Do you know how to earn money with photography and how to make the profession you love profitable? There are several ways to achieve it! In this article you will find information about those that we found the most interesting and the easiest to implement. Do read on!
Photography – a passion and a way of life
Nobody becomes a photographer for money. It is one of those professions you undertake out of passion and because of your creativity. If you take photos, you are probably an artistic soul, which is why you never stop exploring, you spend long hours on processing your photos and are so proud when you look at the fruits of your work.
But you can’t live on pride alone. You also need money. How to earn them? With photography, of course! But that may not be enough. Therefore, it is worth focusing on other ways of making money in your profession, as well as on passive income, i.e., making a product that can be sold repeatedly. Such a solution is far from the desired “I lie on my favourite sofa, and the money flows into my account on their own”, because to earn passively you need to be extremely active and constantly develop your ideas, but it is definitely worth trying, because it can significantly increase your earnings.The most important rule if you want to earn money as a photographer? Bet on diversification, which means get income from several sources. It will allow you to earn even when for some reason the number of your clients decline (like during the recent pandemic) or when the season for sessions you specialise in is over.
11 ways to earn money as a photographer
So how to earn money with photography? We’ve prepared a list of the best ways to do it – we hope you will feel inspired!
1. Photo sessions
This is the most obvious way to earn money with photography. You advertise your services (on the Internet, through friends, in an advertisement), clients call, you arrange sessions, take photos, edit them, sell them. The scheme is simple, and you can start applying it at any time. For the whole process to be quick and efficient, it is worth using good platforms for posting photos from the sessions. With the help of Photonesto, for example, you can upload raw photos to a professionally prepared gallery, and then send your clients a link, which will allow them to choose photos they want you to process. This saves a lot of time and effort – both for the photographer and for the clients!If you do decide to work on sessions, think about the niche you want to specialise in. Depending on whether you will go for wedding, family, pregnancy or engagement sessions, photos of products, real estate, or events, you will need to use different methods to find customers, and your sessions will look different, which is why it’s worth thinking about your niche as soon as possible!
2. Education
If you are an experienced photographer, it is a great idea to increase your earnings and raise your professional profile by educating other photographers. To do this, you do not need to be a trained teacher – all you need is knowledge and willingness to share it with others.
There are several ways to educate. You can organise photography courses for beginners or professionals, you can teach how to run a photography business, how to develop it, how to promote services, and how to become known on social media. You can conduct the courses both online or stationary, but the latter method requires appropriate conditions and a venue, while the first one can be conducted from anywhere in the world and you can invite anyone, no matter where they are based.Apart from organising courses, an interesting idea for additional earnings is selling e-books and presentations about photos or giving private lessons to those who do not want to commit themselves to the entire course but need to talk to someone about what they are doing.
3. Sale of presets
An interesting idea for additional passive income is the sale of presets. The world revolves around social media, and these are largely based on photos. As we all know, not every photo taken using a smartphone will be great and attract attention. Many people do not know how to process photos professionally – after all, it’s a complicated process, especially when you don’t do it on a daily basis. This is why someone came up with presets – settings for photos that help to imitate a given style, introduce the right atmosphere, improve contrast, exposure, etc.
There are people who have already made a lot of money selling presets, so it’s worth taking a look at this option and trying it out!
4. Photobooks / prints
Apart from selling photos, a good source of income for photographers is selling other products. Photobooks or prints are the most obvious ones, but you can go a step further and offer your customers large-format prints, calendars, T-shirts, even jigsaw and memory games. Such personalised souvenirs are a great gift idea!
5. Stock photos
Many photographers earn on platforms such as Shutterstock and iStock. To join them, all you need to do is take great photos (which you can do), open an account, upload your pictures and describe them with appropriate keywords. This is a great way to earn additional money – the photos once taken can be sold many times, without any work on your part!
6. Sale of prints during fairs
Art and crafts fairs are becoming more and more popular and attract crowds. If you have some good photos, print them out in large formats and set up your stand at your local fair. Among the visitors, you will surely find people who will like your works. At the same time you will distribute your business cards and expand the group of people who know about you.
7. Blogging
Today, blogging is the basis for anyone who wants to thrive online. It allows you to build your brand, show yourself as a professional and trusted person, at the same time it improves visibility and draws attention to your website and services.
How to go about it? A blog can be set up immediately – there are many platforms that make the process really easy. If you want to give it a go without investing any money, try Blogger (it’s free!). If you want a professional online presence, check out Squarespace or WordPress – the favourite of all bloggers. Focus on posting valuable content so that your readers count on you and wait for your texts. And don’t forget that each post should be complemented with great photos!
Apart from blogging, you should also be active on social media. The top destination for photographers is Instagram, which is based on photos. With Instagram, you can find new customers, connect with the best photographers in the industry, see what others are doing, and finally become a photography guru. For more information on how to work on Instagram, check out here.
An interesting solution for promoting your business, as well as for earning money (for example on advertising), is running your own YouTube channel, where you can publish videos showing for example instructions on how to take pictures.If you gather a lot of followers on one of the social media channels, you can think about establishing an interesting cooperation with large brands dealing with photography. They often see personal YouTube and Instagram accounts as alternative marketing places.
8. Venue hire
If you are a happy owner of your own space, you can earn money by renting it to others. Photo studios are the most obvious options but remember that what really counts is originality. Do you have a greenhouse? Great, for sure there are photographers looking for it just now. Is your apartment full of interesting objects? We bet you will find someone who would like to have a session in it! Is your garden full of colourful flowers? How about promoting it as the best place to take plant pictures?
9. Conferences and meetings for photographers
Conferences and meetings for photographers are a very fashionable way of spending time. They are perfect for establishing contacts, promoting yourself and getting noticed in the big world. If you have organisational skills, why not try organising such events? Breakfasts, lunches, teas, and evening chats – there are many formats, but the most important factor is gathering the right people!
10. Competitions
It may sound obvious, but great options to promote yourself and try to compete for cash prizes are competitions for photographers. Since the world has become a global village, you can take part in competitions organised by various institutions in various countries – just give it a go!
11. Cooperate with a famous brand
Many well-known brands, such as the beloved Airbnb, are looking for photographers who will work with them as freelancers. So if you have your niche, check which big players are accepting such submissions and go for it!
When it comes to earning money with photography, there are no rules or ready-to-use methods. The important thing is being creative and never stop thinking about what else can be done. For more inspiration, check out our blog or Instagram!