How To Make Money With Photography (10 Ways) – 2024

Who doesn’t like to take photos as memories? Casual photography is easier to accomplish with smartphones. When it comes to make money with photography, one has to invest his time and resources in learning this discipline. Realizing a frame even in an indifferent moment is the art of photography. Whether you are good at clicking portraits or landscapes, your skill is to see what common eyes cannot and capture it in your frame.

If you want to make money with photography, you must choose the proper platforms to display your skills. Worry not as we have got you covered. Here is a list of ten ways to follow and make money by selling your photographic skills.

Ten Ways to Make Money with Photography

1. Sell Your Photos to Stock Image Websites

One of the best make money with photography is to access the top stock image websites. These online portals allow you to create an account and submit their sizeable collections of photos. So, what is next? When your photos are seen and downloaded by other users for various purposes, you will get paid. It is that simple! You can license your photos to protect copyrights and monetize them as a passive source of income.

Looking for such portals? There are thousands of them flocked by users looking for specific photos. For example, Shutterstock, BigStock, Pexels, Freepik, Unsplash, etc. are the best portals to look for. All you have to do is to get your photos licensed through Getty Images. You can even share photos from a Flickr account.

Now the real question is to get your photos visible to users. Here is what you need to do:

• Select a niche or a category to specialize in.
• Learn how to make proper edits of RAW files and stock photos.
• Master the art of finding keywords to write meta descriptions, metadata, etc.
• Follow the trends and make a collection of photos to post.

Sign up and submit your photos. Get reviews and create a brand image on these websites. Tag your images with proper keywords and learn to generate an income from photography.

2. Sell Prints

You can also print your photos and sell them on various online platforms such as Etsy. Develop your photographic skills, learn to edit images and list them on such websites. On the other hand, websites like ShootProof and Smugmug collaborate with printing services. The online seller will do all the legwork while you concentrate on taking photos and printing them. All you have to do is read the terms and conditions to understand how these portals charge for every listing.

There are a few things you need to focus on. When you want to sell prints and make money with photography, you need a proper setup. The resolution of the images must be of high quality to generate high-definition prints. You will also have to manage complaints and refunds to set your brand image on the right track.

3. Participating in Photo Contests

If you have confidence in your skills and frames, participate in local photography contests. Once you receive accolades, shoot for higher achievements. The best way to do this is to collaborate with professional photographers and learn the various aspects of a niche. This is one of the best photography earning strategies for beginners. Get inspired by the contests conducted by National Geographic, Nikon Small World, Sony World Photography, etc.

Your venture will involve a lot of legwork to take photos based on a particular genre. Joining such contests will deliver confidence. You will also find like-minded people to connect with. Learn how to earn money by photos by participating and winning contests.

4. Start a Photography Blog

Photo monetization becomes a lot easier when you know how to express yourself with words. Yes! You have got the picture. Create a photography blog and start expressing your journey with words and visuals. Your appealing photographs will draw footfall and make your blogging portal lucrative for sponsors. You can also earn through ads on your photography blogging portal. How can you start? Here is what you need to do.

• Do research contemporary topics such as travel, tourism, local sightseeing, events, etc.
• Try to link them with your photography skills
• Learn how to write engaging blogs.
• Consider your photos and fine-tune your writing.
• Do comprehensive keyword research and use it for organic traffic.
• Develop domain authority and attract ads and sponsors.

You can create photos and videos related to tutorials, tips, tricks, photography product reviews, etc. and make your blogs stand out from the crowd.

5. Event Photography is a Good Way to Earn

People love to celebrate all their achievements and want to lock these memories in photos and videos. Why not try your hands in event photography? Pre-wedding, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, baby showers, pregnancy, promotions, etc. are the popular events people celebrate and look for event photographers. This photography income way will make you busy if marketing is done right. To earn money by photos, follow these steps.

• Collaborate with event photography groups.
• Complete an internship to understand the process.
• Understand the level of commitment during the seasons.
• Create your brand and market offline and online.

Creating something noteworthy will take some time to earn money with photography. Be patient and keep working on the plan.

6. Freelancing for Media Houses

Freelance photographers earn a decent amount by working for media houses. Use your profitable photography techniques to work with newspapers, magazines, public relations firms, etc. on assignments. Cover local events for local publications and use your free time to monetize your skills. Pursue courses if required to learn how to earn money by photos for media houses.

7. Become a Studio Owner

One of the best photography earning strategies is setting up a studio. It will attract a little investment from your side but eventually, you can make the most out of it. Create a diverse portfolio covering contemporary needs such as headshots, profile creation, product shoots, etc. Partner with someone trustworthy to bring down the financial commitment and create your own space of mastery.

8. Teaching Photographic Skills to Novices

This is another way of generating income from photography. When you have achieved good experience in this field, consider training novice aspirants. Show your creativity in capturing frames and teach how to use modern gadgets to the pupils. Create a photography course for beginners and advertise it.

You can also create an online course and draw more attention from aspiring photographers. For this, your network and connections will come in very handy. Sell your online course and build a brand image too.

9. Learn to Create Photo Books

This is an excellent way to earn money by photos where you can use as photo books are far better than virtual galleries or photo albums. Adding stories with photos is something customers adore. You can customize a photo book with your personal touch and make it unique.

Creating a photo book becomes a lot easier with the templates available in online portals. Such books are great gifts that people love to create for loved ones. You can also collaborate with photo book-creating services online and make it easier for you.

Professionals also prefer using photo books as personal portfolios to gain business. They need soft and hardbound copies. Diversify this idea and start developing photo books serving different interests to generate a decent source of income.

10. Conduct Photography Workshops and Tours

This might sound similar to teaching photography. It is gathering like-minded photographers for a walk in a chosen location. These participants will use their skills to capture photos. All you have to do is guide them to a known location.

Collaborate with the local tour and event planners and travel agencies. Become a local guide and a photography maven to guide the interested tourists for local visits. Organize a photography tour of your choice covering local landmarks, villages, historic places, etc. and start to earn money with photography.

Choose a Suitable Photography Income Way

These ten ways are the best ways to make money with photography. If you look closely, you will discover one way or two to monetize your skills. All these ways can be easily set as an income strategy if you can manage time and resources efficiently.

What do you have to do? Start scouting these ways and find what you need to earn money by photos. Consider this as an example. You can conduct photo tours for tourists and bring your students as a part of the curriculum. At the same time, take pictures of locations and license them. Learn how to earn money by photos by selling your masterpieces. Showcase the best ones in contests and get a chance to win cash prizes.

Create a strong portfolio by working with media houses and generating enough resources to finance your studio. You will see all the pieces are falling in the right places. So, accommodate more than one way to generate photography income and monetize your skills.

FAQs – Making Money with Photography

How can I make money with photography?

Develop your photography skills and use them in the following ways to earn with photos.

• Sell Your Photos to Stock Image Websites
• Sell Prints
• Participating in Photo Contests
• Start a Photography Blog
• Event Photography
• Become a Studio Owner
• Teaching Photographic Skills to Novices
• Learn to Create Photo Books
• Conduct Photography Workshops and Tours

Which type of photography makes the most money?

The best photo monetization domains are:

• Fine art photography
• Social media photography
• Content creation and influencer photography
• Event Photography
• Portfolio photography

The profitable photography niches need specific skill sets. Make sure you develop them and create a proper portfolio to land gigs to make money with photography.

Which kind of photography is always in high demand?

The best domains where you can use your profitable photography techniques are portfolio creation, product profiling, events, media, etc. Find a suitable domain to earn money with photography.

How can I become a professional photographer?

Start with a basic digital camera and practice. Read photography blogs and understand the concepts of frames. Learn how to manually set features of a camera and develop basic editing skills. Become an apprentice and work on assignments as an intern. You can also pursue online courses for skill development. In this way, you can become a professional photographer and make money with photography.