How to (Maybe) Make Money Selling Photos
Here’s the deal: money shouldn’t be the main reason you make photos. The reality is, you probably won’t make very much.
But it is possible to make some gas money selling your photos online. Take this old chestnut:
- Make photos
- Post them online for sale
- ???
- Profit!
Step three is the tricky one. Here’s what I’ve found in the few short years I’ve had an online store.
For one, don’t expect any sales. Start there. No one will buy your photos.
Good?
Okay, accepting that, keep doing what you’re doing: Instagramming, sharing your photos on social media, giving prints away to friends and family, and keep shooting.
Then, when someone asks, “Hey, do you sell your stuff? Can I get a copy of this-or-that photograph?” you say, “Sure do!” And send them a link to your store, with a link to the photo they’re looking to buy.
Boom. There’s your profit. And be grateful for it.
You may get a few sales through searches or people stumbling on your stuff. But that’s what all those question marks in step three are: dumb luck.
It’s different if you attend art shows, or do wedding photography, or shoot on commission. Those all involve hustle, investment, and time. If photography isn’t your main gig, it’s more difficult to make a buck.
I have a few sales here and there every month or two, and then it’s only a few bucks – enough for a coffee. If that’s as ambitious as you get, you probably won’t be disappointed.
Me? I put almost every dollar I make from photography—online sales, wedding gigs, etc—right back into my hobby. Because I’m not doing this stuff for money, I’m doing it for fun.
Make the photos you want to make. Post them online for people to buy. And when people do want to buy your photos, make it easy for them. One, two, three.
I can’t think of a better, less sleazy, way to do it than that.