How to make money from taking photos - and you don't need to be a professional photographer
Photography is an art form that can take years to learn.
But the good news is, there are plenty of ways for amateur photographers to make
money as they learn the craft.
These are great side hustle tips while you learn how to take professional-level
photographs.
Sign up to a stock site
Stock photo sites are always looking for relevant and interesting new photos. They are
used by businesses who need to use images for their marketing and websites but don’t
have the resources to create the images themselves. Moneymaker's favorites include
Shutterstock and Adobe Stock, but there are lots out there to choose from.
You take photos and upload them to the site, earning a commission each time it is
downloaded. You’ll need to make sure the photos are good quality, and that you have a
signed release form for any people included in them as models.
But you don’t need to have people at all! Images can be of anything – office supplies,
kitchen equipment, woodlands or landscapes, or anything at all. You can use whatever
you have around the house – perfect at Christmas time when you’ve got decorations
out to make festive stock photographs, too. Make sure you don’t feature any product
logos, just to ensure you don’t accidentally breach copyright.
Become an event photographer
This one takes some practice but this is a good time of year to offer your services at a
lower rate while you build your portfolio. Festive events are a great way to help
businesses with their marketing, as they’ll love to have photos of crowds at their
Christmas market stall or a busy shop with queues out of the door.
You could also offer services as a nightclub photographer to help with their social
media marketing. Remember, if you take photos of people you need to make sure that
you have permission to share (in event venues, this could be as simple as a sign at
the door stating that they can opt-out by telling you).
Set up a print-on-demand shop
If you’re creative and want to get your photographs on everything from mugs to
hoodies and prints for the wall, an online on-demand print shop could be for you.
There is some setup required, but once it is up and running it will be low maintenance.
Upload your designs and photos – which must be your original work – and choose
which merchandise you’d like to have them on. Sites like RedBubble and Zazzle let
people order things on demand – which means you’re not responsible for ordering and
purchasing loads of stock in advance of selling them. You only pay the costs of each
item ordered and the shipping, and keep the profit. A third party is responsible for the
printing and delivery, too.
Create a photography blog
While social media such as TikTok feels like it’s taken over, blogs are still a great way to
make money through advertising revenue if you set them upright. Or, create a vlog with
YouTube or TikTok instead!
Document your journey as a new photographer, share your experiences (good AND
bad – people respond well to honesty), and engage with audiences by asking their
thoughts on your work. Choose a niche to help you focus your audience and work, too.
For example, a popular corner of photographer Instagram is for street photographers,
stopping random people to take their portraits. Always get clear permission, of
course!
Sell prints of your work
Creating prints of your work, framed and unframed, can be a great way to make money
if you find the right target audience. Prepare for Christmas 2025 by creating a thorough
portfolio of photographs in the next few months. Then, choose your favorites.
Spend time making prints ahead of the next festive season, and find ways to frame
them, too. This could be traditional frames but also lit frames, Perspex blocks, and
even snow globes. Sign up for craft and Christmas fairs this year to get a notification in
2025 of when stalls are released for booking. Christmas craft fairs can be lucrative if
you have enough stock – so get started now!
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