Photography – From A Hobby To A Side Hustle:

We had discussed enough on whether to buy a DSLR / SLR Camera or not for photography in the parent post already.

As a continuation, this post will give some more insights on how to turn your photography skill into a side hustle. Especially for those who already own a camera and also for those who wanted to buy a new one to pursue their hobby.

Let us Hop On…

Image Credit: Pixabay

Yes, as I said there are ways to monetize the photography skill with some extra effort and determination from your side. Maybe some of you already know about few things that you are gonna come across down this post.

I am a little bad when it comes to Photography and it is not my cup of tea. I am jotting down this content here by keeping the knowledge I had gained from various sources on the web. Before, we move on further let me also share this piece of information too about the images we see when we Google.

Good To Know:

– Please be informed that we are not supposed to use the images we find in Google for our personal or commercial use.

– The reason behind is that most of the stunning photographs we see and download from Google search are copyrighted.

– The owner of an image can sue us anytime for using their captures without their consent. So, be cautious while using the snaps from the web especially for commercial use.

A Copyrighted / Free To Use Images:

Hmm, here is how one can identify whether an image is a copyrighted one or free to use for commercial purpose.

The Steps:

1. Go to Google website on your PC.
2. Click on Settings.
3. Select the option Advanced Search.
4. Select the drop-down on the option “Usage Rights”.
5. Choose the option “Free to use, share or even commercially / Free to use, share, modify or even commercially “.

Still, Need To Use Others Photographs?

– If you need to use the captures of others for commercial purpose then please contact the owner and check whether you can use their photographs.

– Buy it for a price if you need to use them for commercial purposes.

– One more thing to do is to provide citations about the user or their website while using their photographs in your website or a blog. By providing citations, you can ensure that you are not involved in Plagiarism.

The Traditional Approach:

We all know about the traditional approach which can be followed to make money out of photography, for example, running a Photo Studio. But, that approach would need you to concentrate much on your studio full time overriding the meaning of the term “Side Hustle”.

Image Credit: Pixabay

So, how to make money as a part-time photography professional in parallel to the regular active job?

Please remember that your active full-time job is a must have until you create a stable parallel path to go over with your side hustle. People who jump right onto their side hustle leaving their full-time job are most likely to fail after few years. So, your current active income is a must, at least in the initial stages.

The Modern Approaches:

Image Credit: Pixabay

• Create a website or blog or a Facebook page to showcase your photographic skills.

– This is mandatory as your side hustle rely a lot on the internet followed by word of mouth.

• Speak to your friends and see if you can help them capture the great moments of their upcoming family occasion or their kids birthday party.

– Ask your friend to share those photographs on their social media page with your name or company name watermarked on it in return.

• Once after the breakthrough, you can start setting the package based rates according to the nature of the occasion.

– Maybe you know about this trend already. There are couples who take a photographer with them during their honeymoon trips. Here the photographer gets free travel ticket, accommodation, food and also gets money for taking the couples pictures at the time of site seeing.

• Either you create your work for the available markets or find the market where you can sell your skills.

• When it comes to photography, sticking to a particular genre would help a lot. I am saying this because there is a huge volume of photography hobbyists who concentrates on Nature. So think different and be creative.

• Stick to a particular niche, for example, capture the photographs of Automobiles alone or food items or modern homes etc.

• Find a blogger/bloggers to whom you can sell the photographs you had captured.

– If the person who buys your photographs does blogging on a particular niche then you should be able to see a continuous cash inflow by providing your captures. But, this may not be the case with the bloggers who write and concentrate on many things.

For example, I do not blog on a particular topic instead cover many areas. So, in cases like this, it is best to be in touch with the blogger on regular basis to get the information about what he/she is planning to write next. That way you can try to capture things based on the need and sell it.

– Connections with more number bloggers lead to more cash inflow.

• Capture things that are trending and things that can be of use to a local newspaper and magazines.

– Emailing them with your captures is one more way to make money.

• Get your captures in a postcard and see whether you can sell it with the help of local stationary shops and fancy stores. You can also sell your captures for creating book covers too.

• Take part in photography contests. They not only open the gate for you to meet many like-minded hobbyists but also gives you more visibility.

• Create a magazine with your captured photos and sell it during the book fair. Kids love pictures book. Hope you got what I am saying. Think different, focus on the areas that most others had overlooked.

• Most of the doctor’s clinic nowadays have digital photo frames. Speak to the receptionist and see whether you can run your stunning photographs with your name watermarked in their digital photo frames.

– This is something you can do at any place where there is a waiting room. Another example is the automobile service centers where they just run the television channels.

• Check with your nearby home appliances showroom. You can display your stunning captures in the Big Screen Smart TV section if they are okay with it. People who come to buy a Smart TV can have a look at your photos. It will not only allow them to decide the smart TV based on the color sharpness with the help of your photographs but also advertise you as your name is on the photographs.

– How you showcase your talents and create visibility is what matters, finally.

• There are sites like pixels.com where you can sell your captures to be on many products like cell phone back covers, canvas prints, and Duvets.

• Submit your photographs to the websites that buy images. There are many websites that buy photographs of others for money.

• Sell your photographs to stock photography agencies.