Are you good at photography and passionate about taking pictures? Do you want to start a photography business? Here, we intend to explore the most profitable and low-cost photography business ideas for beginners.
A photographer is a professional who focuses on the art of taking photographs with a camera. A photographer generally works in a freelance capacity and is hired for specific jobs by different clients. These photography business ideas are ideal for home-based and part-time operations.
A professional photographer who works full-time often does studio work that involves taking pictures in a controlled interior setting, with professional or amateur models. These photographers can be freelance, or can also be kept on retainer by certain magazines and fashion companies.
21 Photography Business Ideas
#1. Astronomy Photography
Astronomy photography is a very self-rewarding business. An astronomy photographer generally works with scientists, researchers, and astronauts. They use high-quality upgraded equipment to get the best quality photographs. Such as a wide-angle lens, a sturdy tripod, an equatorial mount, etc.
#2. Become a Photo Blogger
Many photographers are making good money out of photo blogging. A photoblog not only provides the photographer a scope to reach customers but also opens up an extra income opportunity. Through the blog, you can sell your photos and products related to photography, sell tutorials, or place advertisements.
Learn More: How to Start a Photography Blog and Make Money
#3. Commercial Photography
Commercial still and video photography is always in demand. Individuals having expertise in still and video photography can initiate this venture. This is one of the most profitable photography business ideas that require comparatively less equipment.
#4. Digital Photo Printing
If you are not a professional photographer, then also you can start a business in the photography industry. With a good quality digital printing machine, a computer, and a scanner, you can open a digital photo printing service for both photographers and individuals.
Learn More: How to Start a Digital Printing Business
#5. Fashion Photography
Fashion photography is one of the most popular areas of commercial photography. Images are used for a wide range of uses: to tell a story (editorial), to sell apparel (catalogs, websites), and to promote a fashion brand (advertising).
#6. Online Photo Selling
A professional photographer or a person passionate about photography can start an online photo-selling business. The business is simply creating excellent photography and getting money by uploading them to photo-selling sites.
Related: Best Places to Sell Photos Online
#7. Pet Photography
Pet photography is a business for pet lovers with artistic skills. Additionally, pet photography is a fast-growing and super fun genre of photography. Every owner of dogs, cats, reptiles, birds, and fish can all be your potential client. A pet-loving attitude with a well-equipped presentation is crucial in this business.
Learn More: How to Start Pet Photography Business
#8. Photograph Restoration
Photograph restoration with a digital repair service is a profitable business. Make sure you have photo restoration skills before you start. A good quality scanner, computer, and photo restoration software will enable you to start a business. You can start this business as home-based.
#9. Photography Training Institute
The photography training institute is one of the most profitable photography business ideas for aspiring professional photographers. Core concepts like exposure, composition, light, shadow, color, format, camera type, lens type, and digital or darkroom post-processing may be covered in Photography courses.
Photographers with experience and qualifications can provide the training necessary in a photography training institute.
#10. Photo Journalist
Photojournalism is a competitive business, controlled by editors who are often overworked and involve a certain amount of subjectivity. Pursuing a career by getting a degree in that field is usually the best course of action. Photojournalism is the visual documentation of what is going on around us all.
Also Check: Top Stock Photography Sites to Sell Your Photos
#11. Photography Studio
The photography studio is a profitable retail business in the photography industry. Additionally, the business is perfect for both men and women entrepreneurs. However, the business demands moderate capital investment.
Learn More: How to Start a Photography Studio Business
#12. Portrait Photography
You can start a portrait photography business in two ways. One is from your retail studio. Another is operating your business from home and providing the service mobile basis. Local print and online classifieds are the best places to promote the portrait photography business.
#13. Real Estate Photography
When photos are created for a property listing that a real estate agent is going to sell on the housing market, it is called real estate photography. Post-processing software plays an important role in the real estate photography business.
Adding video as part of your services puts you ahead of the competition. It also enables you to work for clients that are tech-savvy and hungry for the latest technologies.
#14. Sports Photography
The main application of professional sports photography is for editorial purposes; dedicated sports photographers usually work for newspapers, major wire agencies, or dedicated sports magazines.
However, sports photography is also used for advertising purposes both to build a brand and as well as to promote a sport in a way that cannot be accomplished by editorial means.
#15. Underwater Photography
Underwater photography is a specialized type of photography that is most popular among scuba divers, snorkelers, and surfing photographers. However, due to the increased availability of affordable digital cameras and underwater housings, anyone can partake in underwater photography today.
The same goes for underwater videos. The very first thing to keep in mind is that the foundation of underwater photography is good in-water skills. If you don’t have buoyancy mastered, getting well-composed and lit images is going to be a challenge.
#16. Wedding Videography
The demand for good-quality wedding videography or photography is increasing rapidly. Clients are couples seeking photographic documentation. There are many different styles of videography or photography couples seek, from photojournalistic to editorial.
Establish a relationship with local wedding-oriented vendors–florists, bridal shops, videographers, caterers, hotels and country clubs, bakeries and cake decorators, jewelers, and musicians.
#17. Wildlife Photography
Wildlife photography is a genre of photography concerned with documenting various forms of wildlife in its natural habitat. It is one of the most challenging forms of photography.
To succeed as a professional wildlife photographer you need to be technically competent. This is one of the most profitable photography business ideas for aspiring photographers.
#18. Drone Photography
The application of drones for photography needs is on the rise. More and more industries are taking help from drones for one reason or the other. If you can master the art of manoeuvring drones, there is a huge potential for making good money as a drone photographer.
#19. Celebrity Photographer
Celebrity photography is a part of photojournalism where the subjects are celebrities in the arts, sports, and sometimes politics. There are three main types of celebrity photographs used by magazines and newspapers: event photography, celebrity portraiture, and paparazzi.
#20. Create and Sell Online Photography Courses
Many people look for photography tutorials on the internet. You can select a specific photography niche and create online courses for students.
#21. Create Photo Gift Items
The gift industry has been growing for the last few decades. Some of the most popular photo gift items that are presently selling widely are mugs, photo frames, cuff links, bags, polaroid magnets, mouse pads, t-shirts, etc. If you are a photographer and have an interest in the gifting industry, creating photo gift items can surely fetch good profit returns.
In the present day, the photography industry comes with plenty of new business opportunities. The most critical part of starting a photography-related business is to choose the right niche as per your interests and skills. Services like photo editing and drone photography are some examples of new sectors emerging in the photography industry.
Editorial Team at 99BusinessIdeas is a team of experts led by Rupak Chakrabarty with over 25 years of experience in starting and running small businesses. Started in 2010, 99BusinessIdeas is now one of the largest free small business resources in the industry.