Anyone looking to earn extra money, has at some point wondered can photography be a side job?
There are many types of photography that you can do as a side job. Such as stock photography, event photography and headshot photography to name a few.
For a detailed list of photography side jobs, the equipment needed and when you are expected to work, keep on reading.
Consider this before you start your side job
It’s fine if photography is your hobby and now you want to earn extra money. That’s exactly how I started. I’ve worked since 2004 as a full time event photographer. So if you want to take your side gig further, you just need the drive.
But, I need to emphasise this,
You need to have an excellent understanding of your camera equipment, and how to use it in different conditions.
This means you need to know how to
- Use your camera in manual
- Understand the limitations of your camera
- Be able to photograph in all types of lighting conditions
- Understand what a well composed photo looks like
- Know how to edit photos quickly
If you don’t have all of these skills, well you’ll need to have them before you start asking for money.
There may be a time when you need to think quickly on your feet, especially when the conditions are not perfect and the client is waiting.
So if you need more experience, offer to do at least 10 jobs for free and work on the things you need to improve on.
Apart from the experience gained, you will have built a portfolio for your website.
Lastly, even though you want to do it part time. You have to treat it like a full time job, because people will be counting on you to deliver quality work.
When are you expected to work
Since this will be a side job for you, naturally any photography work will be done when you’re not at your full time job.
But some photography work is done at certain days and even times of the week.
For example:
Real estate photography is done during the core 9-5 work hours and sometimes in the evening for twilight exterior photos.
Sports photography is weekly, Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes multi day events go for the whole week and happen on a yearly basis.
Corporate events often are either during the day or evening. They mostly are Monday – Friday, but it’s also common for them to run on weekends.
Stock photography can be done anytime and depends on the type of photos you’re after.
Portrait photography is usually done on the weekends, if you take family photos. Monday – Friday for corporate headshot photos.
Weddings are almost always on the weekends, but Fridays have also started to become popular.
Apart from stock photography, almost all photography jobs have to be booked first before you can take any photos.
What you need to start a photography side job
All you need to start a side business as a photographer is;
- Camera & lens
- Computer to edit photos
- A way to deliver the photos
It seems basic, but you can make money with just one camera and lens. Which I did for a couple of years before taking photography as a side hustle seriously.
From my experience, you should only use this setup for non critical photo jobs, like stock photography, where it doesn’t matter if your equipment fails or takes you weeks to upload your photos.
If you are serious about making extra money from your photography you need to treat it like a business. This means equipment backups, insurance and contracts are part of a long list of things you need as a successful part time photographer.
Of course, you can start with the basic equipment and work your way towards better resources.
But, to be fair to your customers, start with photo jobs that are not life events or high pressure, such as weddings or large corporate events. Instead try stock photography, kids sporting events, product photography or portraits.
So realistically the equipment needed to do an excellent job is;
- 2 cameras
- 2 – 4 lens
- Flash
- Fast computer
- Backup photo system
- Photo hosting
- Photography insurance – ( includes public liability )
- Contract
- Website / online portfolio
Depending on the type of photography you plan to sell, the above list will do 99% of the jobs without buying specific equipment like backgrounds, tripods and drones.
List of photography side jobs
There is no reason why you can’t do more than one side job at a time. Before I became a professional photographer, I did all kinds of photography until settling on event photography, inperticual weddings and sports.
Real estate photographer
Equipment: wide angle lens, full frame camera, flash, tripod Work schedule: Monday – Friday
Wedding photographer
Equipment: 2 lens, 2 full frame cameras, flash Work schedule: Friday – Sunday
2nd shooter for wedding photographer
Equipment: 2 lens, 2 full frame cameras, flash Work schedule: Friday – Sunday
Sports photographer
Equipment: telephoto lens, wide angle lens, 2 cameras Work schedule: Friday – Sunday
Portrait photographer
Equipment: 2 lens, 2 full frame cameras, flash Work schedule: Saturday – Sunday
Headshot photographer
Equipment: lens, camera, lighting system, photo background, Work schedule: Monday – Sunday
Dance concert photographer
Equipment: telephoto lens, wide angle lens, camera, flash Work schedule: Saturday – Sunday
Christening photographer
Equipment: 2 lens, 2 full frame cameras, flash Work schedule: Saturday – Sunday
Freelance photographer
Equipment: 2 lens, 2 full frame cameras, flash Work schedule: Monday – Sunday
Stock photographer
Equipment: wide angle lens, telephoto, camera Work schedule: Monday – Sunday
Landscape photographer
Equipment: wide angle lens, telephoto, camera Work schedule: Monday – Sunday
Travel photographer
Equipment: wide angle lens, telephoto, camera Work schedule: Monday – Sunday
Editorial photographer
Equipment: 2 lens, 2 full frame cameras, flash Work schedule: Saturday – Sunday
Pet photographer
Equipment: 2 lens, 2 full frame cameras Work schedule: Saturday – Sunday
Wildlife photographer
Equipment: Super telephoto lens, camera Work schedule: Monday – Sunday
Product photographer
Equipment: lens, camera, lighting system Work schedule: Monday – Sunday
Lifestyle photographer
Equipment: 2 lens, 2 full frame cameras Work schedule: Saturday – Sunday
Conclusion
It’s ok to start off with a photo hobby, trying out lots of different photography. But, to run a successful photography side job, You need to treat it like a full time job. You need to have excellent photography skills, motivation, excellent customer service and experience, before you can start asking for money.