How to Make Money as a Professional Travel Photographer

Professional travel photographers on staff with full-time salaries and benefits

These positions simply don't exist these days. However, there are actually more options to make money through travel photography than ever before. As long as you're willing to be flexible and keep multiple revenue streams flowing, there is potential to make a respectable full-time living.

The following details just a few of the most popular sources for income as a travel photographer. Leveraging social media followings If you've spent any time on social media channels following other travel photographers, most likely you've come across photographers making the majority of their income through travel and photography oriented brand services via social media and are willing to pay handsomely for it.

If you're open to going where the money is, there's virtually no limit to the opportunities for social media your brand, and that allows you to go where you want to go with your career.

Blogging

There are two primary ways to make money blogging as a professional travel photographer.

The first way is advertising.

Choose a blogging platform, such as Wordpress, that allows you to run ads. Seek out partnerships with the audience, such as photography gear, books, and classes.

The second way is product affiliate links.

When you write a review of a product or reference a product in a post, provide an affiliate link. When readers use the affiliate links, you'll earn a percentage. Make sure to vary the content on your blog so it doesn't become overly promotional.

As a freelancer, it's valuable to generate both short-form and long-form content. Short-form blog content keeps readers coming back on a regular basis.

Long-form content, such as an ebook, demonstrates comprehensive knowledge and experience and tends to have staying power. Asa travel photographer, it's also valuable to have multiple revenue streams that generate passive income while you're traveling.

Blogging, ebooks, and YouTube videos are all ideal passive income streams for photographers. Running a YouTube channel Atravel photography YouTube channel provides the means to offer photography tips, lessons, product or gear reviews, and "on location" videos. You'll earn money on your videos without the hassle of running your own website.

Maximize opportunities to cross-promote your online content and other offerings. For example, write a review of a new flash action. You can link the video to the blog post and add a link to the blog post in the video notes. When you have an upcoming class or workshop, create a short promotional video advertising the event or trip.

Teaching classes and workshops In the age of digital photography, arguably there are more people interested in learning photography than buying images. As such, teaching is a primary source of income for many photographers. If you've already had success writing tutorials or creating video lessons and you have a decent following, teaching classes or workshops is a great way to expand this practice and generate even more income. From hosting local day workshops to running two week-long expeditions around the world, there is a wide range of teaching options.