If photography is your passion, a lifelong dream, and a hobby, which you would like to monetize, you are on the right page. The business of photography is difficult to penetrate, due to its high competitiveness and inevitable pitfalls, which every beginner is going to face. So how can one make money on this market?

Let’s talk about the ways of making a living as a photographer: the best ways to land the first gig.

1. Take Passport & Visa Photos

This is truly the simplest and fastest way to capitalize on your photography skills. All you need is your equipment and a small studio, that you can organize at home. Empty one wall, put your camera in front of it, get a decent lighting kit and make sure that you have a good printer.

And certainly, think about the right software to maintain your small business: a photo cropping tool for passport & visa pictures will be very helpful. Photo requirements for documents change rapidly, so in order to keep up and always provide the correct information, use the professional program. It will help you crop the photos to the right size, have an overview of the sales and orders and create a client database to have your business under control.

2. Try Stock Photography

In case you have tons of unused photos on your PC, you could try the stock photography market, which could generate some decent passive income. Check out the most famous agencies like Shutterstock, iStock, Depositphotos, Unsplash, etc. and offer them as many photos as you can. To ensure that your photos are usable, do some market research to find out the current trends and understand the user’s needs.

It is not the easiest business to enter but with proper analysis and a lot of patience, you will get there. To get more information about the subject, please read the complete guide to stock photography.

3. Go into Real Estate Photography

Do you want to get into real estate photography because it’s exciting and potentially profitable? You will have to learn a lot about the real estate business to elicit the best way to present a house: how to make a place cozy and highlight its best features. Besides that, how to set perfect lighting, get wide-angle lens and fitting equipment.

So if you are interested in the business, set up a portfolio with suitable pictures you have taken before, alternatively, go to your friends’ houses and take some great shots there, include a pricing page and you are ready for your first client.

4. Shoot for Local Small Business

Nowadays, every business, regardless of the size or purpose, needs an online presence. Look for new businesses in your area and offer them your service: a restaurant will need photos of their cuisine and beverages, a hotel will require pictures of their buildings and suites and a software development company might want to upload photos of their team.

Think outside the box and you will be surprised, how many financial opportunities a good photographer has at his or her disposal.

5. Write a Photography Blog

This is will a great way to teach other photographers some tricks and spread your wisdom across the globe. It is also a perfect platform to boost the SEO of your own website that will give you a chance to earn a buck by putting ads, doing referrals and reviewing products.

6. Enter Photo Contests

Of course, you might lose but it is a great way to make important connections and get some exposure. Taking part in a photo contest will definitely help you increase the number of your clients and promote your website or social media page. And if you do win, you will receive some great prizes, like professional equipment or cash.

7. Shoot Events

If you are a people person and know how to make everyone around you feel comfortable and relaxed, event shooting might be just right for you. Despite feeling exhausted from being on your feet the whole day, you will have quite a lot of fun: weddings, birthdays, company events, – you get to capture the happiest days of people’s lives.

Getting into the business of photography is not going to be easy. However, if it is a dream of yours and you are prepared to work hard, you will certainly get there.