How To Get An Income Through Photography
Years ago, working as a professional photographer was a lucrative career move and could easily provide a sustainable income for many decades.
Skipping forward to the modern-day, where everyone has a smartphone capable of taking good photos right in their pockets, photographers need to find new ways to make money and make a sustainable income.
Despite this, photography is different from other career choices in that there are now many options for making a full-time income with it. Becoming a professional photographer isn't easy, but the rewards are huge, especially if you view your photography as an art.
The Success Mindset
Success with photography is often dependent on finding niche markets to build upon or expanding your ideas of what an income actually means to you -whether it's a steady income in the form of a salary or based more on the gig economy method of money-making.
Here are some ideas to help you earn an income through photography.
Become A Wedding Photographer
Wedding photography is one of the most popular niches when it comes to making money with your photography. Many people may assume that weddings are a photographer's bread and butter, especially if they are trying to support an entire family.
The truth is that it's hard to compete with the sheer volume of wedding photographers already out there.
To start, you will need to get your name out there and build a reputation as a wedding photographer who can meet deadlines and make the bride (and the groom) happy!
As a wedding photographer, you need to find ways to make yourself stand out from other wedding photographers so that your clients will recommend your services to their engaged friends and family.
Become A Niche Photographer
Many professional photographers are looking to branch out into different markets and specialties.
This is a great way to diversify your income and get out of the wedding photography trap that many professionals find themselves in.
Photography niches may include specialism such as:
Newborns
Portraiture
Architecture
Business and headshots
Sell Your Images On Stock Websites
Stock websites such as Shutterstock and Getty images are popular choices with photographers because they are easy to use and could provide a passive income.
To be a successful stock photographer, you will need to make sure that your work is up to the quality standards that the respective stock website requires and that you sell your images at a good price.
Cash Lady has a great article all about selling your photos online, with information on how to take photos, what equipment you'll need, and a quick into on some of the most popular stock websites you should consider.
Go Into Product Photography
This type of photography is often considered a 'niche' and is a little more specialized than other types of photography, which is why it has become increasingly popular over the last few years.
Product photography involves taking high-quality photographs used on websites, social media, and advertising to sell products.
Offer Photo Editing Services
Photo editing is a useful offer that you can sell to both professional and amateur photographers.
Once you have the skills and experience, you will be able to pick up extra work and charge for your services and provide something in return that could help the clients' business grow.
Offer Photography Courses
One way that you can turn photography into a full-time income is by offering photography courses.
Some of the benefits of starting your own photography course include:
You're in control of what your students learn, which gives you the opportunity to tailor your course to your experience level and interests.
You're not required to meet minimums or attendance requirements, so you can offer more specialized classes to cater to those with specific experiences or interests.
You can create your own curriculum and teach students what you want to teach them.
You can decide what the course is worth.
You can charge for the course in whatever way you want.
You can decide to start and stop the course at any time.
You will be able to make money every month if you are using a subscription model, which can help you to plan your finances and set realistic goals.
Become A Freelancer For Another Photographer
If you're already established as a photographer, why not offer your services to other photographers when they're busy working on a project?
Often, a photographer will be looking for someone with a specific skill set to help them out with a photography project or work as a second photographer on bigger projects like an event or as a second wedding photographer.
Freelancing can take various forms, but working on smaller projects for a lower price in exchange for the chance to build a reputation and work with more clients is a good way to build your own photography career.
Merchandise Your Photos
You can make money off of your photography by selling merchandise such as t-shirts, mugs, and more on websites such as Zazzle.
This is a fun way to get your photography out there while earning some extra income on the side.
There are plenty of stock photo websites that allow you to upload your own photos and sell merchandise.
The benefit to having your photos printed on shirts, mugs, or other merchandise that people can see in public is that you will be able to sell items very quickly, but most photographers find they will need to work on creating their own brand and following before their sales will take off.
Create Your Own Photography Website or Blog
To make money with photography, it can be tempting to simply use your personal website as an outlet for your work.
While you can do this if you prefer, a website and blog are a great way to build up your personal brand and provide you with a place for clients to contact you, as well as provide more ways to connect with other photographers.
You may also want to consider using a blogging platform like WordPress to create your blogs, and learning SEO will allow you to gain traffic easier without having to spend extra money on advertising.
