopefully, this post will help you get over the fear regarding making money with photos.
Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Vinyl Siding is Noisy
Vinyl siding is a wonderful invention. It has saved countless homeowners, like myself, from the drudgery of painting their homes every few years. But did you know that sometimes vinyl siding is noisy? And for a few people, the noise can make them think that they have wildlife in their homes?
Characteristics of Vinyl Siding
It turns out that when vinyl siding heats up it can expand almost 1/2 an inch for every 12 feet of length.
It’s the expansion that explains why there are seams in the siding. The installers have to ensure there is enough overlap so the siding doesn’t buckle when it heats up. What that means for you is sometimes when the vinyl is heating up, it can drag and scrap against other siding or in the track. The resulting noise may make you think that you have animals. Noises can also occur when the siding becomes loose as shown near the eave below the chimney in the picture at the right.
Bottom Line
So if you hear some squeaking sounds on a hot summer day and the noise is coming from the sunny side of the house, and you have vinyl siding, go outside and check. It might be that your vinyl siding is noisy.
Additional Inspection Resources
If you would like to improve your wildlife damage inspection skills, obtain a copy of the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd ed. Stop guessing and start identifying.
Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Pest Geek Podcast
One of the key benefits of the smartphone lies in its ability to open up a world of educational opportunities for their owners. If you are like me, you have a lot of alone time during the day where you are doing some easy task that doesn’t require a lot of mental energy. This means you have mental energy to do something else. Rather than listen to some silly song on the radio, why not put that time to good use by expanding your education? Podcasts are a great way to do that. I am proud to announce that I am one of the regular contributors to the Pest Geek Podcast. The Pest Geek Podcast is about all things related to pest control.
My podcast, “Living the Wildlife”, publishes once a week. I cover topics related to wildlife control, also known as vertebrate pest control or animal damage control. If you are interested in expanding your business into the wildlife control field or just want to hone your skills on wildlife control or insect control, then let me invite you to try a few episodes of the Pest Geek Podcast.
Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Wildlife Carcass Disposal Publication
One of the frequently neglected topics in the area of wildlife control is the topic of animal disposition. Disposition is simply an umbrella term to discuss what one does with an animal that is in one’s control, such as a cage trap. Options for disposition include relocation, translocation, and dispatch. Unfortunately, in most wildlife control publications created by agencies and Extension agents, dispatch is rarely covered and if it is, it is discussed in only vague terms. I am proud to say that publications with my name are exceptions to that informational oversight. But even publications that discuss how to kill an animal, how often do they review wildlife carcass disposal? After all, once the animal is dead what do you do with the carcass? This educational neglect is often a reflection of a failure to recognize that wildlife control involves death, the death of animals as well as a lack of experience in the field.
The neglect of wildlife carcass disposal has taken another step back by the publication of Wildlife Carcass Disposal by the USDA, APHIS, WS National Wildlife Research Center. Mr. King and I had originally wrote this publication for the 5th edition of the Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage. Unfortunately, the fifth edition never took place despite being on the agenda for over a decade. So the USDA-Wildlife Services decided to push ahead and publish chapters on its own. I am grateful because I had three chapters written over three years ago. I wondered if they would ever see the light of day. Now, one has and others will follow, but I digress.
The publication Wildlife Carcass Disposal covers all the main ways to handle carcasses including, single burial, mass burial, repurposing, composting and cremation. Issues concerning disease safety and protection of water sources are also covered. I hope you enjoy the article. It’s available at no additional cost from the following link https://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/reports/Wildlife%20Damage%20Management%20Technical%20Series/Carcass%20Disposal_WDM%20Technical%20Series.pdf
Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
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