Can You Make Money as a Photographer?

Have you found yourself feeling defeated or stagnant within your photography business and found yourself wondering if you can really make money as a photographer? I understand how you are feeling and would be lying if I told you I had never felt that way.

The answer is yes, you can make money as a photographer. In fact, you are capable and worthy of owning a sustainable 6 figure photography brand.

There are three main types of photographers that are all capable of creating a sustainable portrait business: The Full-Timer, The Part-Timer and The Newbie.

The Full-Timer

• Your income has become stagnant 
• Feel like you are paid less than what you are worth
• Feel constant pressure to bring in more photography clients

So you have transitioned from a part time photography business to a full-time operation, whether it was a recent transition or multiple years, you may find yourself wondering if you have peaked. I am here to assure you that is not the case, you may just need a bit of a refresher or tune up to reach your goals. It is time for you to breakdown what you are currently doing in your business and explore how you can remaster your pricing, client experience and most importantly your mindset. This may be the final puzzle piece to take your business to the next level as well as your income.

The Part-Timer

• Your ‘real job’ job pays the bills
• Full-time photography sounds unobtainable
• You feel like you have zero time between your jobs

If you have not taken the dive into full-time photography and still rely on a secondary form of income, don’t worry, that does not mean you should give up hope. Mindset can play a huge role in preventing part-time photographers from making the transition to full-time because it is scary. You need to take a zoomed out look into what your current business situation is and what you can do to gain the knowledge of being the CEO of your portrait business. This may mean you need to re-evaluate your current pricing, build a unique client experience, learn and understand the numbers in your business or break down those limiting beliefs holding you back. There are many avenues you can explore and implement to make the money you deserve as a full-time photographer. Say goodbye to overwhelming 12+ hour days balancing your day job and your dream job.

The Newbie

• Your full-time job pays your bills
• You are unsure of where you should start or what to do
• You have advice coming from every direction but no clear understanding

Maybe you have just branched into the photography world and have quickly become overwhelmed. You may have found yourself asking for advice from local photographers or Facebook Groups. You may have also found that it can quickly become overwhelming or confusing when you have a lot of advice coming from each and every direction. Contrary to what you may have heard in the past, you do not have to host a million free model calls and give everything away when you are starting out, in fact that could hurt your business’ future. New photographers are worthy and fully capable of making money, you just have to know how. It is time for you to sit down and start building a plan for who you want to be as a photographer and what you want clients to experience working with you. Take your time in the beginning and don’t try to do everything at the same time. Your future self will thank you for taking the time to understand the ins and outs of building a profitable portrait business.

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Whether you have been in the business for 25 years and are looking for a kick start to launch your business forward, a newbie searching for guidance or a part timer dreaming to take your business full-time, you are extremely capable and worthy of making money as a photographer.

This is why we created Master Your Mind & Money, this educational community has the perfect mixture of constantly evolving courses providing photographers of all stages with the tools and resources to go out and make money in their portrait business. With an encouraging online community of photographers working through the same steps you are, laser focused 1:1 meetings with our coaches and the ability to submit work for review, Master Your Mind & Money offers it all.

I don’t know who needs to hear this but your education should be your priority in order to build a profitable photography brand and live the fulfilling life you deserve as a professional photographer.

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