We all have a favourite way of taking pictures, favourite subjects and environments that make us love photography. But still there’s a lot of us who have to make a living out of this, and have to find the best way to monetize our skills.
Having said that - what would you consider (or is objectively) the most profitable niche in photography?
Commercial photography, without a doubt, 100%
Big companies have shitloads of cash and are willing to pay really big dollars for the right photography. It’s rare but there are commercial photographers grossing over a million a year, and netting in the high 6 figures easily.
Any idea what the first step into getting in commercial? Been shooting wedding for almost 20 years and would like to pivot
Start shooting for local businesses. Get a few under your belt, even for free, then start reaching out to local ad agencies with those images. Find who the creative decision makers are at brands and agencies and tell them how you can help them solve a problem. Keep up that cycle of shoot and share and continuously level up the people you’re sharing to. Work hard on the photography and harder on the marketing of it. And keep going. It takes a while to get the ball rolling, but if you know how to handle a camera already you’re at least part of the way there.