How to Make Money from Your Railway Photographs
If you have a hobby such as railway photography, you can also make money from it! Don’t know how to do this? Read on!
Create a Website
Perhaps as a long term money-making solution for your photos, having a personal website is one of the best options. Setting one up in the modern world is easier than ever and it doesn’t have to be costly. If you have the time to update and maintain a website it should be well worth the effort, being able to showcase your railway photographs attractively. It will provide a comprehensive place for people to see your work and have the option to purchase what they like. If time is not on your side or you are not that tech-savvy, consider using a professional service to help you out.
Advertise on Social Media
If you have something to promote it makes sense to take advantage of your favourite platform. Your best chance of success might be to utilise each of the heavy hitters (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). Instagram is especially suited as it’s all about images, but don’t overlook Pinterest which is great for special-interest subjects, such as railway photography. Whichever format you do eventually opt for update regularly and give your audience plenty of quality content. You can easily give them the option to buy a photograph in each post.
Send Photos to Magazines
Despite the digital age we live in magazines are not dead. Photography magazines are still a fairly big market, with a few strong titles to choose from here in the UK. They often run competitions where you can win money from your photos. But it’s not just the photography magazines where money can be made as other magazines may be keen to use your photos for featured stories or other articles.
Look at the publisher’s pages online to find out if this is the case.
Take a read of the tips to get a photo on a magazine front cover. One day, your dream may come true!
Photo Details:
I have been lucky and had three of my photographs on the front cover of railway magazines.
Get Your Photos on Goods
You could have your photograph featured on physical products such as calendars, cards and stationery. Sometimes you may see brands asking for people’s photographs to use, and a railway photograph is a very popular choice with something like a calendar. Having one of your images on a product sold to the public means you could receive a payment in the form of a one-off agreed amount. Alternatively, a commission basis for each item sold could be paid. Another idea is to create the products with your images yourself and sell them on a platform such as Etsy or eBay.
Photo Marketplace
There are quite a few photo marketplaces such as Shutterstock, Alamy and 500p. These platforms may either pay you a set amount for allowing your image to be downloaded and used or offer payment each time a user download it. You’ll be up against a lot of other submitters so select your best work!
These ways to earn money should make the hobby an even more rewarding one! Just be sure clear on a few important pointers, such as if you are going to maintain or give up the copyright of the photos when it is sold. If you do give up the copyright that will usually mean anyone buying the photo can edit and distribute it as they please. So carefully consider your options.
Conclusion
There are many ways to make money through photography. You can sell prints, offer your photography or retouching services, or teach. Depending on your personality and what you are interested in, you can monetize your skills in photography.