A Beginner's Guide To Starting A Photography Side Hustle
/Do you have an eye for what makes a good shot? Are you the go-to-photographer during family functions, events with friends or group travel? Then you could start a photography side hustle to make money on the side. Even if you are not a professional photographer, you can still make a good amount of money if you start a photography side hustle as a hobbyist.
There are a few ways to make money with a photography side hustle. You can take photos for clients to make money on the side. You can sell your photos online through stock websites or your own website. If you have a passion for photography and have a fancy digital camera, then here is a beginner guide to starting a photography side hustle.
What you will need to start a photography side hustle
Starting a photography business or side hustle is highly lucrative, but it can be expensive to start up. Here are a few essential things you will need to start a photography side hustle:
Photo by Jameson Mallari Atenta from Pexels
Photography skills
If you already have excellent photography skills, you do not need to take a course in photography and photo editing. If you do not have photography skills, but you are serious about starting a photography side hustle, I highly recommended that you take a digital photography course on lighting and framing.
Camera and camera equipment
You will need to invest in a high-quality digital camera, if you do not have one already. Depending on the features and the lens accessories, it can cost anywhere from $500-$10,000. The camera you choose to use will depend on needs and your preferences.
Photo editing software
You will need to be proficient in photo editing programs and software like Photoshop and/or Lightroom to produce high-quality photos.
An external hard drive
Your photos will take up a lot of spaces on your computers' hard disk, so it can quickly fill up. So, you will need an external hard drive where you can store your photos and back up your work.
Studio space
Certain fields require a studio space. You can turn a spare space in your house into a studio.
A website
You will need a website to display your photos to potential buyers or clients. You can also display your photos on Facebook and Instagram. It is easy and cheap to set up a website. All you need to do is to buy a domain name, buy a hosting service, and use either Squarespace or WordPress to set up your website. You can then showcase your digital photos on your website.
What should you photograph?
You could shoot photos of a variety of objects and styles within your niche, but there are some popular categories for stock photography such as lifestyle, business and industry, nature and landscapes, holidays, travel photography, and more.
For example, the lifestyle photography category may feature photos like someone fixing something, someone working on a computer, people watching a sport, a family eating dinner together, etc. If your photos feature people, they may require model releases.
If you like to travel a lot (obviously after Covid-19) and are able to take high-quality photos of places, then you can start a photography side hustle to sell your holiday photos or travel photos on stock photography sites or sell them to people in person.
Take a lot of shots during a shoot regardless of the category of your photos.
Where to sell your photos
Take photos for clients
The most common way to start a photography business or side hustle is to take photos for clients and sell the images directly to them. You can specialize in a particular niche such as engagement photography, wedding photography, maternity photography, family photography, fashion photography, and more. You could also do all kinds of different portraits.
You can offer client sessions with different packages and charge a flat fee for each package. For example, you can charge a flat fee for a one-hour client session that includes a specific number of photos you deliver in a digital file like a CD or DVD.
If you take photos for clients, you can also sell photo prints. Instead of just giving your clients digital photos, you can also sell prints to your clients to make some money. When it comes to selling photo prints, you could offer different packages that include specific numbers of photo prints in different sizes for each package.
In order to get clients, you will need a website to showcase your photos online. But you can use Facebook and Instagram for this as well.
Sell your photos in person
You can sell your photo prints in person at flea markets and other events to make money. You can sell your photos for very good prices, depending on the quality of your photos.
Sell your stock photos online
Stock photos are photos that people buy online on stock photography sites to use in their blogs, websites, on social media, or on other places online. They can also use them in print media, marketing materials, and much more.
Stock images are much cheaper than custom-made photographs, so they are in high demand. People can buy them on macrostock photo sites, microstock photo sites and individual websites set up by photographers.
If you want to sell your stock photos online, then microstock photo sites could be the best option for you. You can sell a stock image over and over again, meaning it can earn you money for as long as it is out there for buyers to buy it. Typically, a stock photo earns you money every time someone downloads it or buys a license to use it.
Here are some of the best microstock sites that will allow you to sell your photos online:
Adobe Stock
iStock
Shutterstock
Bigstock
Dreamstime
Depositphotos
Alamy
Can Stock Photo
EyeEm
500px
123RF
Etsy
A stock photo can be sold on a microstock photography site for anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars. You can earn upwards of $120 or more per image download on Shutterstock. On iStock, you can earn between 15-45% of any sales.
500px allows you to earn up to 60% royalties on your photos that are licensed exclusively through the site.
Pros of selling stock photos
Anyone with photography skills can upload their high-quality stock photos to stock photography sites.
You can choose what niche to focus on and how you want to sell your images.
You can sell an image on multiple sites.
You can create recurring income, i.e. passive income by selling images via stock photo packages and subscriptions.
Cons of selling stock photos
Very competitive, as experienced photographers tend to do well
Most microstock sites pay photographers very small amounts per sale
You are not likely to make a lot of money
Sell stock photos from your own site
Once you have a good concept of digital photography, you can set up your own photography website and sell stock photos online from your own site. If you want to sell photos on your own site, make sure your site is visually appealing to your target audience.
Make sure to see what kinds of images people are searching for and then shoot accordingly and upload those images to your site. Google Trending is an excellent tool for checking to see what kinds of images people are searching for.
How much can you earn with a photography side hustle?
How much you can earn by starting a photography side hustle will depend on several factors, like where you sell your photos, how many photos you have available out there to download, and the quality of your photos.
If you sell your photos on stock photography sites, you will usually earn anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars per image. Unless you have thousands of photos available for buyers to download, you will likely not make a decent income by selling stock photos online.
Selling stock photos allows you to earn passive income, as your photos can sell over and over again without you having to do anything. If you can upload 1,000+ high-quality photos, you may be able earn $100-$150 from your photos each month. You may be able to make $500 a month from 5,000-6,000 stock images.
If you sell your photos from your own site, you keep 100% of your earnings. If you sell a pack of ten images priced at $2 per image, you will earn $20 by selling it to one customer. If you could sell it to 100 people, then you would earn $2,000! You can also set up memberships where you will charge customers a fixed amount to give access to a certain number of images quarterly, monthly, or annually, depending on the subscription package.
Tips for starting a photography side hustle
Specialize in a particular niche that is in demand but there is not much competition in that niche. Instead of shooting photos of just everything and anything, find a niche. Figure out
Write descriptive keywords for each stock photo so that your prospective buyers can find it.
Always keep your prospective buyers in mind. Think about what type of content they need and then shoot photos that are related to what they are looking for.
Upload your images regularly. The more photos you have available out there, the better your chances of making more sales.
Go explore the streets for new locations.
Exploring the streets for new and exciting locations is one of the best ways to get unique photos that will stand out in your portfolio. Not only can you find interesting places, but you can make use of luggage storage in London or other secure storage spots to keep all your gear safe while you are out shooting. This way, even if something unexpected happens, your equipment will be safe and sound when you return. Furthermore, by exploring the streets for photo opportunities, you may even discover some hidden gems that not many people know about!
In conclusion
Starting a photography side hustle is an excellent way to earn some extra cash every month if you have some photography skills and are able to and build a library of high-quality photos.
I hope the above beginner's guide to starting a photography side hustle will point you in the right direction if you are drawn to photography.
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Disclaimer: the content presented in this article is for informational purposes only, and is not, and must not be considered tax, investment, legal, accounting or financial planning advice, nor a recommendation as to a specific course of action. Investors should consult all available information, and consult with appropriate tax, investment, accounting, legal, and accounting professionals, as appropriate, before making any investment or utilizing any financial planning strategy.
