How to Make Money as a Hobby Photographer

Hobbies are a great way to unwind and tap into your talents and skills. While some can be very expensive; although they do not need to be, most are virtually free and can even open you up to ways of making money from them. A great example of such a hobby is photography. Anyone can be a great photographer regardless of the kind of equipment or camera they are using. 

If you have discovered, practiced, and fallen in love with the art of photography but are now wondering how to make money with a photography hobby, you are in luck. In this article, we are going to discuss the simple but fun ways in which you can make money as a hobby photographer. Whether you are a beginner or have been in it for a while, there is something for everyone and we will help you figure it out.

How to Make Money with a Photography Hobby

Making money with your photography does not have to be complicated nor expensive. With a little ‘out of the box’ thinking and a creative eye, you can be able to make money using what you already have. Here is how;

Equipment

It is no secret that photography equipment is very expensive to purchase even for professional photographers. Therefore, since you are trying to make money and not to take away from what you have, we suggest that you make use of your smartphone. 

There are many good quality, affordable smartphones in the market today, maybe you already have one. These phones tend to have a high-quality camera resolution that will work just fine taking photos. 

Software

Most often than not, photos need to be fine-tuned before they are presented to the clients. Many free and paid photo editing applications are now available. They are all equipped to help ease with editing and organizing pictures on your phone or computer. Some examples of free photo editing apps include; Canva, Fotor, VSCO, Snapseed, and Instasize amongst many others.

Be inspired

These editing apps will help strengthen your photography.

Money Making Ideas

Look out for inspiration from other artists but do not be a copycat. There are a lot of good, professional photographers all over social media working in different lines of work. Seek to learn a thing or two about photography from them.

Develop your style and keep it authentic

You will always be at an advantage when doing what you love and are authentic to it. Besides, you are doing it as a hobby, you should therefore be able to have fun while at it. People that will resonate with your type of art will find you and will appreciate your work. 

Selling Stock Photos

Selling stock photos is a great and easy way of making money with your photography hobby. how to make money at 14 without a job. Stock photographers on average can be paid about $1-$5 for one photo. Therefore, to be able to make a substantial amount by selling stock photos you need to be able to dedicate yourself to upload as many photos as you can.

You could also opt to sign up on multiple sites, this will help increase your earning potential. For this, you need to carefully go through the terms and agreements of each site. Some sites, by buying your photo, will also be buying exclusive rights.  

Shoot the masses

Are you a fan of attending outdoor events such as sports and festivals? If yes, then this can turn out to be a great way of making money from your photography hobby by simply taking great pictures of the masses and selling them through your website, as stock photos, or even to local magazines seeking to do a write up of the event. 

High demand pictures often sell well, therefore you can make up to $1000 after a major sporting or carnival event. 

Work as a Second Shooter

Professional photographers are always looking for a second shooter when going to cover huge events such as a wedding or a graduation party. While some do not pay their helpers, others are willing to pay a second shooter only if it is at a reasonable price. 

Therefore, if you know a photographer who usually covers huge events, you could ask to be their second at a small fee. This not only helps you enhance your photography skills but also provides an opportunity for networking with potential clients. 

Since most events happened during the weekends, you will be at an advantage as it will help you make extra money doing what you love in your free time. 

Photo Contests

Although this is not a guaranteed way of making money, photo contests are a great way of making money as a hobby photographer. 

There are many legit photo contests available online with a variety of prizes to be won either in the form of cash or photography equipment. If you are keen on making money, you should only seek to participate in those contests that offer cash rewards. 

If your photo wins any of the contests you apply to, you could easily make up to $2000 and it is as easy as uploading any one of your photos to a contest website. If you have a collection of pictures, you could submit to several contests and pray for your luck. 

However, even if you do not win, you are most likely to get some feedback from the judges who in most cases are professional photographers. This will help you enhance your skills further. 

Sell to Websites, Blogs, and Magazines

Editors and bloggers are always on the lookout for good quality images to use for their content. They will work closely with photographers who are able to submit photos on a specific niche upon request. 

To get started, contact your local magazines and bloggers in your area of interest and ask for possible freelance work. You could offer to provide them with photos of local events or any other type of photo they might need. 

Since this job is not demanding, it makes it the perfect side hustle for a hobby photographer. 

Sell Editing Presets

The process of editing photos is daunting even to experienced photographers. If you have perfected your editing skills, you will be surprised to know that you can easily make passive income by selling your presets. 

Create your presets and group them into categories that reflect certain editing styles for example; black and white, vintage, etc. This way it will be easy for people to select the edits that best suit them. 

You can easily sell your presets through your website, social media pages, or through an online selling platform such as Etsy. 

Greeting cards and Postcards

With the perfect shot, you can make money with the same photograph several times for as long as you would wish to have the photo on sale.  

People are always looking for the perfect greeting cards and postcards to send to their loved ones, most especially during holidays. 

Bottom Line 

Being a hobby photographer can never be a limiting factor of making money through photography regardless of the niche you choose to work in, be it nature, animals, people, or any other random stuff. All you need to know is where best you can sell your photos at the best price. You’ll also need to know your best-selling work and strive to produce more of that. 

The power is now in your hands, get out there, take pictures, and use any of the ideas mentioned above to start making money from your photography hobby.