If you’ve been taking photos for a number of years now, it’s probably a safe bet that your hard drive and memory cards are full of great images of people, pets, places and more. In a cost-of-living crisis, your camera, lenses and assorted accessories may seem hard to justify, but the reality is that there are many great opportunities out there to get paid for your images and turn those pixels into pounds.
Shooting images for brands and clients in industries related to your area of photographic expertise is a great way to supplement your income, and like some of the photographers you’ll hear from over the following pages, you might even find it so lucrative that you can ditch the day job and start working as a professional photographer. Being a jobbing photographer isn’t for the faint-hearted, but if you’re persistent, build a nice portfolio and stay abreast of imaging trends and changing client needs, there’s no reason why you can’t make a great living from photography.
But mastering your camera isn’t enough to make a successful career. You must also have a good business head to understand the value of your time and work. And, most importantly, you need to keep on top of what visual styles are growing in demand.
To help you on your journey, we’ve spoken to professional photographers from a variety of different genres and asked them to share their insights into how they price their work, what they’ve learned about the business side of photography and what trends they see rising in their corner of the industry.
A quick pricing formula
There is no ‘set’ answer for setting prices as it depends on your genre, clients and level of experience. But here’s a useful approach from multi-genre photographer and trainer, Denise Maxwell – see the facing page for more of her tips.
Work out what you
