April 1, 2024
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Adam is a professional portrait photographer based in Charleston, SC. With 20 years of experience, he worked for Hard Rock...
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NoPhotography is an art form, but it can also serve a wide range of practical purposes. This makes it a rare medium that’s capable of offering the chance to make a living doing what you love.
To make money from photography, you need to understand the business side of the field and what types of photography are most profitable. We’ll offer useful tips from experienced photographers and walk you through the best ways to transform your art into a well-paying job.
The most obvious way to make money as a photographer is to sell physical or digital prints of your photos. How much money you’ll be able to make depends on the demand for the type of photography you’re doing, which we’ll cover later.
You have several different options for getting started:
With the advent of the digital age, it’s become much easier for photographers to reach a large customer base when selling their work.
There are many websites that photographers can use to sell their photos online, including:
You can sell your work on your own personal website as well.
You can also sell your prints in person at art shows or markets, get them displayed in photo galleries, or ask local cafes and other businesses to display your photos for sale for a cut of the sale price.
In terms of in-person sales, Lance W. (best known by his artist name sssssnakesssss) told us that the key to success is to talk to people and make a connection. “It’s kinda like being a car salesman”—you have to give them insight into your art and “really work the customer like you’re trying to take them out for dinner.” Never forget that you’re a salesperson in addition to an artist.
Photography is a huge part of marketing a business. Every company needs a skilled photographer to make sure their goods or services are being represented in the best way.
There are money-making opportunities wherever you go, you just need to know how to spot them. In addition to obvious venues like restaurants, cafes, hotels, and car dealerships, you can try more obscure businesses, like small firms or agencies.
Another good option is to offer to take photos for Airbnb owners. You’d be surprised how many are in desperate need of up-to-date and professional-quality photos.
Teaching can be incredibly lucrative, especially if you have a fair bit of experience in photography or you have expertise in a particular type.
The most obvious routes are to hold workshops or offer private lessons. However, you can also organize multi-day photography tours, offer online courses, or even set up your own photography camp for youngsters.
Blogging may seem like nothing more than a creative outlet, but it can also be profitable. This is because if your blog becomes popular, it’ll serve as a good opportunity to advertise products. You can get money from hosting ads or affiliate links.
To make the most money from photoblogging, you’ll want to choose a topic that either draws in lots of viewers or can easily incorporate products or services that you’re willing to advertise.
Here are a few examples of topics that can earn you money:
Once you’ve started getting decent traffic, you can reach out to companies to make affiliate deals or simply put ads on your website. This will allow you to generate some easy, passive income from your photography.
When many people imagine becoming a professional photographer, they think of photographers who take photos for clients in exchange for money. This is a very versatile money-making option for photographers.
Wedding and portrait photography (including headshots, family photos, and engagement photos) are ideal options for a photography business because they’re domains that enjoy consistently high demand and high pay.
When discussing how to get clients when you’re first starting out, Adam Chandler, a professional portrait photographer based in Charleston, SC, told us “networking with working photographers is something I highly recommend.”
According to Chandler, connecting with local photographers can increase your client base, but it can also help you hone your craft. “Be a sponge. Study light and study the work of other photographers you admire.”
Chandler recommends finding someone local, if possible. “At the very least, offer to buy someone (whose work you admire) lunch or coffee while listening to them share what they’ve learned,” he added.
It may take you a while to establish the reputation you need to start earning the really big bucks, but it’s a fairly secure and reliable route to go down if you want to make a living off of photography. The best part is that you get to decide your own workload, hours, and prices.
A lot of people who choose photography as a full-time career start by taking on freelance jobs or starting their own business. However, freelancing is also a good option if you want a photography side hustle or part-time job or you’re still trying to figure out what type of photography you want to do. It’s a smaller commitment and you can pick up individual projects one at a time.
Start by building an online portfolio of your work for potential clients to see. The best way to do this is by creating your own website, but you can also use a portfolio website like Adobe Portfolio, SmugMug, or Zenfolio to display your work and share information about your experience and expertise.
You can then reach out to potential clients directly or search for freelance photography gigs on well-known job platforms like the ones below:
Assisting a photographer is a great way to build experience and network if you’re new to professional photography. Photography gigs aren’t always one-person jobs—someone needs to help out with carrying equipment, controlling the lighting, posing models, and editing and capturing photos.
Depending on your education and experience level, you may have to accept minimum wage (or no pay at all) for your first couple of gigs. However, after you’ve done a few shoots and built up experience, you can actually make pretty decent money as an assistant photographer, and it can help you build up an attractive resume.
We’ve already covered wedding and portrait photography, which are popular options for making a living as a photographer. However, there are several other niches that can also be very profitable. Picking a specialty and building experience in that area will narrow down the competition and make it easier for you to get steady work.
Below are a few profitable photography specialties to consider:
Depending on the specialty you choose, you may work on a freelance basis by pitching your services to clients, work for an agency that specializes in the type of photography you want to do, or have a regular contract with an employer.
If you’re really determined to make lots of money with photography, you live in an area frequented by celebrities (like Los Angeles or New York City), and your personal ethics allow for it, then becoming a member of the paparazzi can be a lucrative option.
Just be warned: it’s a hazardous job. You’ll have to deal with unhappy celebrities who may respond aggressively to your invasion of their privacy. You’ll also face plenty of competition, and your income may be unpredictable. With that said, there’s incredibly high earning potential if you’re successful.
While this isn’t a reliable or steady source of income, submitting your photos for contests is easy to do and could potentially earn you big bucks. Many contests are completely free to enter, so you’ve really got nothing to lose.
There are countless competitions being held at any given time, and you can do a simple online search to find them. Here are a few examples of free photo contests that you can enter at no cost:
In addition to prize money, you can also win exposure, which is arguably far more profitable. Being announced the winner of a prestigious photography competition will get you recognition as a skilled photographer and increase the number of people who see your art.
Regardless of which approach you take to profit off of your photography, there are several steps you should take to increase your chances of establishing a steady income, avoid pitfalls that could bring you back to the drawing board, and rake in the most money possible.
Think hard about how much time, energy, and financial resources you’re willing to put into making money with photography. You’re going to have to invest a lot more resources in your art if you’re trying to make photography a full-time career than if you’re taking it on as a side hustle.
For instance, there’s the matter of deciding how much to spend on a camera, lenses, and other equipment. Do you really have to spend money to make money?
As one photographer told us, this has to be “a cold business decision.” Look at whether you need to take out a loan to finance your equipment and consider your earning prospects, factoring in the type of photography you’re doing and your potential customer base.
According to them, “a budding wedding photographer in a big city will have different prospects—and challenges—from an event photographer in a small town, not to mention a landscape photographer, whose business is more in fine arts.”
Take advantage of the wealth of website-building services out there to make your own website or online portfolio. This is especially important if you’re doing freelance photography. Potential customers will expect it, and it’ll give them confidence and reassurance when choosing you as their photographer.
Chandler’s view is that “even if you’re just starting out, having a professional-looking website is key.” He also praises the power of using SEO to ensure you’re one of the top results people find when they search for a photographer in their area.
Additionally, don’t underestimate the power of social media. You can use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to promote your photography, garner attention worldwide, and even sell your prints and services.
Unfortunately, the subjects that aspiring photographers find the most compelling or fun to shoot aren’t always the types of photography that earn the most money. Some fields, like wildlife photography and photojournalism, are notoriously difficult to break into and aren’t your best bet if you’re looking to make money.
It’s a well-known fact that photos of people (e.g., portrait or wedding photography) make plenty of money because they’re pretty much always in demand. But you can still make money with other types of photography by filling a niche.
For example, if you’re interested in landscape or street photography, you could specialize in capturing landmarks or tourist attractions in a particular area. These types of photos make good souvenirs or gifts and may be easier to sell.
You could also specialize in a field that requires special skills and equipment, such as underwater or aerial photography. This will probably reduce the amount of competition you’re facing and make it easier to market your photographs and services.
Don’t be led astray by advice you get from friends or questionable sources online. Making money as a photographer is like making money any other way, and it requires a business-minded approach.
Some ideas sound fun and could potentially help you build your career and earn you money in the long term, but they’re not the best places to start if your primary goal is to make money from your photography.
Here are a few examples of high-risk approaches that might not help you earn money:
When you’re running your own photography business or working freelance photography gigs, never underestimate the power of a good testimonial or word-of-mouth referral. If a customer recommends you to others, you’ll attract a lot more business and establish a good reputation.
Chandler’s advice is to “Make sure you’re listed on Google My Business and gather as many good testimonials as you can (friends and family count as long as you’ve photographed them).” He also recommends displaying testimonials on your website.
According to Indeed, the average salary for a photographer is $17.15 per hour as of March 12, 2023. 1 However, this figure is based on photographers in all fields and of all skill levels.
To give you an idea of how variable this figure is, freelance photographers have an average salary of $38.03 per hour, whereas newbie photographers with less than 1 year of experience make less than $15 per hour on average. 1 2
Ultimately, whether you’ll earn a lot of money as a photographer heavily depends on several factors, including your experience level and reputation, the type of photography you’re doing, where you’re based, and how well you market yourself.
June 15, 2023
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