Are you a photographer looking for ways to make money and improve your business? You're in luck! Here are 15 proven ways to earn money as a photographer and take your business to the next level. From photographing small businesses to teaching photography, selling digital or printed copies of your work, selling your photos on archival websites, writing a photography blog, investing in your art, going on photography tours and workshops, becoming a social guru, and more - there are plenty of ways to make money with photography. Portraits can be a great source of income for any photographer. There may not be as many potential customers in smaller cities, but the competition will also be much lower.
From the initial fee to prints (digital or analog) and frames, there is the opportunity to make additional sales in addition to the portrait session. Therefore, any portrait photographer has some stable potential income. Event photography is another good genre of photography that offers great opportunities to earn money. Events can be anything from birthday parties to commercial events or even corporate events, such as Christmas parties.
Wedding photography is still a market that has a lot of opportunities to make money. One of the easiest ways to make money with photography is to sell canvas prints online. With Sellfy's print-on-demand direct shipping, you can start selling as soon as you've created an online store. If you already have a portfolio that demonstrates your photography skills, you can probably also sell photo editing.
Product and food photography is a great source of income and a constant flow of work for any photographer. However, if you're going to work hard, position yourself as a top quality product and serve customers who appreciate professional photography, you're good to go. Unfortunately, the influx of photographers who quote each other on prices has had a detrimental effect on wedding photography. Not only that, but the demand for professional photographs is decreasing every day, as people carry their phone cameras with them everywhere. I know great photographers who can only do it as a side business because they don't have the business skills needed to succeed.
Honestly, I think that as more people go into professional photography as a part-time business, the harder it will be to do it full time. Assuming that you dedicate yourself to any of the other aspects of photography on this list, you will accumulate a set of images that you can probably publish in a brokerage agency. There are still plenty of ways to make money with photography if you're willing to make the effort and have a well-thought-out plan. There are practically no barriers to entry, you're not accumulating capital (that is, if you closed your business you wouldn't be able to sell it and your equipment wouldn't be worth much) and your time is limited. Whatever your preference, there are plenty of ways to make money with photography the way you like best, whether online or offline. While many photographers specialize in a specific area of photography these days, most photographers have to be willing to offer some of these services. Finally, decide if you're looking for a side job or a full-time job, and only then look for the job of your dreams that will help you make money with photography.
Kav is also the co-founder of That Wild Idea, a company specializing in photography workshops and tours both in the United Kingdom and around the world...
