Are you someone who picked up photography as a hobby and is now considering earning money? The most popular way is obviously to find real clients who need some better photos. Client work is mostly business-related or some personal events. But if you are someone like me who doesn’t want to do direct photoshoots and wants to avoid the hustle of dealing with clients, then my friend, you will have to think outside the box. In this article, I will share some already-tested methods to earn remotely and some less-known methods you can try your luck with.
Selling Stock Photos:
This method of earning money with photography has been around for years. Platforms like Alamy, Getty Image, Shutterstock, Freepik, and Adobe Stock have been money-making machines for thousands of photographers. Even newer platforms like Unsplash and Pixabay, which are primarily free image-sharing platforms, offer options to sell photos for money.
Alternatively, if you can generate a decent social media following on Instagram or Facebook, you can sell directly to customers. For that purpose, you will need to do research and cold/warm outreach one-on-one.
Selling Printables:
This is another method that has gained a lot of popularity. Platforms like Etsy and Fine Art America have made this process easier. You just provide some platform fees, and these platforms take care of everything related to customer fulfillment. I recently came across another platform called darkroom.com. Setting up a digital fine art shop is very simple and easy with darkroom. This method of selling can also be done from your social media platform. But in that case, your customer will only get the high-resolution image from you. The customer will print and frame it. So, it’s not exactly an easy sell.
The scope of selling printables is not bound by just providing wall art. You can use your photos to sell customized t-shirts, mugs, and even wish cards.
Online Lessons:
This approach is hard to execute. You will need to build an audience first before you can expect paying customers. Show your photography and editing skills in different ways on social media to gain followers. If people do not recognize your skills, then they will not come to learn from you. And there are tons of established photographers already doing it, so the barrier to entry is higher. To have a better chance at succeeding, you can offer one-on-one coaching first. Switch to pre-recorded lesson plans when there is enough demand for your lessons that one-on-one coaching becomes impossible.
Blogging:
If you like to write and want to tell people about your journey, your processes, and your struggles, you can start blogging. This process is time-consuming but has the potential to earn you big money. From Adsense to affiliate marketing, the earning potential from blogging is massive.
Editing Service
You can earn a few bucks by providing photo editing services remotely. Target people like travel influencers who lack editing skills. Package your services for different price points and contact as many influencers as possible. Again, to do this successfully, you will need a good social media profile. Otherwise, you will struggle to find customers.
Many of these methods depend on social media, so do not ignore that. If you have enough skills and are willing to spend enough time finding customers, then it should not be too hard to start earning remotely with your photography skills.
