How To Get Paid For Photography

Calling all shutterbugs: photography can be so much more than a fun hobby — if you’re super talented and willing to put your nose (or camera) to the grindstone, then you may have an incredibly fulfilling career in front of you. From ways to eek out some extra cash from your snap-happy addiction to popular full-time career options with lots of freedom, here’s how to get paid for photography:

Sell to Stock Photo Sites: The upside to this kind of gig? Many stock sites are fine with working with amateurs, as long as you’re talented. The downside? You have to take a LOT of photos to make decent money, since photographers often only get between 30 and 50 percent of the cut on a photo that sells — and some photos sell for as cheaply as one dollar. Still, selling your photos to stock photo companies is an easy way to turn a passionate hobby into a side gig, or something more. Check out well-known sites like istockphoto.com and Shutterstock.com to see how you can begin submitting photos (keep in mind you’ll typically need model releases if you’re submitting photos of people). While these sites do work with talented amateurs, you are expected to use professional-grade equipment, especially a DSLR camera. If you don’t have pro tools, consider submitting to Foap, a stock photography app that accepts cool-looking photos taken with mobile devices.

Capture Wedded Bliss as a Wedding Photographer: Seems like every other DSLR camera owner is a wedding photographer these days — but that’s because the wedding industry is BOOMING, with no signs of slowing down. That also means competition is stiff in this field, and you have to be willing to give up a lot of weekends to make it work. If you’re passionate about capturing love on camera, then you can try and stick your foot in the water as a “second shooter” who assists a main photographer during a wedding; second shooters take the can’t-miss pics that the photographer doesn’t have time to capture. If you plan to start your own photography business full time, consider taking a business class to help get you started and study up on marketing basics — because a wedding photographer that brides have never heard of isn’t a wedding photographer at all.

Show a House’s Best Side Real Estate Photographer: A picture’s worth a thousand words, right? That’s what real estate agents are banking on when they hire photographers to shoot the homes that they’re putting on the market. The real estate game is super competitive these days, and having high-quality photos for potential buyers to browse online can make or break how quickly a home sells — and for how much. Real estate photographers must have a keen eye for capturing architectural detail and shooting a home with its best face forward. Like with wedding photographers, real estate photographers typically own their own businesses, and solid communication skills is key, since you’ll have to go back and forth with agents on what to photograph within and around the home.

Shoot for Magazines and Commercial Work: For this photography career path, it’s all about building a portfolio in a specialty, like food, fashion, travel, or the outdoors. Magazines want to work with experts in their fields, and that includes photographers! To start out, try submitting to smaller regional magazines or trade publications (magazines produced for a very niche audience) before working your way up to your favorite newsstand titles. Perhaps one day you’ll score a position as a staff photographer, or if you prefer, you can stay a freelancer forever and revel in your freedom to shoot for a variety of publications.

Do you know of other ways to get paid for photography? Share your insights with us in the comments below!