MONETISE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
Think creatively and consider new ways to make a living from your photography skills and equipment
PHOTOGRAPHY IS AN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT MEDIUM TO MAKE A FULL-TIME LIVING FROM. EVEN BEFORE THE UNFORESEEABLE EVENTS OF THE LAST YEAR, IT WAS A CHALLENGE FOR ANY PHOTOGRAPHER TO EARN A SUSTAINABLE WAGE FROM MAKING ONE
KIND OF IMAGE ALONE. ALTHOUGH THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF COMPETITION IN EVERY GENRE, IT’S DEFINITELY POSSIBLE TO MAKE YOUR ASSIGNMENTS PROFITABLE. SOME MAKE ENOUGH INCOME BY DIVERSIFYING AND USING THEIR SKILLS IN ORIGINAL WAYS, FINDING NEW REVENUE STREAMS BY THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME EXAMPLES...
A common solution, in addition to selling images directly to clients, is for photographers to sell to stock websites, such as Getty or iStock. While this can prove highly lucrative, it too is a competitive arena, and you might find yourself selling only a handful of images a month – scarcely enough to draw a full-time wage. Instead consider submitting images to multiple smaller stock sites which do not demand exclusive image use rights. While these may take a higher commission, your images will be far more findable, due to smaller image pools, and you can use multiple sites to create more opportunities for sales.
When it comes to selling images directly you can be creative. Instead of simply selling images, try offering photo products too, such as canvas prints, mugs, T-shirts, calendars, fridge magnets or coasters, all of which can be produced by third-party print labs. When you get an order you can simply pass this to an online lab, creating them on command, with little investment. The more diverse your content looks, the more someone casually browsing your website will stay and explore what you have to offer. You might also attract more premium sales, with a higher markup. You could also try approaching existing clients
with photo print ideas – revisit a wedding client a couple of years later to see if they might be interested in getting some of their images reprinted in T-shirt or coaster format! This increases the long term value of each image file.
Since you have perfected your processing style to attract clients of your own work, why not sell your Photoshop and Lightroom presets to other photographers? This is a popular practice these days, and while there is competition here too, if your style is original you might still have the edge over other photographers shooting the same subject and selling their presets. It’s a way of earning revenue from assets you are creating anyway, as part of your photo retouching, with no extra investment of time or money.
Speaking of assets, a common problem many photographers find is that some of their equipment goes unused in-between jobs. Once it is safe to open up our studios a little more, consider renting your camera gear and studio space when you don’t need it, making your kit work for you a little more. Even if your studio is shut to the public you can rent the gear or space to other photographers in the local area, undercutting hire firms. Obviously be certain you won’t need items yourself, and make sure your assets are insured.