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How to Make Money from Photography
By June Campbell
Perhaps everyone who has ever taken a picture has wondered how to make money from photography or if it is even possible. You are unlikely to get rich selling pictures (unless you happen to get a picture of a celebrity in a compromising situation). However, it is not so difficult as you might think to make a few dollars, or even quite a few dollars once you are established. If you have a digital camera, and you know how to use it, you are well on your way. The rest is identifying the type of photography that will become your specialty and then knowing how to market yourself. First, the Digital Camera Digital cameras today are much lower in price than even a few short years ago. Even better, the most basic models that cost around fifty dollars (in the US) are of good enough quality that you can use them to generate an income. Digital cameras are a boon for amateur freelance photographers. With a digital camera, you can take as many pictures as you want without spending a cent on film or development. True, you will have to replace your battery from time to time, but that is a modest expenditure. This ability to experiment and to take vast numbers of pictures, all without financial expenditure, explains why amateur photographers have the potential to bring in revenue from their photos. There are various types of photography that can make money for you. Here are three: Stock Photography According to Wikipedia, stock photography is the supply of photographs licensed for specific uses. Individuals or businesses that need photographs for various purposes may opt to use stock photographs rather than hire a photographer to supply their requirement. For example, companies and other businesses need a selection of photographs to use for their promotional materials and marketing strategies. Thanks to the Internet, these businesses can locate a web site providing stock photographs, search through a huge database of pictures and choose the ones they want to use. In most cases, an online service supplying stock photographs will have multiple categories available, all searchable. A customer might run a search for a term such as “skyscraper.” When the customer locates a satisfactory picture, he or she pays for the right to use this photograph. The people running the stock photography web site keep a portion of this fee and the photographer that supplied the skyscraper picture earns a royalty or commission. If making money from stock photography interests you, then your first move is to visit a number of stock photography web sites. Study them carefully and identify the type of photos that are licensed most often. This tells you that this particular topic is in demand. You may choose to submit photographs of these “in demand” subjects – but it’s also smart to submit images of subjects that are seldom photographed. This means you have less competition and although fewer people will search for this topic, when someone does, your submission is more likely to be chosen. You will need to learn about royalties, copyrights and licenses before you begin submitting work.
Sports Photography If you are starting out as a freelancer, it is not likely that you will be granted access to major sporting events or sports personalities. However, this need not discourage you. If sports is something that interests you, there are various other events that you can attend and photograph. Your best approach is to look for sporting events in your own community. Check the newspaper or local web sites and discover what sporting events are scheduled in your location. Take your camera and attend these games, snapping as many pictures as you can. Afterward, contact your local newspapers, especially community newspapers, and inquire about their interest in publishing your pictures. Negotiate a fee, which in this case will likely be on the small side. Portrait Photography Taking family portraits is yet another way that you can generate income as a freelance photographer. Families and individuals pay substantial fees to photographers who can provide good quality pictures. Remember that these photos are keepsakes that the family may plan to treasure for generations. However, if you are interested in taking family portraits, you may need a more expensive and higher quality camera, along with accessories such as a tripod, specialty lenses and lighting. If you undertake to supply prints, you will need to understand paper quality and archival factors associated with preserving photographs.
Understanding Your Camera If you are interested in taking photographs that are good enough to sell or license, you must understand the basics of digital photography beyond the “point and click” method. At the very least, you will need to understand apertures, shutter speeds and lighting. There are many excellent guides and books available that will walk you through the steps of learning how to work with these features. Since there is no cost involved, you can experiment, practice and take as many photos as you need until you have mastered these skills.
Guides If you are new to digital photography, you might want to check out this guide called Start My Digital Photography or, if you have the basics and want to move to the next level, try Digital Photography: Beyond the Basics
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Contributor's Note
I am an avid amateur photographer. I use my photography in conjunction with my crafting, scrapbooking and altered art projects.
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Digital Photography: Beyond the Basics
| Start my Digital Photography
eBook: Start my Digital Photography
PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE
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Hi June, Thanks a lot for this interesting article, after read it I just found a wonderful stock photography website and I hope to submit some of mine there too. Best Regards, Betty 
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Excellent. Good luck with your stock photographs.
I had to chuckle this weekend as people came up to my son this weekend to ask how to take pictures which weren't blurred. My son is a professional digital photographer and taking pictures in a light challenged horse arena taking pictures of moving horses takes some specialized photography equipment. The lens is often more important than the camera.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
That is very true. Taking pictures of moving objects in low light is a huge challenge. You would certainly need some extra lenses so make that work.
Thank you for sharing this well written intel with great information, June. Photography is a great hobby can become a very lucrative business.
Best wishes.
Frederick
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thank you for commenting! Photography is indeed a great hobby.
Good intel June, I would also like to add that you could create postcards or prints from your photography to offer for sale. Regards,
Suzy
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Excellent point. You certainly could do that for extra revenue. Thanks for the tip.
June, I really enjoyed this intel, as I too am an avid amateur photographer - ("frustrating" might be a more apt description!) I am also interested in your two photography affiliate sites, so you will probably hear from me real soon!
 | | Barb Nov 14, 2010 21:44 | |
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Hi Barb, thanks for commenting! Photography is a great hobby, and yes, a frustrating one at times.
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