by Photography can be an expensive hobby. Sometimes, being able to make a few extra bucks on the side to help buy that new lens or save up for that new camera can be worth it. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a professional to start making money from the craft, as long as you love what you do, and are willing to spend the hours, you can probably start making a decent sum of money. Here are the best ways to make money with photography: –
#1: Take Photos for Small Businesses
Taking on small products for local businesses can be a great way to start making a few extra dollars doing something you love. You can do product photography for a local business, or even ask different companies to ship their products to you. The possibilities are endless, help restaurants take new pictures for their menu, or maybe take some photos for an advert for your local ballet class. Taking photos for small businesses can be very rewarding, and most importantly it can help you make connections that you can use later on in your photography carrier. It can be intimidating to get started, but try to tell people what you do, and tell them that you are looking to take on small projects to help start your photography career. You can start by walking into local establishments and asking if they need some work done, or maybe asking family or friends if they need any photography work done for their businesses. It can be hard to get your first few gigs, but you will slowly start gaining traction and hopefully make a little extra money on the side.
#2: Do Some Casual Portrait Photography
Portrait Photography is a very large field with a lot of market in recent years. Portrait Photography, when done professionally can require a lot of gear and experience. A good way to get around this is to do more casual forms of the art. Whether that’s taking family photos for your neighbor, or maybe taking pet portraits for your local shelter, there are a lot of ways to take portraits without having to have that experience and gear and slowly build your way into doing higher-end shoots. Let people know that you do photography work and that you can take family portraits and/or pet portraits. You might also be able to book headshots for different businesses and real estate agents too. Try to keep your charges low at the beginning and then slowly work your way up. Don’t work for free though, always charge a small amount of money, usually $50-100 at minimum. You need to remember that even though you aren’t a professional, you’re still putting your time and gear into taking the photos and editing them.
#3: Stock Photography and Videography
Selling stock photos and videos to sites like Shutterstock and Adobe Stock can be a great way to make some extra cash when starting your career. Try to focus on things that businesses might need, and try to take photos for markets that aren’t oversaturated already. Stock Photo and Video don’t pay as much as you think, because companies tend to be picky about which photos they want to buy, but it’s a creative way to make a few extra bucks if you’re taking photos anyways, and it looks great on your CV too!
#4: Photography for Small events
Small event Photography can be an easy way to make a little bit of money. Taking photos of the neighbour’s barbeque, or your cousin’s birthday can be an easy way to make a little bit of cash without putting in too much work. Start by carrying your camera and taking photos of events that you are already going to and share those photos with your friends and family (i.e., the people that went to the event). If they like your work, they might hire you to take photos of small events that they might have planned, and they might recommend you to their friends too, which increases your client base. You don’t even have to do professional events, taking photos for your local bar, or maybe even some events at your school (if you’re going to school) or a workplace.
#5: Enter Competitions
There are a lot of photography competitions that either offer free gear or some sort of monetary reward. Participating can help you increase your skills, maybe even put you on the map and help you get more clients, but more importantly, give you some extra experience. That being said, don’t participate expecting to win the event, especially if you’re a beginner, but there are many smaller competitions that you might be able to do pretty well in as long as you put the hours in.
Conclusion:
Above are a few of the many ways you can make photography a great side hustle. I haven’t mentioned things like wedding photography or real estate photography because those fields tend to be specialized and require a lot of gear and experience. These aren’t the only ways to make money with photography though, and as long as you find something that works for you, stick with it. Let me know ways that you make money in the comment sections down below, and I hope that you can take something away from this article.
