A Realistic Guide To Becoming A Paid Photographer
Sharing how I went from hobbyist to photographer for hire...and you can too!
Hello Substack people!
As this year zooms by us I thought some of you might be reflecting on your intentions for 2025.
How are things progressing in that area?
Last week we spoke about choosing yourself and taking the power back. This week I want to kick off a new series here on Substack supported by my friends at picdrop (more on them later). This series aims to help the budding or exisiting commercial photographer, side hustling family/portrait photographer, or anyone who wants to take their camera and start earning some extra cash and explore options beyond their 9-5.
Having gone from never earning a cent from my photography to now running a business centred around that skill, I can tell you so many things that will help to demystify the process.
Before we start, I want to share a few reasons why one would want to monetise their photographic skills, in case you haven’t considered them before…
You don’t know until you try - for over a decade I staunchly said I would NEVER do paid work, but I realise now that I had quite a singular view of what paid work looks like in photography. There are so many variables and ultimately, it’s you who decides the niche, client, amount of work and what you will and won’t take on. You have more power than you think and plenty of ways it can work for you.
Extra earning Potential - NGL, life is pretty damn expensive at the moment so anything you can do to earn some extra dollars, especially if it’s in the realm of one of your interests and hobbies, is a win! This girl here is a lawyer but she takes on weddings clients (shot on film) for a portion of the year or when she is travelling. Extra money + new experiences in lush places. For you this could look like one or two shoots a month to save for a trip or give yourself some extra money.
Safeguarding your future - So I like to keep doors open and fingers in pies to act as back ups and plan B’s if things don’t go as I thought. With uncertainty in the world and also the landscape for remote or self employed work changing all the time, it’s well worth it to slowly build a side income and just see where it takes you.
Show Don’t Tell
Hands down the most important factor when it comes to getting hired is your portfolio.
It’s all about showing people what you can do and then even further than that, showing them what your creative take or signature style is. This helps brands/business/potential clients identify if you are the right fit for them.
The tricky part is that it takes time to build a fully unique style or voice in your work and that’s okay! It also takes time to build a solid portfolio that will get you hired, so here’s what I did to build it quickly and successfully in 2023 to begin my commercial photography career.
Book In Some Free Work
Free work in the beginning is pretty much essential unless you are a nepo baby who can get hired off your name.
Free work has to end at some point though and I’m not telling you to sell yourself and your skills short here, but free shoots are required to get you going.
The perfume bottle images above are of a product I purchased specifically with the intent to photograph and start building a product portfolio. I had a plan to attract that kind of work but needed to start somewhere and get some examples to show.
So ask yourself “what do I want to be hired for?” and go and make that work!
If you dream of photographing cars or sneakers then figure out how you can get to those things and snap away to start gathering your portfolio.
If you want to do headshots or events then offer your services for free and show up with the enthusiasm of a paid pro and make the absolute most of the opportunity.
If you have an epic creative idea for a brand or portrait shoot then enlist some friends or aspiring models and get it done! Go all out and put something amazing in your portfolio to show what you can do.
The natural knock on effect of doing this is that you will…
Meet people and have potential networking opportunities leading to possible paid gigs.
Learn how to work with clients and iron out the kinks of navigating a shoot early, so when you are fully booked and kicking goals things run more smoothly.
Test the waters and see if you do in fact enjoy this type of work, so you have the option to pivot or try something else with little to no consequence.
See how much is involved in each shoot and be able to start imagining how you will do this in a sustainable way while you are still working. Could you drop a day at work in the future if you can book a shoot once a fortnight etc. Start dreaming about your ideal life!
Get Your Ducks In a Row
You’ve got some examples that show your work and eye nicely and it’s starting to feel fleshed out and real!
You need to open the laptop and start curating this work and pitching yourself.
Too often we wait for people to reach out to us or enquire about a shoot, but really it’s all about you going after the opportunity and letting them know you’re there and ready!
Before pitching, it’s great to go over your online presence and website etc. Give it all a good overhaul. Make sure your bio doesn’t say “I love cats and coffee” let people know what you do and that you are available for hire.
Is there a photo of you somewhere? I can’t stress this one enough, people want to see who they are booking!
Curate your folio into cohesive albums and sections as well so you can easily show or send links of each style or project when you pitch.
Pitching can look like just reaching out and putting yourself forward in an email.
It can also look like an elaborate proposal deck with a mood board and budget.
To start off I would recommend doing the following depending on your niche
Emailing brands that feel aligned with your style. Including solid examples of your work along with a short and concise text that covers off who and where you are, what you shoot and how you envisage working together
Approaching local business owners with a reduced rate package that is irresistible and explaining to them how you can shoot their space/next event or new menu for X amount (you could also do this in the above section but instead of offering lower rates to reflect your beginner status, you could do it for free to get your portfolio going)
This isn’t exactly pitching but you could start posting more online with the intent to book clients. Consider sharing your availability + rates or let people know you are, for example, doing portrait sessions in a studio on X date for X amount, or you’re offering sessions for mothers day. This is all about just getting the word out there and making yourself known as a photographer for hire!
Building Resilience
So I have a theory that 90% of photographers would probably be happy to go pro if they could click their fingers and get straight to the part where you are just in demand and booking work no probs.
I think the stages I’ve laid out are quite gruelling and time consuming and that is a barrier for a lot of us.
I spent so much time reaching out to local businesses and brands of all sizes, trying to book work and although I felt lucky to have a pretty high hit rate there was also a lot of crickets.
The images you see above are of a local restaurant who also have a sister wine bar venue and I love both of them. I had done a few previous hospitality photoshoots (one free and one just covering my costs) and I reached out to these guys to say hey - let me come in and shoot some film it will be such a good vibe for your socials and set you apart etc.
They replied saying “we love your work and will definitely reach out in the future”
Literally two years later they showed up in my inbox asking me to tae some photos and do videos for them! They became a regular client and all I had to do was keep putting work out there in the meantime to eventually secure them.
Sometimes it’s a long game….actually it’s normally always a long game with everything in life.
Pitching will build your resilience and if you make a habit of doing it you will have plenty of seeds out there waiting to be sown.
Your mindset will either make or break you, especially in this early stage where you are really being your own cheerleader and doing a lot with not much finical gain.
Take stock, reflect and if needed, pivot
You might have gone into this thinking “I would love to be a wedding photographer” and the reality might be that you actually hate it and thats okay..
It’s important to try things and then reflect on the experience so you can learn as much as possible from it.
Different styles of photography jobs require different personalities and you’ll quickly see how vastly different each shoot can be.
I dreamed of being at events and shooting fashion campaigns on location and the reality is that just a small shoot with a few people was stressful enough and I much prefer working remotely with products and being totally in control and in my own zone. Lesson learned and preference noted.
If you are doing something always ask yourself “am I enjoying this?”
We don’t start a side hustle or monetise our hobby to then loathe it and find it stressful. You are in control ultimately and if you want to pivot then simply don’t take more of the jobs that will lead to that work. Instead, go after the ones you want to be hired for.
Right now I’m at a great point in my commercial photography career where I work regularly with one of my favourite brands and then I take on gigs that really align and light me up. I want everyone to feel like this about their professional career so I hope this has helped beginners or those of you feeling stuck.
This week’s newsletter is in partnership with picdrop, a photo and video delivery service I’m now using with all my clients. It allows me to create highly professional photo galleries in seconds and let clients download, select and comment on their favourite images. I can simply send my clients a link to access the gallery, no login or setup needed on their end, so easy!
picdrop is used by over 180 000 professional photographers, so if you are looking for a simple and effective tool to level up your work flow and look professional, then click the button above. They are offering Love Lucy readers a free 2 month trial to experience the difference that is picdrop for image delivery.
Nice article with practical, actionable advice, Lucy! In 1989, I was 30 and not feeling very rewarded by my aerospace job. My younger sister was getting married for the second time and our parents weren’t going to pay for another complete wedding, Tammy asked me if I would do it and I agreed. I loved portraiture and figured ‘How hard can it be?!’ The photos came out really well! When I took them to my day job to share with a friend, a young lady in the office who I knew, but not well, happened to see them as she walked past. Turns out Gabriella was engaged and needed a wedding photographer! Thus began a nearly ten year side gig shooting weddings, portraits and events that got enough word of mouth that I never had to chase business and always had a couple of firm jobs on the horizon. It was something I did with my wife’s help, she was great with people and logistics and could carry her body weight in gear! It allowed me to grow my skills and confidence and allowed me to upgrade and expand my gear over time. On paper, it didn’t make much of a profit, but being able to write off gear was priceless in a time when we weren’t very well off financially. Anyway, the experiences were priceless and I still get calls mainly from friends and relatives to shoot extended family portraits. Best to you and Lux in all you pursue!
Another super readable, super practical, super relatable article. Thank you