Did you know that there are many different ways that you can make money from wildlife photography? The truth is, one person’s hobby can turn into a full-time career if that person truly knows what they are doing. The best thing to do when learning how to make money from wildlife photography is to simply keep on practicing. The more you learn, the more money you will make.
Many people mistakenly think that earning money from working in the wild is very difficult. They also believe that it takes many years of study and hard work. Nothing could be further from the truth. Wildlife photographers can make good money by being just a little bit different than the majority of their competition.
The first step in understanding how to make money from wildlife photography is learning all you can about photographing wildlife. There is an extensive amount of information online that will be invaluable to you as you learn the ropes. You will have a better understanding of which animals are desirable for photography and which ones aren’t. This knowledge will also help you pinpoint which locations are profitable and which ones aren’t.
Once you know which areas are moneymakers, you need to find out which locations are not. Once you have identified a hotspot, try to find out how much is paid for taking photos in that area. Is the hourly wage big? Is it worth your time and effort to drive an hour after hour to get to the location? You can often make a lot of extra money taking pictures at popular wildlife spots if you know how much to ask for.
Once you have established yourself in a particular area, stick with it. Don’t leave town for another job opportunity unless it is absolutely necessary. Try to take a few short trips out of town to build up your portfolio and reputation before you make the plunge to leave town for regular photography work. This way you will always have photos available for potential clients.
The best advice that anyone could give you when learning how to make money from photography is don’t quit your day job. You may think that it is too risky to take on a second job so keep at it. You can always hire others to take your photos if you don’t have any steady work. Or if you feel you won’t be successful at it, you can always quit and focus on learning how to do photography full time. Just be sure to find someone who is reliable and has experience in the field.
One important factor that you must consider and keep in mind is the licensing process that each photographer has in place with their photographic licensees. You may be required to get a professional photographer’s license in order to take photos on vacation or wildlife property. These licenses cost around $100 in most states and are valid for a specific length of time. Always remember to ask how many other people have used the license you’re applying for in case you ever have to renew it. Also, never use a fake license in order to avoid having to pay fines.
Once you know how to make money from wildlife photography, don’t let the work go to waste. Continue learning about the different techniques that capture the perfect shot. Keep improving your techniques until you are producing high quality images that you can sell to clients. Who knows, maybe someday you might become famous for your fantastic wildlife photography!
Now that you know how to make money from wildlife photography, the next step is to find out where you can sell your work. Most photographers will have a website or a blog where they display their work. Check them out and see what kind of photos they offer. If they don’t have anything published yet, sign up for their newsletter so you can receive updates on when new pictures are available. Offer to write articles or reviews for them if you think they are a good source of information.
You can also post your pictures online using sites such as Flicker, Snapfish, Photosqueezet and Agfanet. There are even services available that will host your photos on their server and handle all the digital image processing for you. If you want to know how to make money from wildlife photography without investing a lot of time, check out sites such as Fotolia and ShutterStock. These sites will allow you to upload your photos for a monthly fee and they will use them in advertising for a number of different businesses.
You could also try taking surveys on sites like SurveyScout and Askreg. You’ll be surprised at the variety of questionnaires that are available on these websites. They allow people to answer questions about wildlife behaviors, the population of animals in certain areas, the best locations to photograph wildlife, and much more. The sky is the limit when it comes to learning how to make money from wildlife photography and there is definitely a market for hunters and photographers who are willing to learn more about the hobby.