Photo tours and tuition
It’s not just your images that can make money, why not try selling your skills and knowledge of photography?
Sell people an experience or an education
From sea kayaking to yoga, there has been a huge increase in the number of people wanting more than just a traditional holiday experience. So, what’s this got to do with making money with your camera? Well, one of these growth areas has been in photography workshops, tours and tuition. There are more people who want to learn how to take better photos, discover new locations and get inside information about where they are visiting. While there is some cross-over, there are two main types of photography workshops… The first is the photography tour, where you act as a guide to the best locations, give some pointers as to what to shoot, when to visit and maybe even a bit of history. These types of workshops work best in iconic photography locations, from the landscapes of the Isle of Skye to the city streets of London, where there are plenty of great subjects to keep a group busy over several days. They are most popular for groups, and you will need to be happy dealing with the varying needs of five to 10 or more people at the same time. You’ll also need to be able to organize all the accommodation, food and other logistics needed to keep a large group happy over several days.
The second main area of these workshops is teaching and tuition to help improve people’s photography skills. This can be based on-location, but you could also consider an indoor-based course, especially if your skills are studio, portrait or even post-production and image editing techniques.
This second option is much easier to get started as there are fewer logistics to organize, especially if you target individuals or small groups.
Tapping into the rise of experience tourism isn’t all plain sailing, though, as there are plenty of things to consider before you start offering your services.
First, you’ll need to decide what skills and services you can offer, and be honest about your expertize. You can’t set yourself up as an expert in a particular area or photographic technique unless you know it inside out. Then you also need to be able to communicate this to your customers…
Whichever route you take you’ll need to be prepared for a whole range of skill levels and needs from your clients, as no two will ever be exactly the same. Preparation is also key to any locationbased services that you offer. You should know the area inside-out, and have back-up plans for changes in the weather or local conditions – no-one will thank you if you get to a location and you don’t know where to go or how to deal with the conditions.
First, you’ll need to decide what skills and services you can offer, and be honest about your expertize