TIPS Got a Cam? Here are Proven Ways to Make Money Using It!

[Fred W]

Nowadays, it’s almost criminal NOT to have a camera. It doesn’t have to be a fancy one with all those lenses and peripheral gear. Even a smartphone or a tablet has a camera, which is why there is a proliferation of social media platforms dedicated to uploading images taken on a daily (or even hourly) basis - whether it’s selfies, flat-lays of one’s meal pre-devouring, or views of the latest vacation someone has taken. We’ve become an image-saturated culture to the point of overexposing ourselves and our lifestyles, but it does have benefits, as demonstrated by CCTV, dashcams, and other security-related image devices.

But there are people who want to take photos with their camera - be they fancy DSLRs or smartphone cams - not just for everyday posterity purposes, but to actually make a living off of them. If you have a camera and are wondering how to make money from using it, the good news is that there are dozens of resources and opportunities for you to do so. Depending on your camera, photography skills, and the kind of work you are willing to do, there is bound to be something that can keep you busy snapping away and freezing moments in time with your camera - and get some cash for it, too!

Do freelance photography for different industries

So many industries and businesses need fresh and original photography for their websites, catalogues, brochures, and other peripherals and print or digital materials. You can pitch your portfolio to practically any local business, and see what kind of pictures they need which you can take for them. Not all businesses have the kind of budget that can hire an entire advertising agency to take care of their branding and image requirements, so keep the small to medium enterprises in mind when looking for places you can do freelance photography for.

Some of the businesses that always require a photographer include those from the real estate and the hospitality industry. Companies like Airbnb, for instance, always have positions for photographers who can “present all of Airbnb’s spaces beautifully and authentically.” Obeo is also a property finding site on the lookout for freelance photographers who already have their own equipment. Payment is on a per-hour basis and depends on the kind of photography of the property required.

On the other hand, if you want something a little more exciting and if you love celebrities and don’t mind acting like a paparazzo around them, consider submitting to PR Photos. They promise easy uploading with just a few clicks, and you can already start selling your celebrity images to them. You earn a 50% commission on sales, and royalty checks are sent once a month.

Snap some pics and sell them online

Ever wondered where hotels, restaurants, banks, dental offices, and bars get those nice-looking (and often soothing) framed photographs of attractive people, sceneries, and food? They’re mostly from photographers like yourself! Sure, those who can afford a budget specifically for photography and art direction can come up with truly customized compositions that reflect what their business is all about. But more often than not, they’re bought from stock image sites or online selling platforms such as the ones listed below:

• 123RoyaltyFree - great as a launchpad to budding photographers, this site gives photographers a 60% royalty for each of their purchased submitted images.
• BigStockPhoto - with over 68 million stock photos, you know there’s a place for your pictures here, given their wide categories and trending keywords.
• CanStockPhoto - it’s quite easy to submit photos here on CanStockPhoto, and it only takes a day for them to get back to you if they like your submissions!
• Crestock - this is a good platform to start submitting your pictures to. You can earn anywhere between 20 to 40% of each picture you sell through Crestock.
• Dreamstime - a very popular photo-submissions site with millions of current users, Dreamstime boasts of a competitive compensation to photographers who are professional, have a keen eye for composition, and have high-quality photographs to share.
• Etsy - with its emphasis on handmade and OOAK (one-of-a-kind) merchandise, Etsy also has a marketplace for original and unique photographs from its users.
• Fotolia - this Adobe-owned platform gives users credits for every photograph submitted to them, which can then be redeemed for cash.
• PhotoStockPlus - they promote your work to buyers in a no-nonsense manner, which involves your own website and gallery, and “turning your best shots into dollars”.
• PicassoMio - if you pride yourself in your artful photography - not the kind that ends up in generic brochures - then this is the site for you! It specializes in sophisticated and artsy photographs sold to connoisseurs worldwide.
• RedBubble - get a chance to sell the images you took on different merchandise: from posters and prints, through to mugs, T-shirts, stickers, tote bags, and phone cases! Redbubble has a base price tag for each merch so it is up to you to add on your percentage!
• Shutterstock - as one of the more popular and easily recognizable image-selling platforms, Shutterstock pays users 25 cents for each downloaded (purchased) photograph they submit to the site.
• Snapped4U - this site is all about capturing pictures of events and fundraisers, and therefore need photographers all the time! Snapped4U promises a hassle-free submission of event photos to their site.

Document services, get photography assignments and detect images for GPT sites

• WeGoLook (reviewed here) - with the tagline “Eyes on anything. Anytime. Anywhere.”, this site is a field service-oriented one that includes photography in its “Looks” or errands. Some of the photography-related “Looks” include documenting services, areas, or situations required by clients.
• Spare5 (reviewed here) - as an algorithm app, Spare5 needs users to annotate images and isolate elements as part of task completion, as well as to upload photos of ordinary things!
• ImageTwist - you actually get paid for the traffic sent to your uploaded images (depending on the geographical location of people who look at your photos)!
• Scoopshot - designed for freelance photographers, Scoopshot members will receive photo assignments based on their location.

The verdict

I am thoroughly convinced that there will always be jobs open to photographers, whether they are amateurs or professionals. With the proliferation of cameras and image-submission platforms, plus all the industries requiring fresh visuals for their digital and print campaigns, anyone who has a good eye can capture something that someone else will be willing to pay for. The resources I listed and linked above make up only a small fraction of the staggering and legit possibilities of using your camera to earn a little extra cash on the side.

Your turn

Have you ever considered selling the pictures you take with your camera as another source of income? Where and how did you pitch your photographs, and would you recommend them to us here in the forum?

 

[NickBlaine]

Yup, I got a cam! And yes, I’ve attempted to make money using it (not by selling it - at least not yet, haha!).

Now I am in no way a professional photographer. I just like taking pictures for my Instagram account and occasionally doing bird’s eye-view selfies of my scalp to see if my male pattern baldness is getting out of hand. But a friend mentioned WeGoLook as a means to make a bit of cash on the side. It didn’t require much - just that I live in a relatively “large” city (check), have a trusty smartphone camera (check), that I’m 21 years or older (big fat CHECK), and that I am not looking to get rich by way of using this app (okay, fine, check).

So since I passed all those requirements with flying colors, I signed up with WeGoLook and downloaded their app. I immediately saw “jobs” available in my area, so I accepted a few of them. A lot of them involved verifying the location of certain properties, though I got a few interesting ones like documenting the dents on a car that recently got bumped (I’m guessing for insurance purposes).

Honestly, I was hoping for some private investigator-level assignment, but the tasks (or “looks”) here are pretty doable, and to be perfectly honest, BORING. I know it’s to help out people and I did get compensated well for most of the “looks” (it was not hard to make a hundred bucks by being a user for a little over a month), but it could honestly get pretty gopher-like fast.

That being said, I still highly recommend WeGoLook as a legit side hustle. I haven’t been on it for a couple of months because life got in the way, but I’m seriously thinking of accepting more looks, and hopefully getting juicier assignments while I’m at it!

 

[Amy Es]

Taking stock photos is awesome and fun in theory, but taking stock photos for money requires a lot of planning and hard work to make profitable. You can’t just take a few shoots then hope it sells.

If anyone here really wants to earn by taking stock photos, I’ll be adding a few tips on this thread. I have experience art-directing shoots, and used to work closely with photographers, so I’d like to think I now a thing or two about the process. Here goes…

Tell a Story

Most people will only buy one photo from a set. But that doesn’t mean the set shouldn’t tell a complete and coherent story. For example, if the subject of the set is “kid using swing at school playground” don’t just take photos of the kid using a swing. Take pics of the kid walking up to the swing, getting ready to use it. Then take multiple facial expressions, from joy to nervousness. That way you got a lot of bases covered, and there’s a bigger chance one of the images will resonate with a potential buyer.

Use Multiple Models

Of course, you’ll have to spend extra hiring additional models, but this gives your shoot a wider appeal. For example, if you’re already doing a shoot for a kid on a swing, why not do teenagers on a swing? Or even adults on a swing? Since you will already have the location and equipment set-up, you will in effect getting multiple shoots for less hassle.

And not everyone might need a photo of a child. If you take photos of teens and adults, you widen the appeal of your work.

Don't’ be Afraid to Recycle Your Ideas

Just because you already have photos of a kid on a swing, that doesn’t mean you can’t do additional versions of it. You could try doing a shoot at a public park, or in someone’s backyard.

Don’t hesitate to recycle ideas if you feel you can do another version of it. You’ll never know what buyers are looking for. Maybe they want a clear sky, or a cloud sky. You can’t tell, so you might as well widen your scope a little, right?

 

[SavvyTrixieBK]

I love taking pictures. I might try that !

 

[Ben_the_Hobbit]

Etsy is an interesting option if you want to sell stock images for money. The market for photos on Etsy is slightly different from your regular stock photo sites. On stock photos sites like Fotolia, BigStockPhoto, and PhotoStockPlus, the customers are usually corporate, marketing, or advertising people. These professionals use those photos for presentations, slideshows, or compres (advertising studies presented to clients for approval). Basically, it’s all business.

But on Etsy, your customers will be decorators and, homemakers, and they usually have a good eye for artistic quality. If you decide to sell on Etsy, I suggest you sell unique or creative images - like Fred mentioned, it’s a good place to sell one-of-a-kind images.

Compare that with other stock photo sites. On those sites, you’ll want stock photos with a wide appeal. You want the photos to be useable in a wide variety of business-y situations. But on Etsy, you can be a bit more creative and use your images to express artistic ideas.

I think Etsy provides a great opportunity for photographers to make money. When people say Etsy, they’re usually referring to crafts and stuff. Well, I guess artistic photos are crafts, too. But either way, if you want to sell photographs on Etsy, make them with the same attention to detail and artistry you would give to other types of artistic projects.

Good luck, and I hope you can sell photos for money on Etsy!

 

[Holden]

If you want to create stock photos that attract attention (and sell, of course), I suggest focusing on a niche, like office scenes, family scenes, or even outdoor ones. It doesn’t have to be overly elaborate… I mean, how often do people search for stock photos showing the interior of an alien spacecraft with weird tendrils slithering all over the walls? (Although it would be awesome if someone did that!) Usually people, search for basic stuff like office scenes and generic scenes.

I know it’s been recommended to find a special niche that isn’t being fulfilled. But I happen to think generic stock photo scenes are also worth doing, especially if you don’t have the means to make fancy production settings or are just beginning.

They key is to use locations that you pass by often. If there’s a park on the way to work, you can shoot there. Or if there’s an unused warehouse nearby, that would make an interesting location for moody stock photo themes. Or heck, you could even use the boardroom in your own office! (You might have to ask permission of your building admin, of course).

They key if you’re starting out is to keep it simple and uncomplicated.

 

[Kanvi]

If you want to create stock photos that attract attention (and sell, of course), I suggest focusing on a niche, like office scenes, family scenes, or even outdoor ones. It doesn’t have to be overly elaborate… I mean, how often do people search for stock photos showing the interior of an alien spacecraft with weird tendrils slithering all over the walls? (Although it would be awesome if someone did that!) Usually people, search for basic stuff like office scenes and generic scenes.

I know it’s been recommended to find a special niche that isn’t being fulfilled. But I happen to think generic stock photo scenes are also worth doing, especially if you don’t have the means to make fancy production settings or are just beginning.

They key is to use locations that you pass by often. If there’s a park on the way to work, you can shoot there. Or if there’s an unused warehouse nearby, that would make an interesting location for moody stock photo themes. Or heck, you could even use the boardroom in your own office! (You might have to ask permission of your building admin, of course).

They key if you’re starting out is to keep it simple and uncomplicated.

Holden, do you know if any specific cameras are required or if it just comes down to resolution, meaning most newer smartphones can be used for this as well, or is it only for people with digital cameras and SLRs?

 

[Holden]

Kanvi: Some sites require a minimum of 4 megapixels. But I definitely recommend you get a camera with better capabilities – it shouldn’t be hard to find an affordable one in 2018. Your 4 megapixel photo might look okay as it is, but keep in mind that some people will want to crop your photos. A few people even like to turn group shots into portraits, which is pretty funny. A larger dimension will allow them to crop the photo without compromising quality too much.

So my personal recommendation is a DSLR with at least 10 megapixels, preferably full-frame. If you could afford a better camera, go for it. I haven’t played around with mirrorless cameras yet (I’ve been using my trusty five year old Canon). But again, if you can afford it, go for it.

The truth is, how good your photos look will be the final deciding factor, provided it meets a certain requirement. I’m pretty sure a buyer will purchase your photograph if it’s the right one, regardless of whether it’s 12 megapixels or 10 megapixels. So as soon as you get a decent enough kit, don’t get too caught up in the technicalities; spend more time honing your craft.

 

[June]

Some great resources here on how to make money using your camera! I give an additional thumbs up to your mention of Redbubble, which my husband and daughter are currently using for their little creative venture. My daughter creates illustrations and my husband uses a digital process to combine his own photographs with our daughter’s drawings, and then submits it on this print-on-demand platform. It isn’t anything they are planning to get rich on, but it is teaching our daughter some basic commerce lessons, and also hopefully adding a layer of protection from the kind of copyright theft she woefully experienced at such a young age on some social media platforms.

At any rate, they love Redbubble because it’s easy enough to navigate and use even for newbies. It’s not complicated to track the kind of profit they make because of the base price system - they simply need to add a markup on each product and that’s pretty much their profit. My daughter’s and husband’s designs seem to go bit on those looking for baby and kids’ merch, and they love that! They’ve chosen to get paid via PayPal, and so far it’s gone great for them. There have been no hitches, and customer support has been awesome!