Creative Ways to Make Money with Photography
Are you a keen photographer wondering how to make a living from your hobby?
In this day and age, many photographers have turned their photography into a source of income, whether as a full-time job or a side hustle. The Internet has provided us with numerous opportunities to sell our work, many of which can be done from the comfort of our own homes.
The traditional method is to be paid for the service you provide, but there are numerous other ways to make money from photography that receive less attention. We’ll look at more creative ways to earn money from photography, such as printing your photos as merchandise to sell to local businesses and online opportunities.
Sell your photos as prints or artwork
This is probably the simplest solution because you can begin with photos you already have. You can turn any subject into a beautiful print, from landscapes to animals to unique colors and patterns.
Your own website, Etsy, 500px, PhotoShelter, SmugMug, and Society6 are all good places to sell your photography prints.
Tip: You can sell individual prints as well as a set, such as these beach poster prints.
Sell your photos as merchandise, keepsakes, or mementos
There are numerous mediums you can use to sell your photos, for example:
There are numerous mediums you can use to sell your photos, for example:
There are numerous mediums you can use to sell your photos, for example:
- Postcards and greeting cards;
- Calendars – Have you ever noticed how calendars are usually themed?
- photos? If you have a collection of photos with a common theme, this is the best option for you.
- Journals and notebooks
- Cases for phones or laptops;
- T-shirts.
Where to sell your products: Society6, Etsy
Sell stock photos
Is it still worthwhile to sell stock photos when there are so many websites that offer free images?
Yes, the answer is yes.
Consider this: rather than storing your vast collection on your hard drive, it is preferable to sell them as stock photos and earn an additional income. Dreamstime, Shutterstock, iStockphoto, 500px, Alamy, PhotoShelter, EyeEm, and Fotolia are just a few of the websites where you can sell your photos.
There are a few key points to remember if you want to succeed:
Remove any visible product logos or brands from your photos – photos with brands in them are considered the manufacturer’s intellectual property and thus cannot be used for commercial purposes. Make certain that all logos are removed during post-processing.
Choose your keywords wisely – Select specific, relevant keywords to describe your photographs. Instead of putting ‘dog,’ for example, you could put ‘golden retriever dog,’ ‘running dog,’ or ‘running golden retriever,’ which are more specific and descriptive.
Enable for a lot of negative space – designers will need it to add text, a logo, or anything else. Designers will appreciate having blank space on the photo to work with, which will increase the likelihood of them purchasing your photos.
Sell a set of related images or images with a particular color scheme – Designers frequently require more than one image to work with, so take advantage of this opportunity to earn more.
This should go without saying, but ensure that the photos are of high quality. The higher the quality, the more money you can make.
Note: If you want to make some adjustments to the photo just let me know. I can do it for you at a very low cost. You can hire me to edit your photo.
Sell your photographs to magazines
Selling your photographs to magazines is difficult, but not impossible.
There are numerous magazines available, covering a wide range of topics. You can select magazines based on your field of work, such as travel, fashion, culinary, or business.
So, what are the most important pointers for selling your images to magazines?
- Have a strong portfolio – this goes without saying, but you will need it for any pitch you will do, whether you want to sell your work to magazines or elsewhere. But we can’t emphasise this enough: magazine editors have high standards when it comes to selecting photos.
- Begin small – competition is fierce, so local and regional magazines will give you a better chance.
Success may not be immediate, and it may take some time, but it is certainly worth a shot. The high rewards, recognition, and exposure you will receive from having your photos published in magazines will be a huge boost to your career.
Snap pictures at local events and sell them
Keep up to date on local events in your neighborhood. If possible, wander around with your camera to document the events at a festival, community project, or local fair. Concentrate on the stories that your camera can capture. Human interactions, facial expressions, and body language are frequently used to tell ineffable stories. Photos with captivating stories tend to sell well.
Work with local businesses
Having mediocre photos for business is no longer an option these days. Every business requires high-quality photographs, whether for promotional purposes, to showcase a portfolio, or for other reasons. Here are a few examples of how your skills can be put to use:
- Take dish photos of their menu cards and website for restaurants or catering services.
2. Take photos of event/wedding venues, their surroundings, and detailed features for their websites or brochures.
3. In the case of Airbnb, hotels, and guest houses: This is similar to real-estate photography in that you take photos of the rooms, buildings, and surroundings that will appeal to potential customers.
4. Provide beautiful, professional product photos for creative artists. This includes the product against a white/plain background, the product in use, and anything else your client requests.
Bonus tip: If at all possible, ask the business owners if you can leave your business cards on the premises. If they are pleased with your service, they should be willing to assist.
Partner up with bloggers
With the rise of the blogging industry, every blogger is now working hard to provide high-quality imagery in order to attract readers and social media followers. Bloggers can no longer get away with haphazardly taken photos.
Who should you contact? You could start by contacting fashion bloggers. These are the bloggers who are most likely to require photography assistance, as it is far easier to have someone shoot them and all of their outfit details than it is to use a tripod and a self-timer.
You can also try lifestyle bloggers, travel bloggers, or content creators who share full-body photos of themselves on a regular basis.
This strategy has the following advantages:
- You gain exposure for your work, particularly if the blogger has a large following.
- You can use the blogger’s social network to find opportunities to collaborate with other bloggers in the industry.
Offer your sevices
Isn’t it a little obvious? After all, this is what photographers do. But allow us to offer a few creative suggestions.
Shoot kids events and sell the photos
It’s no secret that parents adore anything related to their children, including photographs. It’s difficult to get candid or action shots of children, so if you can use your skills to do so, you should definitely consider this.
There are numerous children’s events that can provide you with additional opportunities to earn money. Here are some suggestions:
- Birthday celebrations for children
- School functions such as plays, end-of-year performances, award ceremonies, and so on.
- Sporting events
- Some of these events may necessitate permission and consent from involved parties, so make sure you get that in place ahead of time
At events, set up a photo booth
Photo booths are very popular right now, and no party would be complete without one. This is a great way to supplement your income at corporate events, family gatherings, and children’s birthday parties.
All you need is a backdrop, creative props, artificial lighting (if necessary), a camera, and a tripod to get started. This is much easier than event documentation because you don’t have to change the camera settings and angle all of the time. Once you’ve got the settings dialed in and the camera set up on a tripod, all you have to do is click.
How can I sell the photos I took at these events?
The simplest option is to upload it to a website that offers printing services, such as Photojaanic. You can share the photos with the customers this way, and they can choose which photos to print and which products. They will receive the photos and products they select, and you will profit from each sale.
This service’s development is well underway, so keep an eye on it!
Assist the photographer as a second shooter
It may be a slow season for you, but it may be a busy season for other photographers. These photographers may require the services of a second shooter, so why not capitalize on this opportunity to earn money?
This is also an excellent opportunity for networking, as these photographers may pass on a job to you in the future if they are fully booked.
Provide photo retouching and editing services
If you have experience editing photos and enjoy working from home, this is a great side job for you. You can earn money working from home if you have a computer and editing software (Photoshop or Lightroom, depending on the requirements).
Create a portfolio of ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos to attract potential clients. Make sure it covers everything you’re capable of, whether it’s basic editing, retouching, photo manipulation, or something completely different.
Sell photography materials
Sell Lightroom presets
Everyone has realized the value of having a consistent tone for their photos these days. Bloggers, social media influencers, business owners, and even people who post photos for fun strive for consistency, particularly on social media platforms such as Instagram. They don’t mind spending money on beautiful presets because it helps their businesses and makes the photo editing process go faster and easier.
As a result of these factors, Lightroom presets have become extremely valuable, and if you enjoy creating presets, you may want to consider this option as a way to supplement your income. Create a one-of-a-kind preset bundle with a variety of tones and settings, and then build a portfolio of photos edited with your own presets. Show the ‘before’ and ‘after’ images, just like in the previous point, to give people an idea of what your presets can do.
Tip: Provide a few free presets for potential customers to try and play with. If they like the presets, they are more likely to purchase additional options.
Where to sell your presets: Creativemarket, FilterPro, Etsy, your own website.
Organize workshops or online classes
You can also make money by sharing your expertise in photography, with workshops or online courses.
Workshops
If you know of anyone in your area who might be interested, you could try organizing a workshop. There is one trick you can use to make local workshops more appealing: offer specific, practical tips that will be beneficial to photographers in your area. Customize the material to include these suggestions. You can, for example, share some lesser-known locations for photoshoots, suggestions for collaborations with local businesses, or local opportunities for photography jobs.
Online courses
You could also consider creating online courses, which could be even more effective than workshops. This allows you to reach a larger audience and has no time constraints (meaning, your online courses can generate money even long after you upload them).
Note: If you want to make some adjustments to the photo just let me know. I can do it for you at a very low cost. You can hire me to edit your photo.
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