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Choose your niche
Just like in medicine there are specialists, choose what you want to do, early on. Weddings, Commercial, Fashion, Landscapes, Portraits etc. Specialist consultants earn more than doctors trained in general medicine usually.
Build a portfolio
You need to be able to show what you are worth to prospective customers, so you need an impressive portfolio, one which relates to the niche business you intend to do and get paid for, e.g. landscape shots do not impress a would be bride or groom.
Set your aims re quality of pictures high, and work hard to achieve it. Again, practice and improve.
Are you thinking of turning your hobby into a profession? Are you a photographer who is wondering what is not going as per the plan?
Here is our 10 point checklist!
tips to make money
from photography
Learn, Get a mentor
Just as any other profession, by just buying the tools of the trade are not enough. Learn from others, get the training, knowing the technical bits helps. Practice and improve.
Learn to edit
An unpolished diamond gets overlooked easily as compared to a shiny swarovski. Whether be on camera or off camera, editing and giving your pictures that extra special touch helps. And to be able to edit well, needs knowledge, experience and hard work. Learn the technical bits and use the knowledge to make your work stand out rather than look ordinary.
Work is Fun
..but fun is not work. A lot of photographers start enjoying tf (time/trade for) fashion work so much so that they find themselves doing just that. Prioritise, and make a 'to do list'. Start putting a value to your own time, and learn to say 'No' to tf work if it doesn't benefit your portfolio.
Market yourself
A website, Facebook page, special offers for customers, business cards, brochures, direct mailers all play an important part in putting your name across in a cluttered market. Explore newer revenue streams e.g. online sale of prints, selling as stock pictures, schools' photography etc.
'Say Team'
'there is no I in a team but is in a win'. Share costs e.g. studio, lights etc. money saved is money earned. Besides it adds to skillsets you can offer to your prospective customers.
Do not fake it
Optimism and confidence are good but not having fake egos.
The sooner you realise your true potential and weaknesses, the quicker they become your strengths. Get critic from mentors, see what they create, learn from it.
Diversify
Once you have a set revenue coming from say weddings or portraits, diversify into e.g. property pictures, insurance claims, graphic design and
creative solutions, etc.
Think of how the DSLR revolution impacted the film processing units, embrace new technologies, and stay one step ahead of the game.
Be realistic
Control your temptations to buy new gear or a newer camera all the time. If you can't take a good picture from what you have got, the next one won't do magic.
Be realistic about the returns from photography and re invest from profits carefully. Its a slow and steady progression, hope you get there!