As with any career, being motivated to work is key to success. For most people, spending hours every day in front of the computer or camera isn’t their favorite thing to do.
Most photographers don’t have millions invested in equipment so they must find other ways to make money.
In this article, we will discuss some easy ways that professional travel photogs make money. Many of these strategies can be done from anywhere around the world!
We will also talk about some great resources where you can learn more about how to start making money as a traveling photographer.
This article will not contain information pertaining to what gear is needed to be successful as a traveler, but it WILL help you launch into business mode.
Selling photos
Many professional travel photographers do not focus on capturing new pictures, but instead work to hone their already good pictures. They may edit and enhance an existing picture or take creative steps to make a given scene look interesting and unique.
Many have a website with photo galleries that they use to showcase and sell their photography. This is usually done through sites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Getty Images, who offer premium access to their stock photo libraries for custom publishing.
These subscription services give you unlimited usage of some of their vast collections so you don’t need to worry about running out of space to store your photos. Some even allow you to upload your own!
By adding royalty free images to your site via these subscriptions, you can boost traffic to your page while still keeping all of the profits for yourself. More people viewing your pages means more income for you. It’s a win-win situation!
Another way most pro photogs make money is by selling prints and other merchandise related to their field. Most have websites or social media accounts that feature this material.
Running such a site takes time to update, maintain, and grow though, which is why many pros develop ecommerce plugins or other ways to easily add saleable content onto their site.
Create and sell products
As we mentioned before, being a professional photographer doesn’t necessarily mean you’re making a ton of money. It does however make it possible to live a comfortable lifestyle without too much stress.
The truth is that most travel photographers are just like any other type of artist – they have to market their work in order to earn a living. This can be done many ways, but one of the more popular ones is creating and selling related merchandise.
You see, as professional travelers ourselves, some of us carry around lots of cool junk we want to share with the world. Items such as photoshopped pictures or modified recipes, etc. These things are called “products” and they’re what most people who create online stores focus on.
Photographic products are usually sold using website platforms or through private store owners who agree to display your items along with a small portion of profit.
Charge for service
As mentioned earlier, being a professional photographer does not mean free rides forever. This is especially true when it comes to developing your photography business and career. You will need to find ways to make money doing what you love!
Photography is an ever-evolving art form that requires constant education and practice in order to stay competitive. Technically skilled photographers are in high demand with companies looking to use their skills to promote products or services.
Businesses who hire professionals to take photos typically pay per photo or per event. The cost of each photo depends on several things such as the number of people involved, the type of event, etc.
However, even though they may pay per individual shot, most businesses have limited budgets so they tend to buy lots of pictures at once. This gives you the opportunity to upsell additional features like editing or other promotional materials.
There are many ways to make extra money as a traveling photorapher.
Guest blog
A good way to make extra money as a travel photographer is to accept an invitation or challenge to be featured on another site’s blog. This can range from you being invited to share your tips with their audience, to them asking you to do a full shoot of some location or product.
If you are very passionate about a certain place or thing, then marketing yourself online as a professional traveler and influencer is a great way to earn more revenue for your business.
Generalist photographers who have built up a steady stream of income through collaborations may find it difficult to turn down a challenge. If you’re not quite there yet, don’t worry! You can still get paid for writing this article by using our free Paraphrase Tool that checks quality, reliability, and accuracy. It’s never been used before so we’re sure it’ll be read a lot. Try out the tool here now.
Join a tour
Being a professional travel photographer means having a way to make money. Most traveling photogs start their careers as amateur photographers who then learn how to capture beautiful pictures of the world’s beauty for themselves or others.
By offering your services as a freelance photographer, you can pick and choose which tours to join depending on your current needs and what kind of income you want to earn.
There are many ways to make extra money as a traveling photojournalist. Some do not require any special skills but rather depend on being known in the photography community, while other ones take more creativity and skill to achieve success.
Here are some easy ways to make money as a traveling photojournalist that no one ever talks about.
Start your own tour
A lot of professional travel photographers start their career as an amateur photographer who is willing to give up time to take pictures of beautiful places or interesting people. If you have a creative eye and are passionate about taking photos, then offering your services to others can be fun way to make money online.
There are many ways to begin charging for your photography skills, such as through websites that allow you to create an account and offer your services for payment. Many of these sites let you add additional features such as providing a virtual studio so clients don’t need to meet you in person to pay you.
The other option is to work as an affiliate for a company that offers photo tours. You will get paid a small fee per booking, but it’s all done via the web so there is no cost involved except for your computer equipment. Both of these options may not be totally casual —- you will need to keep track of client requests and respond quickly, but they are good routes if you want to turn pro.
Be a vlogger
A growing number of travelers are starting to broadcast their experiences, exploring the world through their own lens. These individuals, referred to as travel vloggers, take very artistic pictures and edit them to make it look like they’re filming a movie or show.
The best way to start traveling and shooting is by simply being yourself and experiencing the place you’re in. Your style will naturally develop as you explore new locations, products, and settings.
Once you have developed your photography skill set, then you can begin experimenting with different styles. There are many free resources available to learn how to do this. You can also buy beginner photo equipment (lenses and cameras) to hone your skills.
Another way to earn money as a traveler photographer is to accept sponsored trips or paid tours of specific destinations. This is not always practical for those who desire to experience the destination independently, but it is an option if you want quick income.
Offer editing services
Many professional travel photographers offer their clients additional services, such as editing photos or making sure that your social media accounts are up to date.
Some give free initial edits, while others ask for a small payment per edit or per account.
These paid services vary in price depending on the amount of work needed and whether you’re asked to do it yourself (in which case it is usually cheaper) or if they take care of it for you (then it can get expensive). Some only do the latter unless you’ve got very little knowledge about Photoshop or other photo editing software.
But no matter what type of editing service he/she offers, make sure to look into their credentials before paying anything. Just because someone says they have a degree in photography doesn’t mean they know how to properly edit pictures!
Editorial quality photographs cost money, so be careful to check out what his/her costs are before agreeing to pay them.