If you are wondering how to make money with photography, this article provides you with many ways to start with in India. Start with any way which is easy for you and earn money with your photos.
From the list below, the easiest way is to use stock photo sites. They pay you for licensing your images to their customers. There are hundreds of stock agencies out there. Sign up for any of them and upload your photos. If you have a nice portfolio on one site, your chances of being accepted will increase at another agency as well.
Of course, stock photography can be a lucrative source of passive income for you to make real money. However, for earning money additionally with photography online, consider other options listed below.
How to Make Money with Photography Online
First, learn photography if you aren’t a skilled photographer
Quality photographs sell more. So, remember to take high-quality photos better than other photographers. If you are yet to learn photography, the first step is to buy a good camera, take a photography course and use an editing tool. Click the links below:
If you are looking for a good camera, you can buy one from Amazon:
| View different digital cameras on Amazon
If you want to learn photography, click the links below and view the best books and training courses:
| View top-rated photography books on Amazon
| View top photography courses on Udemy
For editing and beautifying your images, you need a software tool. Photoshop is one of the most popular tools you can use. If you don’t have any fluency in using this software, check the links to learn about it:
Which photos sell the most online?
Take photos that are of interest to the eye and better than the ordinary ones.
Interesting images usually have a lot to focus on them because they draw attention automatically. The more imagery in your picture, the more you can sell!
An example is National Geographic photography. They often use high contrast levels between light and dark areas with only one focal point in mind. That makes it detail-oriented and creates intrigue.
Ways to Make Money with Photography Online
Sell prints online
You can create your website or blog for selling prints. Also, add a payment system for the customers. Set up each photo with proper name, keywords and description to attract interested people. If you put your time into thinking, you will have many doors to market and sell the photos online on your blog. Then, making money will be easier to you.
Teach Photography
Many people love to take pictures but do not know how to use their DSLR camera or other cameras. Teach them your skills.
A great way to teach those people is by making tutorials on your blog or YouTube. On YouTube, you can earn extra income by uploading your videos regularly and using their monetisation method.
You can also create a photography training course and sell it on Udemy or other platforms.
Sell Prints Locally
Organise an exhibition. Or try to sell prints at other local displays, flea markets or local events. Even though you can’t sell much, you will get many attractions and gain more fans online.
Sell on Stock Photography Websites
If you have many quality images that are 100% exclusive to one agency, sell them on stock photography sites. They are the most popular sites visited by thousands of people looking for images to use in their business or anything else. Click the following link and view the list of stock photo sites. You will also learn the tips to sell photos online on those websites:
| Check these top photo selling sites
Some other important places to sell your photos:
Sell on Microstock sites
Microstock sites usually pay less than bigger ones, but you can try them for extra earnings. Some tips for selling photos on such sites:
- Create a good name for the photo when uploading on them.
- Use more keywords to get better results.
- Add your keyword in the title and description to get more views.
- Remember your audience to help them find your photographs easily.
- Be social. To increase the number of views for your images, create your account on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to keep your audience updated.
- Be unique. Try to be different from other photographers.
- Get a bigger audience. Ask people who have a big influence to check your photos and see how they look like.
Resell or Reproduce Images
If you’re an expert at Photoshop or any other photo editing software, make a brand and start reselling or reproducing photos. But make sure it is illegal. Because, as you did not shoot the picture originally, it will look the same as the original. So make sure you add extra editing. That will make it better or different from the original one. You can sell them on your blog or anywhere.
Sell photos to magazines
Selling your photographs to magazines can be difficult, but you can try several strategies to ensure your success. First, read their guidelines and the timing of submitting photos to different magazines. You can check the writers’ market for magazine submissions. Or take your time searching on Google to find for yourself. Once you’ve got a list of them, you can start submitting your pictures.
It’s essential to be prepared for rejection, but remember that it’s worth it to improve your next submissions. Ultimately, selling your pictures to magazines is a long-term business.
Work as a freelance photographer
Make money as a photographer or editor at freelance sites like Freelancer, Upwork, and more. You can sell your pictures or design as customers want. Set your price for the work. After the order is completed, you’ll get the money minus the portal’s charge.
Make money from Instagram
If you are wondering how to earn money from photography on Instagram, here is it. But it can be not easy to do, especially if you don’t know-how. However, you can do it by setting up sponsored posts and offering your photographs for sale. Or you can use your images to promote your products or services. If you want to sell your photos, use the story section of your Instagram account.
One of the simplest methods is to work with brands that can offer you a monetisation plan. You can also pay IGTV ads for your photos. This is a great way to monetise your photography.
If you want to learn more about Instagram, click the link below:
Shoot Models
Pay a model on an hourly basis for some of your work. Or work with a modelling agency that pays the model’s fee. For portrait work, you should always charge the model an hourly rate. Agencies can add up to 20% to the model’s cost. As your career grows, you can set the agency a small fee and invoice them on a 30-day basis.
Take more paid projects. You can offer models a discount or trade services in exchange for cheaper costs. Although the opportunities are rare to find, they’re worth considering for you. Some models will even work for free. That is a great way to get experience in this field. But if you work on paid projects, you need to charge a reasonable fee. A small fee for a great photoshoot will make your photography business more rewarding.
How do beginner photographers make money?
Answer: One of the best ways to make money from photography is to collect different stock photos and sell them on a site like Shutterstock.
You can also upload your images to Pixabay or Unsplash and share them with the world without being charged. Once people start noticing your photos, they’ll start asking for higher resolution. Then, you can charge for it instead of giving it away for free. This way will have the chance to demonstrate your shots to the world and sell them online.
How much can you earn from photography?
Answer: It depends on the type of photography you are working on. For a business or company, prices can be hundreds of rupees to thousands for a single project. If you sell on stock sites, you set the price for each photo.
Your earning also depends on if you are an artist, professional photographer, or photojournalist.
Is photography still profitable?
Answer: Yes, it is profitable. The camera and equipment are cheap, but you need to be a good photographer. Interesting images sell more! So, become a good photographer first. The ways to make money are many as per your experience.
That’s it! Do some additional research before jumping into any way mentioned above. This way, you’ll know what to expect and how much you will gain from your work.
Good Luck!
Other ways to make money online
| Make money on Instagram
| Make money on Facebook
| Earn money without investment
