4 Ways to Earn Extra Money with Photography

With just an average digital camera and a need for extra income it is absolutely amazing how many good money making opportunities are available. One of the reasons there are so many options in digital photography has to do with the incredible need for illustrating the never ending increase of web pages on the internet.
Another reason is that it is so easy to share photos online with friends and family. People that can't be bothered to shoot and share the old film-style photos are now eagerly seeking photos that are digital.

Despite the many people that shoot their own digital photos there will always be a need to hire photographers that have a good eye and a system for consistently delivering clear and interesting shots.

Here are 4 of the best ways to earn extra income with a digital camera.


Child and Pet Photography: Children and pets will always evoke a tremendous passion from those closest to them. Where there is passion there is usually an eager market of people willing to open their wallets.

The secret of success in this market is to offer higher quality creative photos than the customers can produce on their own. It is also important that you start your business as simply and inexpensively as possible.

A young, stay-at-home mom and construction worker husband started a child and pet photography business part time that eventually became their full time source of family income. To keep the start-up costs low they used just an average priced digital camera and a spare room in their house for a studio.


They also avoided buying lots of different expensive backdrops buy shooting the children in front of one plain back drop. Using the popular software program, Photoshop, they would digitally place the children into almost any scene imaginable including an old fashioned wash tub. The results were highly unique, fast, low cost to produce and very profitable.

Wedding Photography: This market comes about as close as any to being recession proof because people are always getting married despite the economy. Another great thing about the wedding photography business is that there is always room for one more photographer. Since most weddings take place on the weekend, no one photographer, no matter how popular, can handle more than just a few of them.

Organization is the secret to success in this business. For example, checklists are needed to make absolutely sure that all of the essential shots are captured. Great control over your equipment is essential to prevent a disastrous malfunction. After all there is only one chance to get the job done right.


Finally you must be a master of managing a variety of personalities in order to get the essential group shots in a timely manner.

The bottom line is that Wedding Photography is hard work but lucrative. Some people even make a good full time living just doing weddings on the weekends.

Youth Sports Photography: You might think that with so many people taking pictures of their sons and daughters playing sports why would they pay for additional photos? The key is that most people are not very good at getting action shots.


Can you imagine how thrilling it would be for someone to have a clear shot of the exact moment their grandson slides into home plate for the first time. Might they jump at the chance to have this once in a lifetime shot on a key chain or mug? What if they could go online after a game and select a shot or two and create a full size poster just like you see in the major leagues?

The key is to get the shots no one else does then offer creative packages that can be conveniently ordered online.

Sell Your Photos Online: It's no secret that there has been an almost volcanic explosion of web pages on the internet. As a result there has been an increase demand for inexpensive photos to illustrate just about every topic imaginable.


Extra income seekers have learned which photos are in the biggest demand then posting them on sites like istockphoto.com to sell them over and over. The most successful amateur photographers have found that a nice collection of at least several 100 photos is necessary to begin to earn a consistent monthly income.

As with any extra income ideas, your photography business will be successful when you learn all of the essential tips and tricks for marketing and operating in a smooth and consistent basis. This is why it is always a great idea to seek the advice of those that have gone before you in this business. Consider interviewing photography business owners in-person or finding eBooks and dvd training programs that offer first-hand insights.