7 Legit Ways to Get Paid to Take Photos (and What Each Pays)

Here are 7 ways to get paid to take photos, what each one actually pays and the catch.

• Sell stock photos
• Print on demand sites
• Sell prints from your own site
• Sell on Etsy
• Real estate photos
• Events and weddings
• Portraits and senior pictures

1. Sell stock photos

Upload your photos once, and companies license them for ads, blogs and websites. You get a percentage every time one sells. Free to join on all of these.

Adobe Stock takes contributors too, free to upload, 18 and up.

Here’s the blunt part. Millions of photos are already on these sites. Your sunset, your dog and that flower in the park won’t sell. Buyers want commercial stuff: people working, families, money, travel, food, business. Shoot what a company would put in an ad.

Shutterstock

Best for: building a stock portfolio

What it is

One of the biggest stock sites, buying photos and videos from contributors.

What you do

Upload photos, add keywords, wait for review. Approved shots go on sale.

How much it pays

15% to 40% of what Shutterstock gets for each license, depending on your level. Paid by PayPal, Payoneer or Skrill.

The catch

You start at the bottom level, and one photo earns pennies to a few bucks per download.

Worth it? Only if you’ll upload a lot. It’s a volume game.

Join Shutterstock

2. Print on demand sites

You upload a photo, and the site prints it on wall art, mugs or phone cases when someone orders. You never touch the product. Two big ones:

Fine Art America is free to start (a Premium plan is $30 a year). You set your own markup on top of the base price of each print, and that markup is your pay.

Society6 sets the markup for you, and it’s 5% to 10% depending on the product. So on most items you’re getting a small slice.

Worth it? Only for photos that people would hang on a wall. And you’ll have to send people there yourself, because nobody browses these sites looking for you.

3. Sell prints from your own site

If you already have a following, sell from your own website and keep more. Fotomoto adds a store to your site and handles printing and shipping. Its free plan takes 22% of each sale, the $10 a month plan takes 12% and the $25 a month plan takes 10%, plus PayPal or Stripe charges.

Pixpa is a website builder for photographers with a built-in store and 0% commission on sales (you pay for the plan, plus payment processing). Don’t have a site? Here’s how to start a WordPress blog you can sell from.

4. Sell on Etsy

Etsy

Best for: prints and digital downloads

What it is

A marketplace for handmade, vintage and digital goods, with a big art section.

What you do

List prints, framed photos or digital downloads people print at home.

How much it pays

You set the price. Etsy charges a listing charge plus a cut of each sale and payment processing, so read its seller pricing before you price anything.

The catch

Thousands of other photographers are listing prints too. You win with a niche, like your city or a specific style.

Worth it? Only if you have a niche. Digital downloads are the low-effort way to test it.

Sell on Etsy

5. Take real estate photos

Homes sell online now, and listing photos are the first thing buyers see. Real estate agents hire photographers to shoot their listings, and good agents list homes all year. That’s repeat work.

You’ll want a wide-angle lens for small rooms and a flash that mounts on the camera (the built-in one looks bad). Practice in your own place in different light. Then study listings in your area, notice what makes the good ones good and pitch local agents with a few sample shots.

Watch the details. Step two feet to the side and the trash cans and power lines might disappear. Don’t hide anything that’s actually there, but make people want to come see the place.

6. Shoot events and weddings

Lots of couples can’t afford a big-name wedding photographer, so there’s room for newer shooters at a lower price. Birthday parties, graduations and company events work the same way.

It’s hard work, though. The kiss, the cake and the family shots each happen in seconds, sometimes in a dark room where flash isn’t allowed. Then you spend hours editing. Before you charge anyone, second-shoot a friend’s wedding to see if you can handle it, and always use a written contract.

Thumbtack

Best for: finding local clients

What it is

A site where people near you hire local pros, photographers included.

What you do

Make a profile, set your prices and the jobs you want, and answer people who need a photographer.

How much it pays

You set your own prices. Joining is free, with no annual or membership charges. You pay for leads, and your lead budget decides how many you get.

The catch

You pay for leads whether or not they book you.

Worth it? Only once you have a portfolio to show. Leads cost money, so make each one count.

Join Thumbtack as a pro

7. Portraits and senior pictures

Senior pictures, family photos and headshots are steady local money. They’re also stressful: parents want perfect, and teens hate how they look in every shot.

Lighting is most of the job. Shooting outdoors? Full shade is great, but spotty shade through leaves leaves blotches on faces that you won’t notice until you’re editing. Get the eyes sharp. And for senior pictures, find out what the yearbook requires before the shoot, so the money shot isn’t missed while you’re doing the fun stuff.

Learn basic editing too. Removing a stray hair, lint or a soda bottle in the background is what makes it look pro.

So which one should you start with?

Want money soon? Go local. One paid real estate shoot or portrait session can beat months of stock sales.

Want something that runs in the background? Upload to stock sites, but only if you’ll keep adding photos. A portfolio of 20 won’t do much.

Either way, keep the business money apart from your own. One of the best banks for freelancers makes tax time easier. And if you want to stack other gigs on top, look at weekend jobs or the full list of side gigs.

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