What was the first photo you sold??

I sold my first and only photo (so far...) to the Toronto Star recently and I was stoked! I must say it's pretty cool when you see a photo you took out there for everyone to see, even if it is for a day!

So, I'm just curious as to how everyone on here has started out on their path to actually garnering an income (if that's the path you've chosen and however small it may be ) by selling their works.

Post the photo too if you can... It'd be interesting to hear stories/experiences from everyone!

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The photo below is the one that ran in the Toronto Star mid-July 2006. I just happened to be at this location just after the tree had fallen after 2-3 days of heavy rain and it was just a really cool sight. Fortunately, no one was hurt and there was minimal damage to the surrounding cars and houses. I took a few pictures, called up the Star and the photo editor told me to send him some photos. I did... he responded saying he really like some of the photos and if any of them ran in the next day's print, he would pay me for the photo. They ran it (pretty big too) and I got paid! I was walking on air for a few days !

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Mine was this one.

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Mine was a senior portrait about three years ago. Sorry, but I don't have it uploaded to link to the thread. Since then there have been too many to count with sports, events, wedding, and portrait shoots.

I got my first photo in the local newspaper a couple of weeks ago, but I wasn't paid for it. Doh. So I'm still waiting for the first sale...

There was a reason for giving it away. Our local paper, the Maidenhead Advertiser runs a section called "Down Your Street"; each week it looks at a street in the town, finding out about the lives of the people who live there and how they get on with their neighbours, and so on. Well anyway we'd just had our annual street BBQ (our street is a cul-de-sac so we close it and have a big street party with music, bouncy castle, kids' games etc.) and I thought that would fit into the "Down Your Street" section. So I sent them some information and some pictures, and they used the one below. Far from the best one, I thought, and not very dramatic compared to the examples posted above, but there you go.

As the OP says, it is pretty cool the first time you see a photo you took out there for everyone to see, even if it is for a day! (Or a week in my case.) Most of the people in the street were really pleased when the story was run, and that was all the reward I needed. I doubt the paper would have run the story or the picture if I'd asked for payment anyway...

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Mine was a photo of two raccoons playing, sold via ShutterStock about a year ago for the first time and sold numerous times since:

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The first one was of a quarter midget racer on a victory lap. The father ordered some large prints.

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My first was an action shot... sold to the participant, and an industry magazine.

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The first one I sold was a wide angle shot of the Library at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The university used ita couple more times too. That one picture has made more money by itself than any others I have sold so far.

TODAY!!!!!!!!, I was out at a rastaurant with my shooting buddy(a 58year old nikonian) and was showing him this picture and someone asked me who took the picture. I told her me and she asked me to buy it. £2.50!!!!

The first photo I sold went for £400.00 and was of the local Lord Mayor holding a piece of cheese. The moon rock sample hadn't arrived in time for the opening of a local astronomy group's exhibition in the museum and so somebody with a sense of humour substituted a piece of Danish Blue cheese. When the moon rock eventually arrived some hours later we had the cheese with crackers and wine

i sold several to mine at a wedding i did... i wont post any of the bride and groom because i am not sure if they would be happy if i did that.. but here is one pic i took at the church that i really love

rhys wrote:
The first photo I sold went for £400.00 and was of the local Lord Mayor holding a piece of cheese. The moon rock sample hadn't arrived in time for the opening of a local astronomy group's exhibition in the museum and so somebody with a sense of humour substituted a piece of Danish Blue cheese. When the moon rock eventually arrived some hours later we had the cheese with crackers and wine

Very funny

how do oyu arrive to your costs for 1 photos or say 10, is it based on what the photo is, etc

I was in touch with a press agency. They said they could get it into 6 newspaper for 25 pounds each. Then a national newspaper rang me and said they wanted it exclusively and I said somebody else was already interested so they asked how much they offered so I added it up 6 x 25 = 150, doubled it and told them 300 pounds so they offered 400. I was happy.

The first photo I ever sold was this one:

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Damn those are good. I've seen similar photos. Where did you take them and are the scenes the same today?