The extensive photographer training and the expensive equipment do not always have to be. Even as an amateur photographer, you can earn money when you start out and offer your photos for sale with an online gallery.
The snapshot in nature sometimes succeeds just as convincingly as the shots of people who appear completely unadulterated in the amateur’s proximity. Useful tips and basics will pave your way to success.
Start your own business with photography
Taking photos at every opportunity: thanks to smartphones and the small, functional compact cameras, this trend has long been widespread. With a little talent and practice, you can take pictures that would please not only your friends, but also a wider circle of people.
Maybe you’ve even been asked about it directly or have a large number of followers on your social media account who are enthusiastic about your photos. But at the latest, if you have already thought about building up a second livelihood with photography, it’s worth taking a look at our offer.
Earn money – but the right way
If you want to start your own photography business, the first step is a formal one. This applies regardless of whether you are a hobby photographer or have learned the craft. If you want to generate income from the sale and reproduction of your photographs, you must register this activity. The tax office and the chamber of handicrafts as well as the trade office should know from the beginning that you want to earn money with your hobby.
But don’t worry, apart from a rather modest fee for registration, you won’t have to pay much for the time being. For the Chamber of Crafts and the trade, there are tax-free amounts for the turnover, which must first be exceeded. If you are insured with your main job in a statutory health insurance, you must inform them about your additional income.
1. Specialize
Once this important preparatory work has been completed, there is nothing standing in the way of the start. Anyone who has ever tried – or even succeeded – in selling their photos knows for sure that even a good photo doesn’t become a bestseller on its own. It wants to be seen. The thousandth shot of a ripe winter landscape or the sunset at the beach may still be so beautiful.
The photos get lost in the multitude of these shots. Specialization is one of the prerequisites that pave the way to success. Do you like to spend your free time on sports, outdoor activities or city tours? Then that’s where many of your shots were taken. Perfect the standard of your photography here, then with a little luck you can earn the necessary money for these leisure activities as an amateur photographer.
2. Become visible
Another issue is visibility. Even your own shop must first be found by potential buyers. Advertising is therefore an indispensable topic. An appealing homepage, the regularly maintained blog and the well-considered appearance in the social media are helpful here. Interesting text content is also one of the basic requirements for you and your photos to be found. Here, relevant keywords must be mentioned so that your page shows up in the search engines.
Texts with the so-called added value invite to a longer stay on your homepage or blog. This in turn leads to better results in the search engine ranking. Additional clients can bring a professional advertising on the Internet platforms. However, this requires a certain amount of know-how so that the money for the advertising measures is really well invested.
3. Spin a (social) web
Social networks can do a lot, but time must be invested there as well. Linking to others alone is of little use. Activity is what is needed here. This effort will only be successful if a win-win situation is achieved for everyone involved. The people in the networks should also profit from your recordings, your knowledge, which is also sometimes passed on without payment.
Every comment on the net is advertising – or the opposite, always remember! Another way to become visible on the Internet are entries in online directories. They should also be designed the way you want to be seen: Reliable, serious, without lurid advertising, without spam. Less is usually more when it comes to advertising. Once it is perceived as intrusive, there is no second chance for a successful sale.
4. The product must be right
You’ve made it this far? Great, then you certainly bring a useful quality to earn money. Perseverance is also required of you as an amateur photographer. Nothing can be done from one day to the next. But the most important thing is still missing: your photo! In order to sell successfully, the product must be right.
So don’t miss any opportunity to learn more about photography. Tutorials on the Internet, the course in the adult education center, trade magazines and the exchange with professional and semi-professional photographers bring you to a higher level. See award-winning photos and respond to others’ opinions by critiquing your own photographs. Let yourself be carried away by the enthusiasm of others on the way to your own success!
