Being able to make money taking pictures is one of the most popular ways to earn extra income these days. Professional photographers are in high demand, with their work frequently published in magazines, newspapers, and online sites.
There are several reasons for this growing popularity of professional photography. One reason is that people enjoy looking at beautiful photographs and creating them yourself takes just as much effort as being trained as a photographer!
Another is that many employers require candidates to include a portfolio showing their artistic skills as well as business acumen. This makes having a quality body of photos an important part of your career strategy.
And you don’t need to be trained as a professional photographer to start making money by shooting and editing pictures. In fact, some of the best professional photogs started out doing something else before moving onto more advanced photographic techniques and styles.
Find your audience
A great way to begin making money as a photographer is to create your own space or website where you can share your work and get feedback. You can use your personal, business, or both accounts to start!
Having your own site allows you to showcase and promote your photography without using up limited computer resources or time. It also gives you an easy place to store all of your photos and projects.
Thinking about starting your own site? Here are some tips for free websites that can help get you started.
Create your website
After you have gathered some of the basics, it’s time to start creating your own little photography business!
First things first, you will need to create an online presence for yourself as a photographer. This can be done through either buying or making your own domain name (we recommend hosting your site with our partner platform – WordPress).
Yourdomain.com is a great resource to learn more about domains and how to pick yours out. You want to make sure that you are able to easily type in your web address so that people know where to go when they look you up.
From there you can set up your profile on all of the major social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, and begin spreading your artistic vision to others. By posting pictures and sharing tips and tricks, you will be helping to spread your message and grow your audience.
Buy good quality equipment
A lot of people start taking more professional photos later in life, when they feel comfortable with using their camera. But you need to know how to take decent pictures before you get that feeling!
Many beginner photographers spend lots of money on fancy gear which only makes them feel worse after taking some shots. Don’t be one of those people!
Start off by investing in basic photography equipment such as a new lens or smartphone charger covers. These things don’t matter too much at first, but will help you break into the industry.
Then, move onto buying better equipment once you have mastered the basics. Sure, spending a little bit more now is worth it, but don’t invest heavily unless you are sure you will use all of the features.
Offer your services
A growing number of people have found success in making money with photography by offering their services as a professional photographer. There are many ways to go about it, but you can start off just sharing your business information via social media or through word-to-word talks with other photographers that may be willing to offer their services to others.
If you’re already working as an amateur photographer, then editing your photos and posting them on various photo sharing sites can win you some extra cash. If you’ve got a creative side, creating themed photoshoots and marketing them online is another way to make money fast as a beginner photographer.
There are plenty of ways to make money as a photographer if you’re looking to grow into it.
Be consistent
Consistency is one of the biggest factors in becoming successful as a photographer. This does not mean that you must take every picture at each event, but you should be consistently active as a photographer!
If you want to see more money being poured into your bank account, then you have to put in some effort beyond just attending events.
This can include doing paid sessions, organizing photoshoots, creating new accounts for yourself to promote your services, starting groups or sharing markets with other photographers, etc.
There are so many ways to make money as a professional photographer, it’s impossible to tell which ones will pay off and how much before you start investing time and resources into it.
But one thing is certain – you won’t get anywhere if you don’t put in the work.
Build a support team
After you develop your photography skills, it is time to start investing in equipment and developing your business model. But before you get too excited, you must have something to back up your work!
Having a supportive community of photographers around you will help you market yourself and grow your business. You can be friends with them, or they can be online groups or forums that other people belong to. Either way, these individuals can give you tips and advice for marketing, self-promotion, and growing your business.
To make extra money, most professional photographers have a second job outside of their main career.
Make marketing campaigns
After you take your photography skills to the next level, it’s time to start thinking about how to market yourself. While having a great portfolio is an integral part of marketing your business, creating engaging advertisements or “marketing campaigns” will win you more clients than just having a good picture collection.
The most effective way to promote your services is by offering different service types – for example, wedding photo packages with additional coverage like reception party photos and engagement pictures. This gives potential customers a sense of value because they get a lot for their money!
Alternatively, you can offer special discounts during certain times frames, such as during the winter season when people don’t have as much need for warm clothes. Or maybe early morning or late night sessions are less expensive due to lower traffic? The possibilities are endless, but all depend on what your budget allows and what your client wants.
Charge more
One of the best ways to make money as a photographer is to simply emphasize what you do well and up-sell or cross-sell those services, if necessary!
As a professional photographer, your goal should be to teach others how to take better pictures. By doing so, you will likely earn more than just teaching people how to use their own camera!
By offering additional photo editing or other related services, you can easily add to your income. Some of the most popular additions are:
- Custom Picture Framing
- Logo Design
- Blogging Services
- Listings For Business Websites
- Writing Or Editorial Projects
You get the idea – many professionals offer things like this beyond taking regular photos.
These additional services typically cost around $20 -$30 per hour (or more depending on how much time it takes) and some even have you pay slightly higher for them, making them worth the investment.
General photoshoot services also tend to run about $100 – $150 which is another way to make extra money as a professional photographer.
Heck, even having your picture made costs something.
