How to make money from taking photos

 

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!