Photography is a competitive industry. There are a lot of photographers out there offering their services. But there are also a lot of opportunities to make money using your photography skills. We are not saying that this will be easy, but with hard work, resilience and determination, your photography skills can make you money.
Here are 10 suggestions for how to make money from photography -
Number 1 – Events and Portrait Photography
Events and portraits are not the same thing, but there is definitely overlap. A wedding is an event, but you will also be taking portraits.
Here are just some examples of events and portraits that you could take –
Weddings
Baby photos
Gender reveals
Wedding anniversaries
Children’s parties
Birthday parties
Retirements
Other anniversaries
Graduations
New jobs
Pet shoots
Fashion shots
Beauty shots
Glamour shots
Also, try and think beyond the obvious. For example -
Weightlifters entering competitions and wanting to show their physique
Sports people in competitions – For example, a runner crossing the finish line.
Fire officers, police officers, paramedics and other staff wanting photos in their uniforms.
Dance schools – wanting photos of the students in their ballet attire or photos when they are doing a dance show.
Other activities, such as sports, gymnastics, exercise classes etc.
All of the above can be portrait only, or can relate to events. As well as these, there are also other opportunities to take photos of, and at, events, such as
Festivals
Concerts
Shows
Business events
Training events
Other types of fun events.
Etc etc.
There are so many different opportunities.
People often like the idea of candid shots at their events. For example, a big meeting of business people might want candid shots for social media, as well as official portraits of the staff, and photos of the actual event.
Think outside the box. Think what people might want photographed.
Linked learning – Wedding Photography, Portrait Photography
Number 2 - Real Estate/Estate Agency Photos
When people put their house up for sale, the seller needs good, high-quality photos and videos for people to look at. Views of houses for sale are usually online today, so this offers the opportunity for lots of photos and videos, showing potential buyers around the home before they actually do a viewing. Many estate agents use photographers to take these photos.
Linked learning – Digital Photography, Landscape Photography
Number 3 - Commercial Photography
A lot of people sell online today and need photos for their websites or the products they are selling.
For example –
People selling their own products on websites, such as Etsy, Amazon, or social media.
People selling products on their own website.
Businesses who want photos of their products for catalogues, marketing and their website.
There are a lot of opportunities in this area. A good way to get into this type of photography is to take photos of actual products and post them on your social media.
For example, choose a particular product, such as a bottle of perfume. Take lots of high quality, and unusual photographs and post them on your social media. Tag the perfume producer in, and also contact them with a link to your photos.
They might be willing to buy them. They might offer you some work as an influencer. Or they might not. BUT by posting your commercial photos like this online, it might lead to other commercial work.
Linked learning – Digital Photography, Photographic Lighting, Blogging, Ecommerce.
Number 4 - Teach Photography Skills
Offer workshops and photography classes.
Run photography trips. For example, sell trips to a local nature reserve and encourage people to take photos, demonstrating good tips and techniques for taking the photos as you go round.
Post photography skills videos on social media etc.
Linked learning – Instructional Skills, Event Management.
Number 5 - Photojournalism, Vlogging, Blogging, Social Media
There are a lot of opportunities to sell photographs online as well. For example,
Photojournalism – writing and taking photographs about relevant news events and significant news.
Influencing – Choose a niche area where you can produce reliable, and sustainable, photographs and posts, and try to obtain influencing work.
Write blogs and vlogs around your photographs.
Linked learning – Blogging, Digital Photography, Photojournalism
Number 6 - Selling Prints and Digital Products
Another way to gain income through social media and online is selling digital products, such as –
Prints
Postcards
Cards
Calendars
Etc
You can sell these on websites, through your own social media etc.
Linked Learning – Digital Photography, Ecommerce, Landscape Photography, Travel Photography, Photographing People.
Number 7 -Travel Photography
Travel photography offers a specific range of options –
Selling prints, postcards, cards etc.
Producing photo books of a specific location.
Taking photos for hotels, AirBNBs, Tourist departments etc.
Linked learning – Travel Photography, Landscape Photography
Number 8 – Selling Merchandise
Another option to sell your products online is by putting your images on merchandise, such as –
T shirts
Mugs
Cushions
Stickers
Notebooks
Photobooks
Etc.
Print on demand services mean you don’t have to pay for the product to be created.
People simply choose your photo, choose the product, then the print on demand company produces it and posts it out to the customer.
You receive percentage of the sale cost.
Linked learning – Ecommerce, Photographing People, Landscape Photography, Travel Photography, Photographic Lighting.
Number 9 - Entering competitions
Entering competitions is another way to earn money. Some competitions will pay quite high prizes for the winners.
Linked learning – Photographing People, Photographic Lighting, Travel Photography, Landscape Photography.
Number 10 - Get published in a print or online magazine.
Do your research and find print and online magazines that you think will be interested in your photos.
Pitch to the magazine. Post your photos on social media and follow relevant magazines. Look at the submission rules on magazines. When you find what you are looking for, keep trying.
Linked learning – Photographing People, Photographic Lighting, Travel Photography, Landscape Photography.
The final point is an important one. For anyone trying to succeed in photography, you need to keep trying. It is unlikely you will be successful straight away, and many photographers will give up. But keep trying, keep taking your photos and above all, be creative and think outside the box!
We offer a range of photography, ecommerce and writing courses that may interest you.
Contact us for more information at admin@acs.edu.au
