Ever wondered about turning your photography passion into a profession? If not, today is the right time to make money with photography. You definitely would have to love clicking, editing, creating and snapping pictures to satisfy your inner creativity in order to monetize this particular passion.
Photography, over the time, has evolved from being a hobby to an industry; what started as a way of capturing some precious moments of life has turned into a full-fledged industry which is essential for the growth of every organization and business. Shutterbugs on the streets and personal photographers of every industry are proof of this. Innumerable people are making a fortune out of photography and you can also be among them. Following are the easy ways that can lead you to the “spot, click, earn” way.
Small Event Photography
Of course I had to mention this as a way to make money with photography. But let’s be honest, unless you have a vast portfolio showcasing your work, potential customers may be reluctant to hire you as the photographer for their wedding or special events.
You can, however, still work in this field while gaining experience and building your portfolio by targeting the lower end of the market. I found the photographer for my wedding, on Groupon! He was specifically targeting small and intimate weddings and had made that his niche. He also photographed events like sweet 16’s and teens leaving home for the prom. He found his niche while still working full-time and successfully made photography into a second income stream for himself.
Offer Services to Small Businesses
For all start-ups, the best way to launch a photography business is by reaching out to other start-ups and small businesses. Start-ups don’t have large budgets to spend on seasoned photographers and this side of promotion might not have even crossed their minds yet. Do yourself a favor and contact local and small businesses for their needs and add them to your portfolio.
While reaching out to businesses within your neighborhood, chat with the owners with them and pitch them on how beautiful and captivating shots of their business will instantly give a boost to their customer-reach. They can use these photos to boost their online presence by using the images on Google, their own sites, or Facebook.
Offer these kinds of businesses small photography packages, such as profile photos of their staff, cover photos of their office and their
sales floor for their website. Since their budget may not allow extensive photo shoots, small packages will seem less intimidating and a value added way to market their business in a professional way. You can attract plenty of customers with the right communication, packages and of course by showing them your best camera work.
Teaching Others
Starting a beginner’s photography class will prove to be highly beneficial for your wallet. Constant increases in the number of people joining the industry including those who also want to make money with photography, and a growing trend of posting striking shots on social media – Instagram anyone – has led enthusiasts to join photography classes to polish their skills.
Why not pass on photography tips and techniques that you learned over time to the newbies and make some handsome amount of money for yourself? You can get started teaching classes online using platforms such as Udemy and Teachable.
Sell Digital Copies
The world is full art-enthusiasts who love, appreciate, and reward great work; once their only resort was art-galleries, but not anymore. Various companies sell great digital photography shots at reasonable prices to art lovers. If you have captured something exceptional, you can use their help or sell your work directly to an admiring audience.
Selling prints of your artwork directly to your audience through sites like Etsy.com and Photo Shelter usually allows you to earn a higher profit than selling to stock sites. It’s a great way to make money with photography while building a name for yourself.
Sell on Stock Websites
You might have heard about Shutterstock, iStock, BigStock, Adobe Stock, etc; these are the websites where you should instantly register yourself. They sell captivating images to businesses, media and marketing agencies, and if your images will be there, they’ll pay you for every download. Further, optimize your pictures with relevant keywords. This is a simple, hassle-free and a productive way to earn a decent amount for your hard work.
Stock sites have really exploded as a legitimate way to make money with your photos. Additional apps and sites to explore include Foap, 500px, Alamy, Crestock and Fotomoto.
Blogging
Establish yourself as a photography guru by writing blogs on photography. Blogging won’t provide you money with your first write-up, it’s a slow and time-consuming way. Strong traffic and readers’ base is required to earn money through blogging. If you’re sure about your followers, then write blogs, put ads, place referrals links and make money. You can learn how to make money with blogging using our starter guide.
Sell to Specialty Sites
Come companies and sites are looking for specific types of photographs. Whether you are a celebrity photographer hoping to make money by selling your photographs to places like TMZ or a nature photographer with hopes of appearing in National Geographic or even a food photographer who can create drool worthy images of food to Stock Food, there is likely a specialty sites willing to pay top dollar for your images.
As you can see, there are a number of ways to turn your passion for photography into real money. The great thing about this particular skill is that you get better with time and you are not stuck doing just one thing. You can mix and match different ways to make money with photography by selling your photos on a stock site, doing event photography or putting together packages for small and micro businesses.
