Photo by ielanum via iStock
Do you have a keen eye for photography? Is photography one of your biggest hobbies? Do you want to earn extra income? If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, you, my friend, have come to the right place!
In this article, we’ll teach you how to turn your passion for photography into a profitable side hustle or even a full-fledged career. We’ll discuss money-making ideas like selling prints, working as a freelance photographer, experimenting with stock photography, teaching photography workshops, shooting events, and more.
With that in mind, join us as we dive in and discover how to monetize photography!
Check out the video above by Evan Ranft to learn how you can make $1,000 (or more!) a month with your camera.
Table of Contents
- Monetize Your Photography By Selling Prints and Merchandise
- How to Monetize Photography: Offer Freelance Photography Services
- Try Stock Photography and Licensing
- How to Monetize Photography: Teaching and Workshops
- Event Photography and Photo Booths
- Final Thoughts on How to Monetize Photography
- Recommended Photography Gear
Monetize Your Photography By Selling Prints and Merchandise
Even in today’s digital age of screens and social media, there’s still a huge demand for physical photography prints. You can capitalize on that demand by selling prints and other merchandise in-person and online. Three effective ways to sell photo products in person are hosting an exhibition, displaying your pictures in local businesses, and setting up a stall at a local market.
You can also easily sell prints online by integrating an online store into your website. In your online shop, you can let your clients customize their prints by selecting the print medium, size, frame, etc. Another fun idea to increase revenue is offering branded merchandise showcasing your images, like calendars, postcards, or photobooks.
One company that can help you with prints and online store integration is Lumaprints. They are an innovative online printing lab with high-quality prints, a friendly staff, nationwide shipping, and competitive prices. Furthermore, they have gorgeous metal prints, canvas prints, framed canvas prints, fine art paper prints, framed fine art paper prints, and peel-and-stick prints.
How to Monetize Photography: Offer Freelance Photography Services
Photo by Erstudiostok via iStock
A huge benefit of today’s gig economy is that it has never been easier to land freelance photography jobs. Weddings, portraits, and events are the most common opportunities on the market. If it takes a while to secure the first gig, don’t worry, that’s normal. However, once you have a couple of references to your name, the jobs usually start coming to you!
Important things to consider when starting as a freelance photographer include pricing strategies, hourly rates, package deals, and upselling. In the beginning, you will also want to spend time curating a strong portfolio and building a social media presence to attract clients.
Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr are good freelance photography resources for new photographers. Additionally, you should advertise your photography services through word-of-mouth marketing, email marketing, and social media.
Learn More:
- How to Leverage Platforms to Increase Your Photography Business Income
- How to Sell More Photos in 2024 (the Easy Way)
Try Stock Photography and Licensing
Photo by AnnaStills via iStock
If you have tons of photos sitting around in folders on your computer or in your Adobe Lightroom catalog, you can try your hand at stock photography. Stock photography lets other people and businesses license your photos for personal and commercial use. Before submitting photos to stock photography websites, we recommend understanding how licensing and royalties work.
Another key point to keep in mind is that stock photography is typically not a reliable income stream for most people. Only a few people globally make a full-time living as stock photographers. That said, it can boost your income at the end of the month, especially if you follow current trends and leverage niche markets. Popular stock photography websites include Adobe Stock, iStock, and Shutterstock.
How to Monetize Photography: Teaching and Workshops
Photo by NickyLloyd via iStock
Do you have experience teaching? Are you specifically knowledgeable about one type of photography? You should host a photography workshop or a photography course in your city! It’s a great way to help aspiring photographers, meet like-minded people, and give back to the wonderful photography community.
Partnering with local schools and offering one-on-one mentoring sessions or portfolio reviews can also monetize your photography skills. Alternatively, you can create an online photography course to reach a wider audience and generate passive income. You can sell your courses on online learning platforms like Skillshare, CreativeLive, and Udemy.
Event Photography and Photo Booths
Photo by simonkr via iStock
Providing event photography services for corporate events, parties, and festivals can also be a lucrative photography business. To make an even bigger imprint on event guests (and land more gigs in the future), we recommend investing in photography equipment like backdrops, props, and printers.
That way, you can set up fun, interactive photo booths and instantly give guests prints with your information to take home. They get a souvenir, and you can market yourself—it’s a win-win! Here’s another hot tip: if you have experience with filming and editing videos and offer packages that include photos and videos, you can charge significantly more.
Final Thoughts on How to Monetize Photography
Photo by Xavier Lorenzo via iStock
As you can see, there are many ways to earn money from photography. So, while we don’t recommend quitting your day job quite yet, with a little hard work and dedication, it’s definitely possible to generate a consistent income stream from photography. And who knows, maybe you will run your own photography business one day!
Are you looking for more inspiration on how to earn money with a camera? Check out the list below for other ways on how to monetize photography.
- Start a YouTube channel
- Build a blog and write about photography
- Newsletter & affiliate marketing
- Help other photographers (e.g., as a photographer assistant)
- Join photography competitions
Recommended Photography Gear
Disclaimer: Just so you know, some of the cool stuff we mention comes with affiliate links, meaning we earn a commission if you buy (no extra charge to you!). Plus, we occasionally feature sponsored content, but rest assured, we only shout out products we genuinely stand behind.