Qikpix, Photography Articles

3 Unique Ways to Make Money as a Photographer

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If you've been a photographer for any amount of time, you know that there are ebbs and flows in the business.

This is true no matter what kind of photography you specialize in, but it's especially so for portrait photographers and wedding photographers.

There are busy seasons for this type of photography - spring, summer, the holidays - with periods of downtime that can really impact your bottom line.

The question is, how can you even out those ebbs and flows and fill in that downtime without getting overloaded?

Here are three unique ways you can make money when your schedule is a little thin.

Fill Holes in Your Schedule With QikPix

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Making money during your unscheduled time just got a whole lot easier.

QikPix is an on-demand photography service was built to revolutionize the photography industry by streamlining the process from booking clients to editing photos.

What can QikPix do for you? It pairs you with clients that need a photographer.

Customers use the QikPix app to book a session, and then you can claim that session using the app (available on iOS and Android).

You then meet the client at the requested shoot location, take their photos, upload the unedited images to QikPix, and you're done!

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This arrangement is great for you for a couple of reasons.

First, you don't have to spend a dime on marketing. Instead, you claim on-demand jobs via the QikPix app and get to work. Your payment is guaranteed, too. Talk about hassle-free!

Second, there's absolutely no planning on your part. You literally grab your gear and go!

Lastly, since you don't have to edit any of the photos, you save time that can be invested in other pursuits, like getting back to your traditional work or snagging another gig on QikPix.

With such quick turnaround time, that means you can fill holes in your schedule in a snap. Whether you have an hour or a whole day, QikPix is the answer for improving your bottom line.

Enter Photography Competitions

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I know that initially, entering photography competitions might not sound like a very lucrative approach to making money, but just hear me out...

There are all manner and sort of photography competitions, from small, local events to international competitions with prize money in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Sure, there's more people vying for the prize money, which makes this far less of a guaranteed income as something like QikPix.

Nevertheless, if you're out with your camera on a regular basis and find you have a weekend here and there to work on a competitive project, photography competitions can be a means of making a little money on the side.

Perhaps the best workflow is to use a bit of your downtime each day - say, 30 minutes or so - to search online for photo competitions.

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Once you've identified a number of possibilities, read the entry requirements, send in your application, and get to work!

Even if you don't win the top prize, taking part in photo competitions can still help you make more money.

But how?

You can use the experience of working on the competition projects to improve your portfolio and learn new skills.

That, in turn, means that you have more to offer prospective clients, which only increases your chances of booking people for your services.

It's a win-win!

Focus on Getting Customers to Come Back Over and Over

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When you think about it, photography is a business that is perfectly suited to repeat business...

There's births and weddings, birthdays and anniversaries, graduation parties, holiday cards, school photos, kids' sporting events, you name it!

In other words, the possibilities are endless for you to start working with a client when they get married and then continue working with them as their family grows.

Oddly though, some photographers don't think of their work as a funnel like this.

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Instead, they might focus solely on photographing weddings and engagements. And though there is nothing wrong with specializing like that, if you want to create a variety of possibilities for generating income, it might behoove you to think about extending your services to events across the lifespan.

One way to do this is to remind your clients each time they come in for a session that they'll need to come back and see you in a few months' time.

For example, if you take maternity portraits, be sure to give your clients a reminder to book their newborn session once the baby is born.

Then, once the newborn session is over, schedule your clients for a shoot at the 6-month mark and the 1-year mark.

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When they come in for their Christmas photos, remind them to book you for their anniversary or their kids' birthday the following spring.

The point is that by simply being on top of things and scheduling each client for their next shoot once the current one is finished, you can have a perpetual flow of income from your clients.

Granted, not every client you have will be the type that wants or needs professional photos for every single life event, but some will, and that will certainly help boost your income.

And, as noted earlier, if you don't have as many clients re-upping as you'd like, you can always turn to QikPix for on-demand work with a guaranteed payday!



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4 Critical Tips for Starting a Photography Business

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I know what you're thinking...

You can't possibly start a photography business in just four steps.

And you're right, you can't.

However, the four tips I outline below will prove to be crucial for your success as a photographer.

Think of these as the pillars of your photography business - ideas upon which you build something successful and long-lasting.

Account for All Your Time

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As a self-employed photographer, it behooves you to ensure that you maximize your time to make money.

The difficulty in that, of course, is that photography is a cyclical business.

For example, if you're a wedding photographer, you'll be busiest in the spring and early summer and things will slow down significantly during the winter.

Rather than sitting around doing nothing during the slow season, figure out a way to make money in a different way.

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QikPix is something that can help you do just that.

Think of QikPix as your ticket to filling holes in your schedule.

That's because it's an on-demand photography service.

Clients use the QikPix app to schedule a photography session - an engagement shoot, a family portrait session, and the like - and photographers like you use the QikPix app to book the session.

In other words, you don't have to worry about marketing and you don't have to worry about getting clients in your door.

Instead, you have a ready-made pool of customers that need photos taken. It's just a matter of you selecting the gigs you want!

Once you select a job, you simply meet the client, take their photos, and upload the images to QikPix.

That's it!

You don't even have to do any post-processing - QikPix handles that.

Even better, you don't have to chase customers around trying to get paid because that's handled for you too.

In fact, payment is guaranteed.

That's just about the best way I can think of to make money as a photographer, stay busy during slow seasons, and get more clients!

Learn more about QikPix.

Keep Learning

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Just because you're at the point at which you're ready to start your photography business doesn't mean that you don't have to continue learning your craft.

In fact, it's just as important to keep expanding your skill set after you start your business as it was before you started your business.

That goes for photography skills, and it's certainly true of business skills as well.

Since running your own business is so time-consuming, it can be difficult to find the time for learning opportunities.

But you'll be better off in the end if you carve out some time each week to learn something new or perfect an old skill.

That might be watching a YouTube video about marketing tips for photographers, like the one above by B&H Photo Video and Vanessa Joy.

You might spend a few minutes reading articles like this one to get insights on how to improve your business operation.

Take a class at a local university, find a mentor, join the local chamber of commerce...

The point is that the more effort you put into improving yourself, the more successful your business will be.

Failure Will Happen - Deal With It!

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One of the most difficult things to deal with as a new business owner is failure.

You might have some images that don't turn out well.

You might spend all kinds of time and effort on a marketing scheme, only to find that you get nothing out of it.

There will be gigs you don't get, customers that leave you a bad review, and other calamities along the way as well.

The important thing is to expect these things to happen and learn how to deal with them in a way that helps you learn and grow as a photographer and as a business person.

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For example, let's say that on one of your first jobs your memory card gets fried and you don't have a backup.

Yes, that's a bad situation, and one you'll have to work very hard to rectify the issue with the client.

However, it's also a learning opportunity to bring backups of everything - memory cards, batteries, camera bodies, lenses - you name it.

The key is to learn from your mistakes and make moves that prevent those same mistakes from happening again in the future.

Hire Out Your Weaknesses

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I can take a good portrait. I can't manage my books.

That means I take care of the former and hire someone to do the latter.

You should do the same!

If you're unorganized, hire an assistant.

If you need help with marketing, find someone that can help you out.

If you struggle with post-processing, there's even people to do that for you too.

The point is that being a professional photographer means that you wear a lot of hats, but at some point, you have to be able to recognize your weaknesses and have the ability to ask for help (or hire help) to address those weaknesses.

The sooner you delegate the responsibilities you are unable to fulfill (or don't have the time to fulfill), the sooner you'll find your business in good standing.

Final Thoughts

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As I noted in the introduction, this is by no means a comprehensive list of things that need to happen in order for your photography business to be a success.

But taking these four tips to heart will help prepare you for various aspects of being in business such that you find success with greater ease and in a shorter amount of time.

In the end, building your business will require a lot of hard work, dedication, and time. Have the patience to see things through, and hopefully, you will find rewards for all that hard work!



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The Best Ways to Get More Photography Clients

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Ask any photographer that's been in business for awhile, and I bet you'll hear the same thing over and over again...

"I want a steady stream of clients."

It makes sense, too. After all, the more clients you have, the more money you can make!

And while photography is a passion for all of us, at the end of the day, passion doesn't pay the bills.

So the question is this: What are the best ways to attract clients?

Here's my pick of four of the best methods you can use...

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One of the biggest expenditures of time and money that you'll have as a self-employed photographer is in marketing your services and finding clients.

And though that's a necessary evil of being in the service industry, what if I told you there was a way to get more clients without having to do any marketing whatsoever?

It's called QikPix, and it's revolutionizing the way photographers work.

At its core, QikPix is an on-demand photography service.

That means that clients go to their QikPix app to book a photography session, and photographers like you go to the app to claim the session.

From there, you meet with the client and take their photos.

At the conclusion of the shoot, you upload the unedited photos to QikPix, they take care of any editing the client wants, and you get paid for your time.


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Sounds too good to be true, right?

But believe me...it's true alright!

There's no marketing on your part, no hassle of editing your photos either. You don't even have to plan where to go for the shoot!

Plus there's guaranteed payment, so you don't have to chase money from clients.

All of that translates into one thing - smoother transactions with more clients.

Whether you photograph families, graduating seniors, weddings or engagements, headshots, newborns, maternity, or all of the above, you'll have clients seeking your services.

If you ask me, there's no easier way to get clients than to have them come to you!

Learn more about QikPix and how it can help you build your business.

Figure Out Who Your Client Is and What They Want

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If you're a wedding photographer and you specialize in "trash the dress" sessions, you've painted yourself into a pretty specific corner.

Trashing the dress might be a hot commodity right now, but what about in two years, five years, or ten years down the road?

It's great to specialize, and it can actually help you grow your business because it can help set you apart from other photographers.

But at the same time, if you want to continue growing your business, you can't rely on flash-in-the-pan techniques.

That means figuring out who your clients are and what they want.

That'll change as time goes on, but getting into the practice of examining who your clients are, where they shop, the kind of services they pay for, their interests, and so forth, the sooner you can start to devise a solid marketing plan that plays to those interests and gets people interested in you too.

Engage With Your Target Clients

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Photography isn't an "if you build it they will come" sort of enterprise...

Instead, you need to do a little work to attract clients to the fold.

One of the ways you can do that these days is to interact with your target clients online.

That means having an Instagram or Flickr account to show off the photos you take.

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That also means having a Facebook page for your business where you can inform the public about what you do, how you do it, and so forth.

It's also necessary to have a website or online portfolio that includes your contact information. It needs to be SEO optimized too, that way people in your area can find you.

Sure, it's a lot of work (especially compared to using QikPix), but in the end, it will pay dividends as you'll be able to reach more people, and the more people you reach, the better the likelihood that you'll have more paying clients walking in your door.

Go Above the Call of Duty Every Single Time

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A surefire way not to get more clients is to do the bare minimum.

We've all had not-so-good experiences with photographers before, and when that happens, we don't go back again.

Well, the same is true for clients that don't feel that their experience with you was worth the expense.

That's why you need to make a concerted effort to go above and beyond with each and every client, each and every time.

This isn't to say that you need to roll out the red carpet for anyone that comes into your studio...

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But what it does mean is that you need to find ways to make the process easier for your clients.

Ask questions. Make them a part of the process of determining what photos to take. Offer advice about wardrobe or the location of the photo shoot. Give them a free print or two.

The point here is that simply by taking the time to hear what clients want, offering your honest advice, and doing what you can to make the experience as minimally stressful as possible, you'll have happy clients.

And what does a happy client do? They tell their friends and family about you.

That, in turn, gets more people seeking out your services.

Mission accomplished!

Putting It All Together

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No one ever said being a photographer would be an easy job.

However, you can make it a lot easier on yourself by putting forth some effort in the marketing department.

Find out who your clients are and what they want, discover ways to engage with them to tell them about the services you offer, and go above and beyond to give them the best possible experience.

Paired with the ease of use of QikPix, I think you'll find these four solutions give you a solid standing for expanding your photography business!



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