How to Become a Freelance Photographer

Becoming a freelance photographer isn’t something many people wake up and think about. Generally, it stems from a hobby, into a part-time gig, before rolling out to become the main money earner. Freelance photographers need to have many talents. If you pursue this craft, make sure you can solve problems quickly, have a streak of creativity, and be good with people. But that’s just the start of how to become a freelance photographer…

What is a Freelancer Photographer?

A freelance photographer provides their photographic services in exchange for a fee. It doesn’t matter what type of photography they shoot. They can generally work to a client’s brief and complete a shoot by a deadline. While this work may be unstable for some, many thrive on the entrepreneurship nature.

Photographers have to adhere to fast delivery times to be competitive as freelance creatives. Their communication skills need to be high, and negotiation should remain fluid to help land a new job or ongoing contract. Without these skills and good word of mouth among clients, it can be a tough industry to crack.

How to Choose Your Gear

Some pieces of equipment — such as underwater housings — may remain as a one-off-purchase. Although, it’s not necessary to get 99% of jobs done. If you consider becoming a full-time freelance photographer, you will need some basic elements that should include at least the following items:

Main Camera Body

The main camera body needs to be a workhorse. It should be at least a magnesium alloy built to withstand constant daily use. Dual memory card slots and long battery life are critical as freelancers will take hundreds of images in a day. It is recommended to obtain a camera brand for which you have a good selection of lenses. If you plan on traveling a lot, ensure it’s a brand that offers support globally, as you want to be covered when things go wrong.

Backup Camera Body

All professionals should have a backup camera should something go wrong with their main camera. The brand should be the same as the main body, but this camera doesn’t need to be a flagship. Rather, diversify your kit and opt for a smaller sensor, such as an APS-C sensor if your main camera offers full-frame. This way, you gain 1.5x (Nikon) or 1.6x (Canon) extra magnification if you need more reach when you mount a telephoto lens.

Wide-Angle Lens

A wide-angle lens with a focal length range of 24-70mm offers the versatility you need in various shooting environments. A lens with this focal length is critical for shooting indoor work, landscapes, and portraits. Consider this as a stock standard kit lens that goes everywhere with you. Many brands have two aperture ranges in this focal length: an f/2.8, and f/4. If your budget allows it, opt for the more expensive of the two as it will make all the difference in depth of field and low-light scenarios.

Telephoto Lens

A telephoto lens should complement the wider range by starting at 70mm. Almost every pro photographer will use a lens with a focal length of 70-200mm as it is one of the most versatile lenses ever made. All major brands have this focal length, but with differences. It’s recommended to get a lens with an image stabilizer if your camera body doesn’t have one built-in. Plus, an aperture of f/2.8 will be worth every penny.

Nifty Fifty Prime Lens

Need a workhorse-of-a-lens by your side? A third and final lens in the basic setup is necessary. Try a 50mm f/1.4 or 50mm f/1.8 for beautiful bokeh, sharp focus, and a flexible focal range that reflects how we see the world. You can use this lens for portraits, food, beverages, and other products you may have to portray.

Lightweight Sturdy Tripod

As a freelance photographer, you’ll find yourself traveling to locations. Therefore, having a lightweight tripod that fits on the side of your camera bag will be a welcome asset. When choosing a tripod and head, consider height adjustment to your eye level and how low the tripod can go. Each leg needs to move independently from the other, plus a ball head will offer the greatest flexibility when on location or in the studio. 

Need help choosing a tripod? Check out Best Travel Tripods for Any Budget.

Spare Batteries, Charger, and Memory Cards

Without these items, you’re not going to be able to operate. Always have charged spare batteries and memory cards that live in your bag. Have a backup that’s only there for emergencies in the unlikely event you forget to pack these essential tools. 

Pro tip: Make sure you use a UHS-II compatible memory card as it will keep up with the read/write speeds newer cameras command.

Camera Backpack or Hard Rolling Case

Choose wisely, as you’ll likely have this bag or case for many years. You should invest in equipment that works for you. Consider the size of the case or bag. Will it fit in the overhead storage on a plane? Does the case have room for a laptop and tripod? Most importantly, if you travel often, does the case have wheels for ease of transport?

Read How to Pick the Right Camera Bag for more advice on this subject.

Laptop or iPad Pro for Editing on the Road

As freelance photographers work anywhere and everywhere, working on the road is a common practice. Having access to editing on the go means deadlines can be met when commuting or working from a coffee shop. Have the appropriate chargers, memory card readers, and cloud storage on hand to ensure a shoot is backed up. The last thing you want is a stolen device with no access to photos.

How to Set Your Price

Don’t be afraid of charging a price for your creativity. This should become your profit. Many new freelance photographers shy away from this and only charge for their time. You need to remember that no one else can replicate your style or work. You’ve spent time crafting it, so now it’s time to cash in on your look. 

Combine this with the investment in gear, taxes, and your time, and you’ll quickly realize that undercharging clients won’t work in the long term. When you are starting, consider one of the following two options when quoting for work.

Option 1: Charge for Usage Rights

Usage rights are something many freelancers underestimate when first starting. If you are working with a well-known brand, find out what the brief entails and how the images will be used. Negotiate before signing anything and come to an agreement for your work. Generally speaking, you don’t need to charge for your time if you are charging for usage rights. The list below should give you a general range of what to charge based on where the image will be used: 

Price Per Photo:

• One year non-exclusive online use – $250
  • You control the image and can sell the image to as many clients as you like.
• Editorial non-exclusive use extending to online and traditional print media – $1,000
  • You control the image and can sell the image to as many clients as you like.
• One year exclusive major global marketing campaign – $2,500 to $5,000
  • You regain usage rights of the image after 12 months.
• Perpetuity usage for global marketing campaign – $10,000 – $100,000 USD
  • You hand over ownership of the image forever.

If travel, accommodation, or talent are required for the shoot, you should consider these as separate charges.

Option 2: Charge for Your Time

The other way to charge clients is for your time in a one-off fee, which reflects the extent of the job at hand. Many freelancers use this method when dealing with smaller businesses that may lack a sustainable marketing budget. Say, for instance, you are working with a homewares brand to photograph their products. Consider the number of hours it would take for each shot on location and the hours you need to put into the edit. Add both these amounts up, and this should be your base rate. Then, add the profit (what your creativity is worth) to the base rate.

When charging for time, keep in mind the size of the business and industry you are dealing with. On the quote, write the number of deliverables (not hours) and be confident in your communication with the client. Nine times out of ten, you’ll get the job. Sometimes you will need to negotiate with the decision-maker in the business to find a level playing field.

How to Share Your Work

As a freelance photographer, you will have to wear multiple hats to grow your business. Aside from being a photographer, marketing yourself is something you need to pay close attention to. There are multiple avenues to showcase your brand, style, and client work. Ultimately, you should be thinking about where your clients spend their time online. Is it a particular platform like LinkedIn, or can you find them on Instagram marketing to their audience?

Here are some tips you can use when you are first starting in the freelance world to get more jobs:

Adopt a Following on Meta, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram

Love it or hate it, social media is a necessity for your brand. Following potential clients and showcasing your work by tagging them is a great way for you to be seen by their marketing departments. Over time, you’ll build a rapport online with the brand and become known. So, when you reach out with a pitch, you’ll at least have some of their team on your side.

Read How to Use Instagram Videos to Grow Your Photography Audience for more advice on this topic.

Put Yourself in Front of Professionals on LinkedIn

If you don’t have a profile on LinkedIn, you need to. As someone who will be working with business, sharing your work with people who hold the keys to marketing budgets will be key to your success. Be consistent when sharing your work on this platform, engage in client posts, and you’ll quickly find people reaching out to you. It is easy for them when you are in front of them every day, rather than relying on a Google search to find a photographer. 

Become a Thought Leader on YouTube

YouTube is the second largest search engine online. If you aren’t camera shy, think about filming yourself photographing a job. Show behind-the-scenes processes that go into fulfilling a brief and market your work every week. Over time, you will become known as a thought-leader in the space. When clients do their online searches for freelance photographers, your videos will likely come up on search results.

Check out 10 Tips for Starting a YouTube Channel for more information.

Have a Dedicated Website to Showcase Your Portfolio of Work

While you can rely on social media to have your work seen, a website is something you maintain. Use simple drag-and-drop platforms like WIX or Squarespace to quickly build a stunning website that stands out. Other important information to list is your profile picture and bio. Rather than using a form, list your email address on the site. Many agencies will want to record their emails when contacting photographers.

Word-of-Mouth Marketing

As a freelance photographer, you need to have a solid work ethic. If you say you are going to deliver a job by a certain date, do it. Keep conversations friendly and take criticism and feedback on board. A client is the one paying you, so always maintain professionalism whenever you deal with a business. Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool if you get this right. It’s common for one job to lead to another, so do all you can to keep a client happy.

How to Find Clients

Clients come and go, so keeping the sales funnel full of leads is very important. If you put out your work online and hope clients will find you, you will quickly find yourself looking for another job. Freelance photography can be brutal when starting, especially if you don’t have existing clients to work with. Therefore, start small — on a casual or part-time basis — and build your client list at consistent levels before attempting to break into a new career.

To find clients consider the standard marketing practices but go beyond in communicating to them. Use an email template that you can use to message business owners on LinkedIn or preferably via email. Here’s one below that you could use:

 Other Ways to Make Money

Like any freelance gig, there will be times when you are busy and times when nothing seems to happen. It’s the nature of the industry. During these downtimes, you need a way of substituting your income to ensure you have enough to pay the bills and carry on. Here are some ways you can earn extra income when times get tough.

Join a Stock Agency to Sell Stock Photos

There are many stock sites. However, you need to wisely choose what type of return on investment you can get for your time and photos. Investigate all the stock sites and base your prices on the minimum a client pays to obtain images. Clients can obtain a single image for as little as $0.40 per image for many subscription-based stock sites. This isn’t sustainable, so consider a co-op structure such as Stocksy, which can pay much higher premiums to photographers.

Enter Photo Contests

If you take photos for a living, you’ll have a bulk of work that you can use to enter photo competitions. Check the prizes for each competition and find competitions with a low number of entries. While you may not win a prize, at least you are giving yourself a chance.

Run Workshops or Teach Photography on YouTube

You’ll be surprised at how many people want to learn your craft after following you on social media. They may be fans or other photographers who want to learn the techniques you use to create your signature look. Whatever the case, you should capitalize on this by running workshops or teaching photography online via YouTube. If done successfully, you may find this avenue forms part of a stable income. This is especially true if you build your following over five years and convert the views into ad revenue on YouTube.

Don’t Despair if it Doesn’t Happen Overnight

Becoming a freelance photographer is a tough path. You’re not going to achieve a sustainable income overnight. There are some hard truths and mistakes you’ll learn along the way. Don’t compare yourself to others, as everyone is on a different journey. Instead, focus on what you do best. Learn and grow your craft. Become a master in the genre you want to specialize in so you can command higher prices.

Put your work and your name out there with consistency and purpose. Reach out to business owners and showcase what you can do for them, and over time you’ll find your daily grind will pay off in a viable career.

For more on this, check out Tips for Making Money with Photography.