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If you're in business for yourself, you understand that income from photography ebbs and flows, with many of us overwhelmingly busy in the warmer months and far less busy in the colder months.
I don't know about you, but I'm constantly looking for new revenue streams to supplement my photography income and even out the cyclical nature of your photography income.
If the thought of taking on more work gives you the sweats, don't stress - there are many different things you can do to bring in more money, and do so without a ton of extra time on your part.
Let's have a look at some of my favorite ways to earn a little more money throughout the year. These photography business tips are easy to implement and can make all the difference in your bottom line.
Table of Contents:
- How to Eaern More Money as a Photographer: Affiliate Marketing
- Photography Business Tip: Add Photo Editing Services to Your Repertoire
- Boost Your Photography Income by Selling High-Quality Prints
- Share Your Photography Knowledge to Improve Your Photography Income
How to Earn More Money as a Photographer: Affiliate Marketing
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Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn extra income by generating income off of links to products on your website and social media channels.
So, you partner with companies to promote their products and they pay you a commission for sales from those links. Sometimes they'll even pay you just for traffic that comes from your site to theirs.
This is a nice option for photographers because you can promote products you actually use and like (such as your camera body, lenses, lighting gear, and so forth).
The great thing about this arrangement is that you can earn income passively - after you insert the links on your site, you really don't have to do anything else! The other great thing about affiliate marketing is that it's easy to get started if you know where to look.
Websites like Travel School offer a comprehensive training program that gets you started in affiliate marketing sooner rather than later.
Even if you have zero experience, you can utilize its proven step-by-step process to build a successful affiliate marketing business that generates income over the long-term.
You get specific, actionable steps to build your affiliate business, and you even get assistance connecting with businesses and brands to develop working relationships that earn you money.
With private marketing lessons to get you started and webinars, training sessions, and other resources you can access 24/7, Travel School truly gives you all the tools you need to beef up your income!
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Photography Business Tip: Add Photo Editing Services to Your Repertoire
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When business is slow, an ideal method for earning a few extra bucks is to farm out your photo editing services.
In some cases, you might find that a colleague is simply too busy at the moment and could use your help editing their photos.
In other cases, people might have old images or photos they took that need some love, and who better to bring them to life than you?!
You already have the editing skills and the editing software, so there's no expense you have to bear to do this, other than a little time.
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What's more, you already have your marketing channels in places (i.e., your website, social media accounts, etc.), so a quick Facebook post advertising your editing services might be all you need to snag a couple of side gigs.
On a related note, businesses are often looking for photographers to edit photos, take generic photos for their website, fine-tune headshots of their Board of Directors, and so forth.
Looking on websites like Upwork can help you find these kinds of jobs that are usually quick and easy to finish.
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Boost Your Photography Income by Selling High-Quality Prints
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Another suggestion for supplementing your income is to sell high-quality prints.
And I don't just mean selling prints to your clients, like a large-format print of their family portrait.
If you're a portrait photographer, sell prints of landscapes that you've taken over the years. If you're a landscape photographer, sell prints of cityscapes.
The point is that an online store where you sell prints of all kinds can certainly add to your income as the months go by.
The key, of course, is to have gorgeous prints of your gorgeous photos!
I particularly like canvas prints - I think it's the subtle texture of the canvas that does it for me.
I discussed my affinity for canvases in my canvas print shootout back in 2019. I compared several leading companies and CanvasHQ came out on top. I did a canvas shootout for 2020, too. And guess who was the big winner...again!
Not only does CanvasHQ use high-quality materials (like archival-grade canvas), but they also hand-stretch the canvas over the frames. The frames, by the way, are hand-made from kiln-dried wood so you know they'll stay square and true, providing support for the canvas for generations.
I actually have several dozen CanvasHQ prints in my home, and it never ceases to amaze me just how good these things look.
My oldest prints still look as good as the day I got them, and if they didn't, CanvasHQ's lifetime guarantee against cracking, fading, and bubbling gives me peace of mind that the issue would be rectified.
When you sell prints, you're not just selling a pretty picture - you're selling an experience. And what an experience it is with a CanvasHQ print!
Their budget-friendly prices mean you can create gorgeous prints and have plenty of room leftover to mark up the prints for a nice profit.
Visit CanvasHQ today to see how they can help you boost your photography income!
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Share Your Photography Knowledge to Improve Your Photography Income
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With the advent of smartphone cameras, more and more people have taken an interest in photography. And all those beginner photographers are constantly looking for tips and tricks for improving the results they get.
So why not share your wisdom and help new photographers take their photos to the next level?
Whether you start a YouTube channel and monetize it, draft up some e-books to sell on your website, or teach a photography class, there are tons of ways for you to share what you know about taking great photos and earning some money while doing it.
photo by lucascavalheiro via iStock
You can also lead photography workshops and even photography trips abroad if you have the time, energy, and patience to plan the trips and market them to interested parties.
Again, you already possess the knowledge and skills in photography to teach others, so this is just a matter of carving out the time to develop the mediums for teaching and getting busy!
No matter which of these photography business tips works best for you, the bottom line is that more income is out there for the taking!