It’s #TravelTuesday and I, Dave Williams, am here, and I’m excited for the Making Money with Your Photography conference that starts today! I’ll be talking about how to make money with your travel photography in the conference, but I also have a class all about making money as a side hustle over on KelbyOne. Side hustling is exactly what I want to talk to you about today. Let’s do it.
It’s becoming increasingly more common to see people talking about having a side hustle on social media posts. The methods range from real estate and crypto, all the way down to paid surveys and affiliate marketing. As photographers we have the ability to create amazing content, telling stories through our images. Having this skill makes us valuable and it means we can cash in on our photography. Here are some ideas for side hustles in photography.
Social Media Influencer
Focusing our attention on social media to build and sustain an engaged following makes us valuable as an influencer in the world of marketing. My new book, The Eiffel Tower Effect, (register for release information here) is all about how to make photos that stand out and details how the algorithm works. We can all, with a distinct, consistent style and quality content, can convert our engagement into revenue. Social media posts on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube can easily make us a side hustle income with a little work in our free time.
Mircostock
Every photo we see out in the wild, such as those on news websites, magazines, advertising and in books, comes from somewhere. More often than not these images come from stock libraries, such as Adobe Stock or Getty Images. We can make a side hustle income with only a little work by shooting specifically for stock, or by submitting our ‘spare’ images the didn’t quite make the cut for the intended shoot. We all have lots of photos on our hard drive, and while they stay there they aren’t doing anything for us. All the images in our library that didn’t make the cut for the portfolio or the original client can be making us money.
Studio Sessions
Having a back for portraiture and building up a portfolio can make us side hustle money. Renting studio space and booking time slots for individuals or groups that cover the cost of the rent and add a little profit is a win-win for us and the client. Lots of people are looking for up-to-date headshots and portraits, and a few hours back-to-back shooting using a replicated lighting set-up not only makes us some money, but it also builds our brand through testimonials and referrals.
With these ideas to work from and plenty of other options out there, I’d love to see you all monetise your skill and talent as a photographer. Learn more at the conference or class I’ve linked above, and have a great rest of the week!
Much love
Dave
