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Hello, everyone! Today, get excited because I’m about to dive into a bunch of ways that we as photographers can create additional sources of income, and I don’t mean booking more shoots. This is going to apply to all types of photographers out there, whether you’re a wedding photographer like me, or maybe you do branding, or family sessions, or maybe you’re a real estate photographer, or a fashion, sports, events, pet or commercial photographer, you name it. This applies to every single genre.

If this is something that’s been on your mind or perhaps it’s crossed your mind in the past but you’ve blown it off or quickly talked yourself out of it thinking that you don’t have anything to offer, then lean in because there are countless ways to grow your photography business without having to take on more bookings.

Today is going to be about sparking some inspiration, getting your imagination going, or maybe it’s simply going to plant that initial seed in your mind that will grow into something further down the track. Whatever the case, I think there is something in this episode for everyone.

The ultimate level playing field

Firstly why would we even want to go to the trouble of giving ourselves more work by creating a secondary stream of income? Aside from the most obvious reason staring at us which is that it’s more income, the other why is because we’re all capped by the same 24 hours available to us in a day – that’s the ultimate universal level playing field in all of humanity right!

Some of those hours we need to use for sleeping and resting, taking care of ourselves, moving our bodies, spending time with our families and friends, all of that. I’m sure alot of us have experienced burnout before and it’s not fun. I’ve been there too, more than once. The number of jobs we can take on is capped by the number of hours we have available and by the amount of energy we have available, so by default our income is capped by these two factors. If we’ve set our pricing for the year then we are capped by how many jobs we can book at those prices.

You might also be a parent who wants to spend more time with their kids on the weekends instead of being away shooting. You’d probably love to attend their sports games and do fun stuff with them on weekends. I’m a mom so I can totally relate to that one – my daughter Jasmine’s netball games are on Saturdays which is of course when most weddings happen.

Not only that but wedding photography in seasonal. There might be other niches that are seasonal too, which can put a strain on your cashflow if you haven’t planned for those quieter months. Stay with me because I AM going to get to some really practical ideas for you to create additional income streams.

Beyond the skill of taking photos

I first want to say that we’re really lucky because the world of photography is so vast, and frankly, requires so many different skill sets from us. Most of us have a whole bunch of skills beyond what is required for taking and editing photos.

A lot of us came to this profession not through the traditional way of studying at University. I’d say the large majority of us are self taught and have really interesting backgrounds in other professions. I used to be a Nutritionist and a Graphic Designer and I know other photographers who have degrees in Psychology, Law, Accounting, all kinds of things.

Not only that but we’ve picked up a ton of new skills along the way just from running our photography business – because we have to wear about 9 different hats to do that right? Especially if you’re a one person show. 

But that’s a really good thing! Having all those different skills and that background is what makes up our unique blend of knowledge, experience, and expertise – combine that with our personality and we have what I like to think of as our SUPERPOWER.

We all have a super power. I can guarantee it! Mine should come as no surprise – being financially organised. I’ve been using spreadsheets to keep my personal and business finances organised for years. I’ve tried them all and I eventually created my own with all the best parts that I now use. It’s something that I will do absolutely for free because I love it. It keeps me laser focussed on my goals and financial management lights me up to the point that I’d even start a podcast about it so that I can help others become more profitable and better managers of their money.

What is your super power?

• What do you or would you do for free because you enjoy it so much?
• What do people often come to you for?
• What problems do your friends and family often ask you to help them solve?

That should give you some clues! Let this question percolate in your mind and journal on it if you want to until you get the answer. Because that my friend is what you can leverage to create more income.

Quick sidenote, that’s what makes you different from every other photographer out there and is what you should be leveraging in your brand as a way to differentiate yourself. I don’t go around calling myself the financially organised photographer because that wouldn’t make any sense. But it’s very evident in my client experience that I am extremely organised. My couples start to get a taste of this from the moment they enquire with me and they book me because yes they love my photo’s and also because of how easy I make the process feel for them. But I digress, back to super powers…  

Creating leverage

The last thing I’ll say before I get to some actual ideas for you is that we can leverage this super power of ours to help other up and coming photographers, because we are always going to be ahead of somebody else.

There are new photographers entering into the industry all the time and you don’t have to be the best photographer in the entire industry to be able to help them. You only need to be one step ahead of someone else to be in a position to help them. I guarantee that there is something you know, a skill you have that can help someone else get what they want.

When I was planning out this episode I did some Googling about how many professional photographers there are in the world currently and it turned up so many different answers that I can’t quote a number here for you, but I can say that all the search results put that number in the multiple millions. We’re talking very high numbers. There is a hunger for knowledge out there and we are so lucky that we live in a time where it’s never been easier to create.

8 new revenue stream ideas

Let’s now explore 8 creative ways that you could add new revenue streams to your photography business. Just make sure that it aligns with you and your strengths and what you actually enjoy doing. If it doesn’t, it’s probably not going to get you the results you want – it’s got to come from that place of purpose and alignment.

1. Offer photography workshops

You can do this alone or team up with your business bestie to offer group in-person workshops where you either teach something about your particular niche or in the case of weddings for example, the workshops could be content creation days. These are so helpful for photographers wanting to build their portfolios and you get to build your portfolio at the same time because you still get to shoot. If you’re someone who organizes alot of styled shoots for yourself anyway, you could definitely start thinking about turning it into a workshop and charging for it.

2. Digital courses

You could create an online course or a masterclass teaching other photographers a particular skill that you might be really good at. For example flash photography, or perhaps you have a knack for posing and it comes to you with real ease. Or maybe you’re great at marketing your business.

Many photographers struggle with these things and would pay to learn them. And, shameless plug here, but this is one that I’ve been working on and it’s going to be launching really soon. I’ve created a digital course called The Profit Playbook that teaches photographers how to create more profit in their business. It’s got nothing to do with these ideas that I’m talking about here today and everything to do with the way we manage cash flow and create a more abundant business.

I can’t wait to launch it because I know it’s going to help other photographers become more profitable so make sure you join the waitlist for that. I’ll let you know the link when I get to the end of the episode. 

3. Digital templates

If you’re a photographer with a law background then you could sell contract templates. Or if you have a background in graphic design you could sell your guides as templates – such as a wedding guide, family session guide, wardrobe guide, pricing guide etc. All those guides that we love to give our clients, selling them as templates to other photographers saves them a ton of time. My Profit Planner is another example of a digital template. It’s way easier than a digital course in that it’s much quicker to make so there is a lower barrier to entry for this.

4. Physical products

This one needs more thinking outside of the box. I once saw a photographer selling posing cards. They’re the same size as a deck of playing cards and each card had a different posing idea on it. It was just a simple line drawing of two people, and illustration of sorts and it might have also had a very short explanation of the pose. So if you felt really stuck on a shoot you could pull a few out of your pocket or if you wanted to be discreet you could look at them when you take a break.

Another one is a self published printed book. I’ve seen some of the more experienced photographers do this one. I myself have in the past purchased a book of KT Merrys work. It’s a really beautiful piece of art. Now I know we’re not all KT Merry but you get the idea, so that’s physical products that you can also sell through your website. 

5. Presets

This one’s obvious, if you’re great at editing or if people are always asking you how you edit and how you achieve certain tones then this could be for you.

6. Prints and albums

This idea is the exception in the list in that both your clients and other photographers could benefit from. Firstly, if you love selling prints and albums and you have figured out some brilliant workflow or sales system that works really well for you, then of course that’s going to generate more income through your clients, but you could also teach your system to other photographers. I’m sure a lot of photographers are leaving money on the table when it comes to selling prints and albums.

7. Venture into stock photography

Depending on the type of photography you do, this could work for you if you have very niche subjects or in-demand themes. You can earn royalties every time someone downloads one of your photos. I know that certain themes sell better and that some stock sites are better than others. I don’t know exactly which ones though because I haven’t personally done this so you need to do your research here before choosing this route.

8. Create an associate network

If you are getting a ton of enquiries that you can’t keep up with, then maybe this one is for you. You yourself get to choose the jobs you’d like to shoot and the rest you pay associate photographers to shoot on behalf of your brand. They hand over the photos and you edit them in your style. You also do all the liaison with the clients and of course, this is all 100% transparent and agreed to by the clients upfront. They know exactly what they’re getting. I’ve been on associate teams myself and in my opinion it’s a win-win for everyone. So that’s another way to get past that cap on your time.

There you have it! We’ve covered a lot today, and I hope you’re leaving with some inspiring ideas on how you can find your super power and leverage it to diversify and increase your income as a photographer.