If you enjoy taking pictures, you've probably wondered if there is some way you can profit financially pursuing what you love. After all, you see photos everywhere, right? In publications, on billboards, on product packages and more. And if you've ever remarked to yourself "people must get paid for those somehow", you're correct. It is possible to be making money in photography, and there are several ways to accomplish it. Keep reading for a summary of five of them.
Portrait Photography
The easiest way to start making money in photography is to set up your own portrait studio. Individuals, families, friends, and even people with their pets visit your studio either by appointment or as a walk-in, and you take photos of them. This can be a very successful plan for making money in photography, but it does take time and effort to become established. It also takes some cash. If you want to start a portrait studio, you'll need to buy or rent the space, pay the utilities for that space, and buy or rent lots of studio equipment such as photo backdrops, props, and specialty lighting.
Real Estate Photography
Another promising way of making money in photography is to take photographs of real estate. These types of photos are often used by real estate agents, brokers and home owners when they're attempting to sell their property. Sometimes you can even sell your services to insurance agencies and they will task you to take pictures of homes and property that are being covered by a new or upgraded insurance policy.
Magazine Photography
This is another common type of photography, but many people don't give it a second thought. Magazines are looking for photographers and great photographs just like they are looking for writers and great articles... and they're willing to pay for them. Some magazines negotiate small amounts for pictures while others pay $100 or more for each one.
News Photography
This way of making money in photography is a perfect option for someone living in a busy urban area, particularly if you love getting out and seeing what's going on. With this type of photography, you sell your pictures to newspapers, so the photographs must be newsworthy in some way. You can take photographs of a car accident for example, a fire or other emergency situation, or of public officials and famous people.
Product Photography
Product photography is also referred to as catalog photography, because you're usually taking photographs of products and those are most often used for sales catalogs. Sometimes businesses will hire photographers to take product photos for packaging or other marketing materials too, such as the company brochure.
As you can see, there are a variety of ways of making money in photography. Unfortunately, they are not usually as quick, simple or easy as they might first seem. In most cases you need to develop the talent and skills first, then you need to build up a reputation. You'll also need a portfolio of your photography work. Once you have these basic things, you will also have gained a good idea of what types of photography you like best, and this will help you figure out the most successful way to start making money in photography.
