Are you looking for photography or related business ideas? Don’t go anywhere as we’re going to talk about 48 photography business ideas for you to start working on!
Best Photography Business Ideas to Work On
Work with private clients. B2C (Business to Consumer)
In this section, we’ll discuss B2C photography business ideas, this type of business is the easiest for a beginner photographer. The entrance to it is symbolic. As a rule, in order to start providing services to individuals, you only need a camera with good lenses.
1. Start Wedding Photography Business
One of the most competitive areas in which you need to be not only a good photographer but a good organizer and manager. You have to charm all the employees of marriage agencies, each toastmaster in your city should be, if not your friend, then a good friend.
The bride and groom in excitement, parents in worries, guests in anticipation. The wedding photographer must arrange and make everyone smile at a certain moment. Be sure to find out from the bride what kind of photos she wants before the wedding.
Remember, it is she who is your main customer, who will recommend you later. And earning money on wedding photography is most attractive to many novice photographers working in the b2c market.
2. Photoshoot love story
People in love usually love everyone around, so working with them is nice. For photos of couples in love, you need to invent and experiment so that each story is special, and your portfolio is filled with diverse works.
This niche can be combined with a wedding theme. Invite young people who order wedding photography to create a photo of their relationship history, which can then be shown at the wedding.
3. Family photoshoot
A fairly complicated niche in which many are trying to work, but maybe it’s yours that will work out better. Here you need to be able to take pictures of children of different ages; he is loyal to his mother, who needs everything at once, and to the father, who in principle does not understand why this is all.
If family values are important to you and you know how to express it in your photos, you can work in the niche of a family photo shoot. And your earnings in the photo will increase significantly.
4. Photoshoot of newborns
Photo album for a newborn is a fashionable theme. In it, we would advise those who cannot imagine life without communicating with babies and other mothers to work. And you must admit, it’s better for girls’ photographers, they communicate with babies more naturally and intimately.
Plus, you need to understand at least a little about the periods of the baby’s life. You will photograph the children of the first 14 days mainly asleep, older children may be capricious, and as early as 3 months, some babies begin to dislike strangers.
This is important to consider when designing a script for photography.
5. Children’s photography
Many parents are willing to pay money to photographers to keep in memory the moments of growing up of their children. This is the only specialization where the customer return period can be about six months, and not a year or a half.
Children’s photography involves the ability to contact with children, and also to find places for photography, which is not easy. You may even have to create places, and then for other children.
6. Private portfolio
This is a specialization, because of which many camera owners come into the photo business. First, a novice photographer takes his girlfriends and friends, and then people from the outside who are willing to pay money for this service begin to come.
A separate topic in a private portfolio is the photos of models or girls who aspire to become them. Portfolio is the fundamental tool for a career and success in the modeling business.
You must be able to create an image in the pictures in which the directors of advertising and modeling agencies will be able to see the rising Cindy Crawford.
7. Children’s photos for schools and kindergartens
Probably the most unloved specialization among photographers. Newcomers often disregard this niche: the competition is high, the money is small, there is no glory.
But if you like it, then here a stable income and good earnings are possible in the photographs of the children’s portfolio. The key to success is organization.
Creating vignettes and shooting children’s events are always in demand. Agree and sign one contract with the principal of the school or kindergarten.
The school takes on the financial issue, allowing the photographer not to be distracted from his work – to create high-quality children’s photos and albums.
8. Pets photography
Pet photoshoots are not as single and small orders as it might seem at first glance. A huge number of breeders of rare breeds order photo shoots of pets, and just the owners want to make a few frames of their pets as a keepsake.
If you like animals, then this type of photo shoot is for you. As in many other specializations, you must be in the subject to speak the same language with customers. Photo of pets is a category in which it is not easy, but interesting.
9. Reportage photography
If you like to keep abreast of all events, you like parties, then reportage photography is your way of self-realization as a photographer. Many novice photographers believe that reporting photography is just about taking photos of parties and birthdays. But this is not so.
There is a separate category of photographers who believe that it is reportage photography that is real, true photography. After all, the task of the photographer is to capture the event, to make it history.
And in some ways they are right. To convey the emotion of a boxer who won the championship title or the tears of joy of a music fan who managed to break through the barriers and hug her idol – this is a real, sincere photo.
In this section we will not describe the pros and cons of reportage photography. After all, preserving history for future generations is a vocation. And only you can decide if you want to be a reporting photographer.
10. Photography of banquets, birthdays and other events for a private customer
Each time you will shoot in a new environment, not having the opportunity to change it and adjust it for your own purposes, there will be no dramatization, the necessary composition and accessories.
Especially for you there will be no repetitions and takes, so you need to know the script and instantly navigate.
From the point of view of making money in photography, photographing events is not the best way to make money, but in a difficult period it will allow you to stay afloat. It is good to combine it with the niche of family and children’s photography.
11. Shooting concerts and music events
Photo shoots during concert tours and music festivals is a specialization that does not immediately come to mind, but is a rather successful narrowly targeted niche for initiates. If you are a fan of music and musicians, then this is yours.
Media and online communities constantly need professional photographs of show business, so create your own circle of journalists and editors, thanks to whom you will get to concerts and for which you will work.
Start with young but promising groups to create your portfolio and then reach a higher level of performer popularity. This is also a good way to make money in photography in the long run.
After all, if you beautifully shot a beginner group or artist and after a few years they achieved world vocation, then you can safely resell your photos to magazines and online publications over and over again.
12. Taking pictures of sporting events
Sports photography niche makes it possible to create vivid and even dramatic images. If the saturated colors of wrestling and the heated atmosphere of the competition make the heart beat faster – this is your topic.
Sports photos are needed by various media, therefore, as in the specialization with musicians, get useful contacts among journalists. And look for different angles for displaying events at the stadium. Take pictures of athletes, catch the fieriest moments of wrestling, do not forget about the fans and coaches, on whose faces you will see a real glow of passion.
13. Paparazzi
Photos of a star in an extraordinary situation are always interesting to the general public. But in order to predict this moment and capture it, the photographer needs to have the intuition of a real detective. And also patience! Get ready to wait for hours for a celebrity to make some treasured shots.
Stars everywhere say that they hate paparazzi, but this is not true. Paparazzi need a photo of a star, and a star needs her photo to flash in popular tabloids. Therefore, your earnings in photography in this specialization are not only editors, but also celebrity producers.
14. Photojournalist in the hot spots of the planet
You can become a full-time photojournalist of a news publication, or you can be a stringer. Stringer is an independent reporter who can work for several companies at once and lives on fees.
You will need not only the skills of a photographer, but also a knowledge of journalism. And you should be aware of current world events and political aspects.
Work in hot spots will require courage and a high sense of self-preservation, the ability to understand people and the ability to find a common language with them, good physical shape and a quick reaction.
15. Political reporter photography
The profession of a reporter involves an interesting and eventful life on the highest sidelines of power. You will record key facts of political events that will confirm the veracity of political news.
It is important to understand the political situation, understand the essence of what is happening, be able to analyze and even predict events in order to be at the right time in the right place
16. Social photography
Social problems always excite society. The synthesis of photography and sociology allows us to show the “wounds” of the modern world: poverty, drugs, emigration, conflicts. The task of social photography is to cause a wide resonance in society, to receive a response to a social problem.
Photographs that highlight social problems are used in documentary filmmaking, they are needed by book publishers, on television and in print media.
17. Street photography
This is a photo shoot on the street, in which there is no place for posing and staging. The photographer shows modern society, the interaction of different characters, situations that arise around.
If you are fascinated by the life of the city, the thoughtless emotions of people, the opportunity to show a moment that will never happen again – street photography is your direction.
18. Travel photography
Do you dream to see the world? Become a travel photographer and you will succeed. Travel photo talks about places where many want to visit.
The most important quality for a travel photographer is the ability to remove a famous place that has been shot a hundred times before you in a new perspective, to get off the beaten track.
To work in the travel photo niche, you need to love traveling and exploring new places and put up with the fact that you will not be home for 350 days a year.
19. Space photography
Space photos – amazing galaxies exciting the imagination, large-scale universal catastrophes plunged into the dusk of a nebula. To realize yourself in this topic, you need to really get involved in space, which means having a telescope.
Using an adapter, a digital camera is mounted on the telescope. Photography is carried out outside the city, where the lights and the backlight do not interfere. Do you like this picture – you, a telescope, contemplation in the silence of distant worlds and constellations? If so, then a photo of the cosmos is your calling.
20. Scientific photography
Photography is a method of scientific research, which is used in various fields: nuclear physics, astronomy, geography, biology, history, psychology, medicine, cartography. Scientific photography provides evidence of the existence of an object or phenomenon.
If you want to capture a hydrogen atom, or know what the surface of the moon looks like, go in the direction of scientific photography.
Advertising photo shoot. B2B (Business to business) photography business ideas
A commercial customer, as a rule, is more demanding both on the quality of the services provided and on the service itself that a photographer can offer him.
Therefore, this type of service is not suitable for a beginner, but the next step on the career ladder is obvious.
In the field of advertising photography, professional equipment is already needed, and you just can’t get by with an entry-level camera with a whale lens, as is possible when working with a private customer (but this does not mean that I recommend working in the b2c sphere with amateur equipment).
Another minus of working with commercial customers is a complex system for organizing a photo shoot. You must be able to make an offer for the customer, have experience with the brief, know what the target audience is, and keep documentation. Most often, the entire organization of photo shoots falls on the shoulders of the photographer.
A photographer needs to have his own team and contacts of specialists who are not, and they will be needed in photography.
But, at the same time, there are pluses. The most obvious plus is the customer return deadline. When working with commercial customers, it ranges from three months to six months. Therefore, a photographer who works in the field of b2b needs about 30 regular customers. Agree that this is much less than when working with a private client.
And the second big plus – the commercial customer is aware of the importance of photography, that it can sell better, and, accordingly, it focuses not on price, but on the quality of these photos and on the stability of the photographer.
And given that in this area, the layer of novice photographers is immediately cut off, which are dumped at a price and do not give stable quality, there are no more than a dozen competitors in a commercial photographer in one region.
Therefore, work in the field of b2b is the best income in photography. And after some time, having developed an extensive portfolio, you will be able to start working with production agencies.
Production Agencies
In the field of advertising photography, in addition to working for a specific customer, there is also work with production agencies. In fact, they are organizers of complex advertising shootings for large customers, such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s or, for example, Loreal.
If you want to work with these major brands, then it makes no sense to break through to them directly. Your letters and calls will remain unanswered. Similar brands work like this:
The brand develops a product and gives the task to the advertising agency to create an advertising campaign.
After the development and approval of the campaign, an advertising agency holds a tender for shooting products among production agencies
Production Agency offers specialists from its database for photo shoots. That is, you understand that if you want to make a photo shoot for Coca-Cola, you need to look not for contacts within the brand, but for a production agency that works with Coca-Cola. And make sure to get to their base.
This way of working is interesting in that you only need your portfolio, experience, and hands. Everything else: technology, the shooting pavilion, assistants and other staff – this is the headache of the production agency.
So what kind of services can a photographer offer a business?
Let’s start by dividing advertising photography into three types: subject, catalog, and image. These are different types of photo shoots and, of course, the experience and equipment for each type is different.
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21. Catalog shooting clothes and shoes.
Designers and manufacturers of light industry in recent years is becoming more and more. In addition, many clothing dealers from Asia enter the market, and such a manufacturer does not provide photographs that would be adapted to our market.
Indeed, you must admit, when the end consumer sees an advertisement for clothes, he compares himself with the model shown in this picture. And if the photo is Asian?
How will our girl with European features associate herself with a Chinese woman or a Korean woman? Therefore, many sellers of Asian clothing understand this and order photo clothing from local photographers.
It should be understood that the catalog photo shoot can be of two types. On the model and on the mannequin.
22. Fashion photo shoot of clothes and shoes or photographing a look-book
This is a photo shoot arising from the last paragraph, but not shooting clothes on a uniform background, usually a studio one, but more complex, image-building.
The customer selects ten to fifteen images and creates a certain image that is understandable to his audience (or he can create an incomprehensible image, but which can surprise her).
The shooting takes place at a predetermined location, it can be nature or an interesting interior. Often a designer or a clothing manufacturer takes different photographers for catalog shooting and shooting a look-book. One is cheaper, the other creates interesting photos.
23. Modelling Portfolio for Agencies
Collaboration with modeling agencies is a great way to get stable earnings in photography for beginner photographers and also get a good shooting experience. Worldwide, the cost of one test shoot for a modeling agency is approximately one hundred US dollars.
24. Business photo portrait
A huge number of people in business and politics order photo portraits for company brochures or propaganda booklets. Or to illustrate articles in magazines, not trusting this process to a full-time photographer.
And here you can turn around an enterprising photographer. And besides everything, it’s interesting to create an unlike image of a person. For example, took off the captain of an airplane. To get to the closed territory of the airport will be unforgettable.
25. Architectural and interior photo shoot
Shooting architectural objects and photo interiors is well suited for those who do not like to work with models and for whom the world of the catwalk is as far away as the international space station.
There are a huge number of hotels or apartments that need to be sold or rented out. And the photographer is faced with a certain commercial task. Make the guest look room and fall in love. Photo interiors should convey the atmosphere and comfort of each room.
26. Photoshoot of glare products
Working with glass, chrome and other shiny surfaces is fraught with many difficulties. But if you immerse yourself in this specialization, then you will learn how to create interesting artistic effects even from distortions and reflections of shiny surfaces.
Subject photography of glare products is in demand in many business sectors. Look around, everything shines and sparkles: food packaging, furniture, cars, household appliances, dishes. This is a difficult, interesting and very profitable income in photography.
27. Photographing jewelry
If you want to become The Lord of the Rings, you need to become the lord of light. It is the right lighting that shows jewelry in all its glory, and you will spend more than one day making the light work properly. You will also master macro photography perfectly and learn to see the art work of a jeweler.
Precious photo art is needed by numerous jewelry factories and workshops, which are becoming more and more, because girls love diamonds.
28. Photographing bottles and glass products
Shooting glass bottles is needed for beverage manufacturers. And here the photographer must not only masterfully shoot using various light sources, he must be able to make advertising selling photos.
Alcoholic drinks cause a lot of associations that need to be used. Look at the shelves with alcoholic drinks in the supermarket, almost all the bottles are the same, manufacturers are trying to stand out due to naming and label design, but this is not always possible.
Therefore, perhaps you have to come up with a legend for wine or brandy, cause a visual association with a holiday or a memorable date, and may reflect the high status of the drink.
29. Photoshoot of non-glare products
Subject shooting of non-shiny objects is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. When shooting matte objects, you need to be able to form chiaroscuro with the help of which the texture, volume and depth of the object are displayed.
And of course, as in any advertising photo, the subject should be shown interestingly and associatively. The picture should sell.
30. Photographing flower arrangements, plants and still life’s
“Flower Shooting” is becoming increasingly popular. Photos of beautiful flowers and floral still lives adorn not only the pages of specialized publications, but also interior magazines and even fashion magazines. The flower industry is increasingly penetrating our lives.
Photographing flowers can be very different. Commercial customers need photos of bouquets and flower arrangements, photos of indoor flowers, photos of halls decorated with flowers.
You can create creative photos using macro photography, which will allow you to penetrate the texture of the flower in detail. Such images are often used for interior decoration, screensavers, etc.
31. Food photography
In today’s world, hundreds of restaurants open every day. And many of them build their advertising campaign around social networks. Therefore, they all need good and high-quality food photos.
Food photography is a fairly young specialization that appeared seven to eight years ago, along with the popularity of social networks and a period of decline in prices for printed materials.
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32. Beverage photoshoot
This is a subset of the food photo that we specially singled out as a separate item, since it requires a few other skills and experience due to the complexity of shooting glass objects.
In fact, this is a combination of photographing bottles and food, where complex light is put on the glasses, but accessories from food photography are used.
33. Creating 3D panoramas
3D photos allow you to view the subject from all sides, virtually walk around the restaurant hall and see the house for sale from all angles. Three-dimensional image has become popular with the advent of e-commerce.
The buyer of the online store cannot take the product in his hands, turn it and examine it from all sides. On the site, he does this using 3D photos.
According to statistics, the 3D panorama boosts sales by a third, and also significantly increases the time spent by the user on the site, which has a beneficial effect on his search “reputation”.
34. Creating a vireo and stereo photo
To attract the attention of modern sophisticated consumers, photographers use the most unusual visual forms. One of these areas is vireo and stereo photos.
The stereo image is very realistic; the technology allows you to show the subject in the smallest detail. Vireo – means “changing.” The most common vireo pictures in which one object turns into another. But you can apply other effects, for example, animation.
35. Photo of cars
Car photography requires a professional approach and special technical skills. Here you need to be able to work with a shiny surface, choose the angle that most favorably emphasizes the design of the car, feel the “character” of the car in order to choose the appropriate place for shooting.
A photo of a car should be simultaneously informative in order to show all the details and functionality and artistic. If you are a fan of cars, then you will like to solve these multiple tasks.
36. Macro photography
Macro photography gives you the opportunity to take a fresh look at the surrounding objects. Taking close-up shots will require you to make your own decisions and developments that can come with experience if you focus on macro photography.
Macro shooting is of practical interest not only for lovers of flowers and insects, as many are sure. It is used in research activities, in medicine, in the work of law enforcement agencies, in commerce. Collectors and philatelists may need your skills.
37. Underwater photography
Previously, few novice photographers could afford shooting underwater; the price of special equipment was prohibitive. Now everything is more accessible, so you can try your hand at this specialization.
The underwater world has many secrets that oenologists, scientists, researchers and your photos want to know.
And underwater shooting is popular in the advertising industry, it makes it possible to create stunning images for brands that are somehow related to water.
38. Aerial photography (using drones)
Aerial photography allows you to add an unexpected angle to the usual scenario of a photo shoot. A bird’s-eye view will show a full panorama of the event (wedding or music festival), emphasize its beauty and scale.
Aerial photography is good for photographs of real estate, hotels and hotels in the resort area, is indispensable when shooting flash mobs, can be claimed by extreme sportsmen. As you can see, the circle is wide, and you can try different directions.
39. Photographer Service
A professional photographer is not just a person with a camera, it is a whole team of people who work on one idea. After all, the photo business is not just about being able to shoot beautifully, it is also about organizing photo sessions, selling your services to customers, and just hanging out.
And if you understand that all of the above specializations are not to your liking, but the love of photography attracts you to this area of business, try your hand at specializing in the service of photographers. These earnings in the photo for real sociable personalities.
Here you need to have good experience in organizing photography or sales, and for some points, starting capital. But, quite possibly, you possess these abilities, so let’s discuss what services photographers can provide.
40. Creating a photo studio
Photo shoot in the studio is used in various fields of the photo industry. But maintaining your own studio is expensive, and many photographers simply do not need it on an ongoing basis.
Therefore, the creation of a photo studio is a great business. Here you can earn money by working as a staff photographer for the studio itself, by renting a photo studio for commercial and private shootings, or by renting equipment at photo shoots outside the studio.
41. Photographer Agent
It’s hard for a talent to make his way on his own, an agent is needed, or as the producer now says. The photographer’s agent is a professional who will organize photography and cool projects, interviews in magazines and on television, workshops and just meetings.
Earnings in the photograph are the sum of% of orders and sales of photographic works. A pleasant bonus will be free admission to workshops and photo exhibitions.
42. Producing photography
Such services are most often needed by large media outlets who want to get a quality photo product. Here you need to be able to choose the right team, clearly set tasks, coordinate the process, form and not exceed the budget and deadlines, control the publication output and the indication of the copyright holder.
This is a serious business that requires not so much creativity as the ability to manage resources and people. If you have such competencies – this is your area.
43. Assistant photographer
Both a studio photo shoot and work away usually require the assistance of an assistant. To get to the apprentice to the Master is a great success. You help to set the light on the set, hold the reflectors and feed the lenses, while, in fact, participate in a master class, for which you also get money.
You can offer your services for free in exchange for a consultation and the opportunity to take several shots under the guidance of a professional photographer.
44. Light director
Building light in photography plays a key role. Light makes the frame harmonious, high-quality and spectacular. Constant light, generator light, LEDs, softboxes – all this attracts you? Then this is your topic.
In this specialization, it is important to know the basic techniques and logic of setting the light in order to create the harmony of the light pattern, especially the work with soft and hard light. Even if you understand the light intuitively, knowledge and practice are priceless here.
45. Stylist: fashion stylist, food stylist, decorator
A trio of professionals makes a good photo shoot: stylist-photographer-decorator. Thanks to the coordinated work of such a team, chic transformations and new images are created, design ideas and style decisions arise.
According to the stylists and decorators themselves, their work is hellish work, which is not as well paid as they would like.
You will rush from morning to night in search of things and accessories, spend many hours negotiating, falling asleep, and you will continue to generate ideas.
But if such a rhythm is your dream, and you experience euphoria when you come up with a new image, welcome to this profession.
46. Retoucher
A photographer is an artist who paints a picture, and the retoucher finishes it. It works with light, with color, adds the necessary touches, removes unnecessary details. This creates harmony and completeness of the photo.
The retoucher is the “right hand” of the photographer, therefore it is important that between the two professionals there is complete mutual understanding and the same vision of the final result. If you are a little perfectionist and like to bring everything to the ideal, think about this option of self-realization.
47. Restoring old photographs
In our families, there are still a lot of old, or rather, very old photographs. Time does not spare them – they grow dull, break. Many people want to preserve the memory of their past and specialization can help here – restoration and restoration of photos.
For example, a friend of mine decided to write a whole book dedicated to his family. He had a large number of old photographs that professionals had to sweat over, but the result was wonderful.
48. Organization of a photo club
Our last photography business idea is for you if you are a club person, like to talk and cannot imagine every day without another party, and at the same time love to take pictures, then you are an ideal organizer for a photo club.
Photo club – these are people obsessed with photography. Gather like-minded people, organize events, meetings, joint trips, training, and do not forget about membership fees. Any party where photography is the focus of attention is your work front.
We hope you liked our list of 48 photography business ideas. If you want to add your own photography business idea, then drop it down in the comment section! Do check out our other free resources!
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