10 Tips for Making Money with Your Photography
- How to Become a Professional Photographer: An Essential Guide to Creating a Successful Career in Photography
- The Fast Track Photographer Business Plan: Build a Successful Photography Venture from the Ground Up
- Successful Self-Promotion for Photographers: Expose Yourself Properly
Making money with photography started to look like the next gold rush at some point. Everybody was buying DSLRs and creating a Facebook page looking to attract customers. Things have toned down a bit, but there are still many beginner and amateur photographers looking to boost their income with photography or even to go pro.
We've got ten tips for them that are surely going to help them achieve this goal.
1. Master Your Skills
This is pretty obvious and there is no way around it. If you want to make money with photography, you have to be good at what you do. The easy way to tell if you're on a good track is by constantly getting positive reviews for what you're posting.
2. Get a good website
Your personal website is your most powerful tool for online presence. Yes, keep using Facebook but do not rely on it more than your website. Invest a little money and buy a pro theme or have someone do it for you. It will be one of the best investments you make.
3. Find a niche
If you want to make money, you have to target specific clients. Don't just put yourself out there hoping someone, anyone will hire you. Go target specific clients and find your own niche. It can be restaurants, real estate agencies, young couples, custom bike builders, you name it.
(Success Tip #1:Crazy new way to learn photography when you have little time to spare)
4. Get listed
You want your photography website to be visible to the right people. Make sure you get listed in the right places and that it's easy for people to find your website after a simple Google search.
5. Abuse your phone
This is one of the hardest things for beginners to understand, but it's not negotiable if you want to make money with photography. You have to pick up the phone and start calling clients in your area. Some say it takes fifty phone calls before you land a deal. That's right, you have to work really hard at it and more importantly, you have to be persistent and not give up after the first failed attempts. It's hard for people with no sale skills, but it's just something you're going to have to do.
6. Get social
As the content creator and distributor that you are, you need to find a voice. It's up to you to choose your method. It can be a YouTube Chanel and Instagram feed or whatever else you feel like. But the important thing to remember is that you need to have a solid presence in social media if you want to have people paying for your photography.
7. Post at least three times a week
That constant web presence I was talking about should be carefully programmed. Try posting at least one photo at least three times a week.
8. Be honest with yourself
Of course this implies many things, but probably the most important one is to realize that nobody else is going to do the marketing, promoting or talking for you. You are solely responsible for your success or failure in the photography industry.
9. Attract attention
You have to make noise if you want to be seen by the right people. Attract attention from all the important people related to your niche. Make sure you do in a positive way though.
(Success Tip #2:The secret to selling more photography with less effort)
10. Keep going
Again, one of the hardest things is making it working the long run. You have to persist and you have to keep pushing forward. You will occasionally be set back, but if you just stop acting, results are going to stop showing.
Here is photographer Serge Ramelli with his personal take on these ten pieces of advice.
See Full set of tips and teachings from Serge Ramelli HERE.