Are you good at photography and want to earn money from it? This is certainly possible: think about taking photos on assignment, selling photos and much more. In this article you will get the answer to the question “how can you make money with photography?”
Photography, everyone does it. But some people can do this just a little bit better than others. If you have talent for this, then you might consider making an income from it. An income is of course a big word, so definitely start slowly. Take it on a small scale and if successful, you can expand. Please don’t quit your regular job right away, because you don’t know in advance how something like this will develop.
I share with you below a few possibilities. Some rough waters I’ve been through myself, others I’ve seen from fellow photographers around me. Here we go:
1. Photographing on assignment as a self-employed person
This is immediately a big step, but one with many possibilities. Do you have a business or Chamber of Commerce and VAT number and are you registered as a photographer? Then you can immediately do a lot of things: photographing weddings, portraying families, making business portraits, capturing events… You name it, it’s possible. And you can choose whether you do it as a sideline activity (in a secondary occupation) or full time!
I took this step in 2021 and I still don’t regret it: I can take on different assignments and really do what makes me happy: being behind the lens!
Wondering how to start for yourself? Read here how to become self-employed.
2. Volunteer to photograph for an organization
Maybe you don’t want to go big right away, but prefer to start in familiar territory. A lot of local initiatives like cultural centers, community centers and local weeklies also need photos: you can sign up as a photographer and in a lot of cases you can earn something on the side too. Such a thing is called a volunteer allowance and this can sometimes be interesting, although it is not much.
I did this on a regular basis. Most of all, I enjoyed it, was able to expand my network and that small compensation was nice.
3. Photographing as a freelancer without self-employed status
Some people have salaried jobs and would like to take on photography assignments, but do not want to become self-employed, which is totally fine. To give those people the opportunity for freelance work as well, platforms like Smart that can help you set up contracts between you and your client. These intermediaries do charge a commission.
I have no personal experience with this, but I come across it regularly. Furthermore, this approach is not without controversy, it occasionally comes up in a Belgian parliament.
4. Working as a salaried photographer
Years ago this was very common; today you see it less and less. Nevertheless, there are apparently so and so occasionally still companies that hire employed photographers: think of businesses that offer school or portrait photography. Also, there would still be newspapers and magazines on this globe that employ photographers.
Personally, I haven’t really come across any employed photographers in recent years. The majority really seem to be self-employed.
5. Print and sell photos – through a laboratory
Another way to make money with photography is to offer your images for sale. You can offer some strong images for sale, such as through your website. Perhaps you know of a good photo lab that can provide high-quality prints that you then ship to your clients.
I am regularly asked if I sell prints. I am always open to that and until 2022 I worked mostly with a Belgian and a Dutch company that could provide high-quality prints. Since shipping was also partly my responsibility, I thought this was a rather time-consuming activity.
6. Print and sell photos – through a print on demand platform
Since working with both a print and logistics company can be quite cumbersome, you can also consider outsourcing the entire printing and shipping process: there are numerous print on demand (POD) platforms available today. These are companies that have a website where you can upload your photos. A visitor to the site can then order a photo of yours, after which this company will print and ship the photo. Most of the proceeds go to the POD platform, a smaller portion to the photographer. An example of a POD platform is the Dutch company Werk aan de Muur.
Working with POD platforms is done by location-independent photographers. Would you also like to photograph location-independently? Read here how you can become a digital nomad as a photographer!
7. Becoming a stock photographer
You must like doing this: you are going to create images that can be downloaded very often and you will get commission on them. This is always in demand, but the compensation per image can be quite disappointing.
Not a bad word about stock photographers, but as a web designer (that’s what I am as well) I still try to use as many unique images as possible for websites I build. Stock photos I avoid as much as possible, as do AI images. After all, generating an AI photo takes as much energy as charging your phone! To choose standard photography, then, is to choose sustainability.
8. Selling photos at an exhibition
Do you have a rock-solid series of photos that you want to exhibit? Then you might want to think about holding an exhibition. Choose your images carefully, have them printed on high-quality material and hang them in a nice way on a wall in a place where many people come. You can write your prices clearly with the pictures, so that interested people might decide to buy.
Organizing photo exhibitions is really a huge amount of work: I have been participating in exhibitions since 2014, but I try to limit myself to group exhibitions because otherwise I don’t have time to shoot and to build websites. If you exhibit in group, then you can divide the much work between you.
Other ways
Of course, there are other methods of earning your money with photography. How about teaching a workshop? Say you are strong in fashion photography with daylight, you could devote an entire course to that and then sell it. There are also photographers who frequently participate in competitions. Usually this is not free, but those who win can get something nice out of it: think gift certificates, for example.
See, photography is serious business, but you can make it as professional as you want. I wish you every success!
Article updated June 1, 2025.