2. Teach and Earn

Turn your experience into a revenue stream. There is a huge opportunity to share your talents with novice photographers, from small-scale instructional videos to in-person workshops. Beyond practical photography advice, you have valuable experience in running a business. 

Empower beginners to get started by sharing your experience on topics such as:

• How did you build your brand? 
• What lessons did you learn about marketing? 
• How did you create an efficient workflow? 
• What advice can you give about work-life balance? 
• Have you developed tips for dealing with difficult people? 

Offering photography education through courses or workshops brings in extra income without relying on client-based work.

Tips on Crafting Educational Courses

• Make your courses interactive. Consider a photo walk in your city or assigning a project and offering feedback.
• Feature testimonials to add value to what you have to offer.
• Check out this interview with India Earl about the ins and outs of creating an online course.

Turning Experience into Education 

Henry Tieu offers a fantastic array of educational resources that might inspire you to design your own. He uses his experience as an ICU Nurse to deliver “care from the heart” in his workshops to help other photographers create successful businesses. He customizes his sessions to the individual to best help them grow their photography business. His one-on-one sessions start at $2,000. 

Try offering a variety of sizes and price points. Jai Long has been coaching photographers and creatives since 2015. He offers online courses from $27 for replays of workshops to $2497 for a 12-month coaching course. He also runs virtual and in-person events around the globe. 

Image: henry-tieu.com

3. Guide the Next Generation with Mentorship

You have gained a massive knowledge base the hard way—through trial and error. Mentorship provides another way to monetize your expertise. 

Share your successes and failures with aspiring photographers. You can pass on your experience to the next generation of photographers and even learn some new things yourself. Mentorship also fosters lasting relationships with up-and-coming photographers that could lead to future collaborations, other income opportunities, or just the pleasure of watching others grow thanks to your guidance.

Tips For Effective Mentoring

• Set specific goals to meet so your clients know what they will gain from your mentorship.
• Stay up to date with emerging technology that you can teach others how to use like AI culling and editing.
• Check-in regularly with your mentees to track their progress—and see if they could use another session.

Mentoring Aspiring Photographers With a Personal Touch 

Anissa D provides two mentorship courses. The first is a two-hour online session where she offers guidance on everything from marketing to building a portfolio and invoicing, priced at $600. The second course adds an hour of preparation for an in-person couple’s session and runs $1500. In addition to these one-on-one mentorship sessions, Anissa offers ebooks for purchase about marketing on Instagram and creating reels that would potentially appeal to a broader audience beyond photographers. 

Image: anissadphotography.com

4. Expand Your Horizons with Creative Ventures

Do you have non-photography related creative outlets that you can lean into to diversify your photography income? 

Your side hustle doesn’t have to be directly tied to photography. You could find a way to express your brand and reach a broader audience through unconventional methods. There are obvious photo-related accessories like postcards or zines, but think outside the box—the sky's the limit. 

Tips to Find Creative Side Hustles

• Choose ventures that you are passionate about and share who you are.
• Use social media to gauge interest. Instagram polls give fast feedback.
• Collaborate with other artists who might bring you fresh ideas.

Successfully Expanding Beyond Photography

Married couple Chris and Ruth naturally progressed into a side business completely unrelated to photography: making hats. In an interview with Narrative, they told the story of how they always wore hats when shooting weddings and people started associating that with their brand. Now, they make and sell handcrafted custom hats out of their Mallorca studio. Ruth says they see themselves as more than wedding photographers—they are self-employed business owners who will forever create new things. 

Image: Chris and Ruth, screenshot from Narrative interview

What to Keep in Mind When Diversifying

• Do your research. Who is your target audience and how will you meet their needs? How much time can you realistically put into it? Remember, you need patience and persistence to earn a payoff in the long run.
• Start in an area you are skilled in. This lowers your learning curve so you can monetise faster. If you’re a great writer, get started on an ebook. 
• Stay aligned with your current brand. An essential part of branding is building trust and credibility by being authentic. Maintaining a consistent brand identity means you don’t waste time developing a separate brand for each venture.

Capturing New Opportunities

Earning a living as a photographer means succeeding in a competitive and unpredictable market. By diversifying your photography income, you open the door to greater financial stability and creative opportunities. Start small, build on what you’re already good at, and stay true to your brand.  

Time to turn your skills into fresh revenue streams. What avenue can you explore to enhance your photography income?