8 WAYS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS TO TRAVEL MORE AND MAKE SOME MONEY!
By SnapSquad - March 18, 2018
I get the question all the time, "how do you travel so much?". It all started 5 years ago after college where I learned about a work exchange program in Europe. I set out with only a backpack and a camera and traveled 13 countries in 5 months. This is where my love for photography stemmed and where I realized I wanted to make a career out of it. In short, I have somehow managed to stay afloat while traveling a ton. Here are 8 ways that you as a photographer could do so as well:
1- PARTNER WITH HOTELS
First things first, you absolutely have to make a website or no one will
take you seriously. I am completely the opposite of tech savvy which is
why I use Squarespace- it’s super cheap and incredibly user friendly.
Once you have a website you can easily start building content. Even if
it’s not paid work you can spend a day taking photos of a few cool
hotels so that you have relevant content on your site. When you’re
ready to go, you can start planning your first trip. Create a really nice email
template that looks professional and gets peoples attention!
Whether you prefer big chain hotels or smaller quaint boutique ones you
can start e-mailing them to see if they need a photographer.
Depending on your professionalism and quality of work you can get
anywhere from a few nights stay in exchange for photos to full on paid
gigs! Ps. Having a drone really helps!
2- TEAM UP WITH RESTAURANTS
Same goes as above- start snapping photos when you go to your favourite restaurants or when you cook meals at home. Start building up a portfolio with an aesthetic that is cohesive so clients can get a good idea of your vision.
3- DO SPONSORED POSTS ON INSTAGRAM
Everyone knows by now what an “Instagram Influencer” is. Don’t worry- you don’t have to have a million followers to make money though. Once you grow an account to 10k, you can start reaching out to brands that you love for collaborations. There are plenty of apps that also connect influencers with brands that either send you really cool things or pay you to create content for them! I use “Takumi” and they have been absolutely wonderful!
4- START A BLOG
People monetize their blogs in several different ways. One option is affiliate marketing where you can link to products in your posts and if people click on the link and purchase it- you get paid a portion of the sales. You can also earn money by paid ads on your website where companies will pay you monthly to advertise in a widget on your site.
5- WORK EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
I went backpacking after college and traveled for 5 months with a company called HELPX.net. You may have heard of similar ones such as WOOFING- where you work in exchange for room and board. I worked at B&B’s, farms, Chateaus, and many other incredible places. I saved so much money and this is where my love for photography and sharing my travel images through social media began. I fell in love with the idea that my photos could convince other people back home to get out of their comfort zones and travel more. With programs like this, you can travel a lot longer and for much cheaper.
6- SNAPSQUAD
This online photographer platform helps connect photographers and videographers with more clients. On their site you can add as many listings as you want- and for anywhere in the world! For example I have several listings for “wedding photography” in places like Amsterdam, Tuscany, Paris, etc. That way when a client wants to hire me, I can have a working holiday and get to spend some time in a place that I’ve always dreamed of. You can create your own rates, availability, location, choose your photographer categories, and share your favourite photos from your work.
7-TOURISM BOARDS
Tourism boards always need new content! If you love taking those magical landscape shots where you freeze your fingers off waiting for the sun to go down or when you wake up at sunrise to catch the Milano Duomo before the crowd rolls in- this could be the perfect job for you.
8. SELL YOUR STOCK PHOTOS
Regularly upload your most recent best work to stock photo websites so earn some extra cash while you’re on the road! A few good ones are Shutterstock and ImageBrief! Always keep those random extra photos that you take on a hard drive because you never know when the day will come that someone wants that exact shot on the cover on their new book.
Author: Caitlin C.
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