As a photographer who has been taking photos full-time for the past 5 years, I know how hard it can be to get paid for your work. So, I have put together this article to explore several strategies to help you turn your artistic vision into a profitable venture. Earning money from your photography can be daunting and challenging, especially in the modern online landscape. While we love photography as a hobby, it can also serve as a lucrative career. Whether you’re an experienced professional or a newcomer, monetizing your photography can be rewarding. Here are five ways to help you monetize your photography and turn it into a business in our online/social media world.
Monetize Your Photography by Working for Brands
The first, quickest, and probably most straightforward way to earn money from photography is to capture photos for brands and businesses.
This is the primary way photographers earned money throughout history and is how I started earning money in photography, too.
The premise is simple: restaurants, brands, bars and just about any business out there will need photos in some shape, way or form and by creating the photos businesses need you can earn money.
However, finding businesses to create photos for can be more difficult. I highly recommend creating a portfolio, either online or physical, and sharing it with companies you want to work for. For example, if you enjoy shooting food, develop a portfolio of food photography and send it out to restaurants in your area along with your rates.
The same applies to fashion, portraits, product photography, and just about any type of business you want to shoot for.
The key point here is to be proactive, as the majority of brands are unlikely to come across your work. However, if they like the work you send to them they probably will be interested in hiring you to shoot.
Monetize Your Photography by Selling Physical & Digital Projects
The second tried and tested way of monetizing your photography is to sell products. These can be either physical or digital and can be a great way of converting your work into sales.
The first and most obvious version of this will be to sell photo prints. However, there are many products a photographer should consider. These include guides (product guides, street photography location guides, etc.), photo zines, books, and digital Lightroom/Capture One presets.
An advantage of digital products such as guides, zines, and presets is that once created, they require little to no work from the photographer.
The options here really are endless, and I’ve seen photographers sell their photos on T-shirts as well as on the backs of Skateboards. My advice would be to start with a single product and use feedback from your audience when deciding what to sell.
Monetize Your Photography by Starting a YouTube Channel
Starting a YouTube channel is another option for photographers looking to monetize their work. It’s worth noting that this is probably the hardest and most time-consuming option however, in the long run is probably the most impactful too.
While it can take a significant amount of time to monetize a youtube channel and develop an audience, it gives photographers several new avenues to monetize their work. Firstly photographers can earn directly from YouTube via ad revenue and secondly as your channel grows you can partner with brands to produce paid content.
Subscribers to your YouTube channel are also more likely to develop a stronger bond with you and your art simply because they see more of you and therefore are more likely to go to your website and buy the physical and digital products you sell.
In my experience, building a YouTube channel was one of the hardest things I’ve done as a photographer but also the most rewarding.
Stock Photography
Stock photography websites can offer photographers another avenue to make money on photos that otherwise would just be sitting on their hard drives. These websites – such as Shutterstock – work by allowing users to upload images that businesses can license and use for commercial purposes.
This approach can take a long time to get up and running; however, if you have a large number of photos uploaded, you could begin earning money on a fairly consistent basis.
The stock photography route is one I generally recommend as once you’re set up and your photos are uploaded, it requires very little work or maintenance from the photographer’s side.
Monetize Your Photography by Teaching
Another way photographers can monetize their work and knowledge is to teach. This can come in many forms such as online classes, one on one sessions as well as online courses and books.
Your knowledge as a photographer can be extremely helpful to newcomers as well as hobbyists looking to improve their skills.
While teaching and hosting classes may not be for everyone, it can be a very lucrative option for photographers. I know of several photographers who make almost all of their money from teaching alone.
Conclusion
While we love photography as a hobby, earning money from taking photos can be difficult. Personally it took me several years to transition from taking photos for fun to being able to monetize my work. This article can serve as a guide to those of you on a similar journey.
Monetizing your photography hobby is difficult but also a rewarding endeavor that can turn your passion into a profitable career. Just remember that consistency, quality, and a strong online presence will be key to your success.
