For anyone with a passion for photography, it is easy to say that one of the first things that may come to mind is how to make money with a camera to turn your passion into your actual livelihood. While it is relatively a challenge to have a full-blown career in photography and create a name for yourself in the industry, there are actually several other ways to make money with a camera. For those who are just starting to make their way in the industry, here are some tips and tricks how to make money with a camera.
Fields of Photography
Before we go through how to make money with a camera, let’s first dive into the professional aspect of photography by going through some of the most famous and notable fields in the industry. To be more specific, here are some of the highest-paid fields you can dwell into as a professional photographer:
- Fashion Photography
- Wedding Photography
- Portrait Photography
- Corporate Photography
- Food Photography
- Architecture Photography
- Film Set Photography
How to Make Money as an Amateur Photographer
Photography has long been an emerging career option, especially for those with the flair and understanding to communicate artistic expression using a camera lens. And while this can be learned through years of actual education, some people have the innate eyes needed in photography.
Being a professional fashion or wedding photographer may sound enticing and extremely exciting. However, it’s not all fun and games, especially for amateur photographers who are just beginning to start a career in the industry. Fortunately, the industry is no longer limited to those with multimedia arts degrees. It is wide open for anyone who are artistic and passionate enough to work their way up to the top. With that, here are some of the ways how you can start making money as an amateur photographer.
Stock Photography
Stock photography is considerably one of the best and easiest ways on how to make money with a camera while also practicing and enhancing your photography skills. With the advent of technology and the internet, stock photography companies run a business that allows other websites to download images from their photo bank at a notably expensive annual fee. To start, simply create an account as a photographer and easily upload your pictures on the site. By doing so, your images now belongs in the company’s photo bank sand you earn according to the number of times your image gets downloaded from their site.
However, it is important to make sure that your images are of quality as professional businesses often use it for marketing purposes. Taking this into consideration, here are some tips on how you can take quality photos that better sell:
- Ensure that you capture high-quality images, play with your device’s strengths, and slowly invest on accessories to make your photos clearer and better.
- As mentioned earlier, you don’t have to quickly spend thousands of dollars to buy a full DSLR camera to take high-quality images. Simply know how to better navigate your device settings and use it to the best possible results.
- Take time to identify a clear specific subject when taking your images to make sure that people can know exactly what you are trying to capture. For example, instead of taking a wide angle shot of the subject over a busy background, emphasize the subject by taking closer and clearer shots of it at different angles.
Event Photography
If you’re more of an adventurous type of photographer, then event photography would best suit and interest you than simple studio and portrait photography. While various events happen all the time, some of the most common events that you can attend as a photographer include festivals, music gigs, parties, fundraisers, sports competitions, and even weddings. The trick is while you can attend as a hired photographer for the event, you can also come and take paid photographs for anyone interested.
Work by Assisting Other Photographers
Assisting other professional photographers in their projects is one way of working with your camera while also learning about the internal and logistics of working as a professional photographer in the industry. Suitable for those who are still inexperienced and those simple afraid of dealing with assignments all by yourself, assisting other photographers can help you expand your knowledge and broaden your experience firsthand. Aside from that, working as an assistant means that you don’t have to look for projects yourself as work directly comes to you.
How Much Money Can You Make as a Photographer?
Besides knowing how to make money with a camera, isn’t it nice to know how much money you could make as you make your way and rise in the industry? While the numbers here are nowhere near fixed or constant, the New York Institute of Photography offered an overview of how much photographers make depending on their level of expertise. Here are some general figures on how much photographers make per hour or per image:
- Hobbyist: Free or under $100
- Amateur: $25 – $75 per hour.
- Student: $50-100 per hour or $25-100 per image.
- Semi-Pro: $50–$150 per hour or $50-125 per image.
- Professional: $75-$250 per hour or $75-$250 per image.
- Top Professional: $200-$500+ per hour or $250-$1,500 per image.
Conclusion
While there are several ways how to make money with a camera, creating a name for yourself in the industry is not as easy as some would think. Enhancing your skills, building your resume, and polishing your portfolio would take a long time. However, it is important to never give up and never lose the passion that led you to photography in the first place. Here’s how to learn more about photography.