Be at the right place at the right time
There are hundreds of different places to go were people want pictures taken but have forgotten their cameras.
Fishing contests are a great example of this. Very few fishermen bring their cameras to a contest, but everyone wants a picture of their prized fish. Be ready at the end of the contest and offer a professionally done photograph to remember their big catch.
Graduations can also be excellent photographic opportunity. You don’t need to sit with the family so you can simply position yourself for the best view of the stage. You can choose to just offer a great pic of the graduating senior crossing the stage or offer a set of pictures include the student by themselves, with family, friends, or instructors.
Families also love to have mementos of parades they have been in or watched. Preparing to be a crowd is a very hectic experience and you seldom remember to get that perfect shot off before the parade, so offer your services. You will be doing these families a favor and making some money at the same time. If you can get releases from everyone in your pics you can make a little extra money on the side by selling extra photos to local papers.
Offer you services to special groups
Finding customers can often be the biggest challenge to a professional photographer. By marketing to very specific groups and having a portfolio that shows off your skills in creating these special pictures, you can find a great clientele that will pass the word along to their family and friends.
Every new parent wants the most beautiful pictures of their newborns. If you like working with parents and children this can be a great niche market. You can speak with local hospitals, and OB doctors, and they can often include your name and number in all of their newborn packages.
Pet photography is becoming a very popular market and because it requires a special touch with our furred and feathered friends, it is not yet a crowded market. It is very easy to advertise at grooming salons and pet stores.
Used car dealerships are slowly getting a larger web presence. Many of these business owners still do not have website and high quality photographs of their cars. If you also have web design skills this could be the perfect market for you. You can offer to build and maintain a website for local businesses and take pictures daily or weekly of the cars that are currently for sale.
If you have a popular landmark or tourist spot locally, you can offer your services to visitors. Even those visitors with their own cameras may not have digital cameras to verify the quality of their photographs. Another idea is to offer to follow them around to different scenic areas and create a package of souvenir photographs.
There are two key points to making money with photography. The first is to find your interests; you can only work so long in an area that doesn’t excite you. The second is to find your clientele. The longer you work as a photographer the easier it becomes to find clients as you create both a return custom base and receive referrals from former clients. I believe everyone can make a living with photography if they put their minds to it.
