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Let’s face it, photography can be a pretty expensive hobby. And as your skills improve (and your wishlist grows), you may find yourself wondering if you can start earning back some of the money you put into it. The bad news is, we live in a time of widespread technology, which means, just about everyone is capable of taking at least half ay decent photos. The photography job market is shrinking by the day, and it’s becoming harder and harder to earn a full time living off the art.
The bad news is, we live in a time of widespread technology, which means, just about everyone is capable of taking at least half ay decent photos. The photography job market is shrinking by the day, and it’s becoming harder and harder to earn a full time living off the art.
The good news is, there are still plenty of opportunities to earn side money off your photography. At least enough to help pay for that new lens you’ve had your eye on.
Local Event Photography
Events can come in all different shapes and sizes. Depending on where you live and what you’re shooting specialties are, an event could be anything from a bat mitzvah, a graduation ceremony, a company party, and so.
Sports Photography
Contact local sports teams and present them with some opportunities to have team portraits taken or cover a big event. You can reach out to little leagues, schools, universities, and even smaller neighborhood leagues if you happen to be in the loop! 
Operate A PhotoBooth
While “photobooth operator” may not sound as glorious as “professional photographer”, there is still a big market for photo booths in the party and event markets. This can also provide you with good networking opportunities for your side event or portrait photography business.
Real Estate Photography
If you’re into architectural photography, you might want to consider picking up some real estate photography gigs. You won’t need a lot of gear to get the photos real estate agents are after, which makes your initial startup investment much lower, than say, portrait photography where you may need to invest in a slew of lighting accessories.
Take some practice shots of you and your friend’s houses and send your portfolio over to a few local realtors to see if they have any projects you could help them with.
Marketing Skills Will Take You A Long Way
In fact, you may go so far to say that brilliant marketing skills paired with mediocre shooting skills will take you farther than mediocre marketing and brilliant shooting skills. If you want to earn a living from your photography, you have to know how to market yourself! It’s well worth spending some time researching and studying marketing to help get your side business off the ground. Hire a freelance graphic designer to whip up a flyer or brochure with some packages and examples of your work. Make sure they’re printer friendly so you can have some copies made to hand out, mail, and hang up in various locations.
But, to get you started, you can hire a freelance graphic designer to whip up a flyer or brochure with some packages and examples of your work. Make sure they’re printer friendly so you can have some copies made to hand out, mail, and hang up in various locations. You have to start somewhere, take the leap!
