I’ve been doing photography since 2010. I’ve taken folks money since 2016. Every year has it’s ups and downs. Some years I make a lot and some years I don’t. Since photography is a lucrative hobby for me I tend to not put a lot of stress on myself to make money or have this huge business, but a friend of mine said the other day Kita…you are good, you should be bigger. I agreed but how do I get bigger, being an introvert and not wanting to really put myself out there? I need a plan and I who woudln’t want more money so here is how I plan to make more money in photography this year.
First let’s address who is hiring photographers in 2026. People who have extra money. Photography can be an expense that a lot of people just don’t have. So most people are buying their own cameras or having uncle bob take the photos. Anyone can take a photo but it takes certain people who can pick that camera up and take who you are and put some umph into that photo. If you want to make money in 2026 you have to change up your approach you may also have to get into niches that not everyone is in.
First nothing is wrong with doing free photoshoots. I did free from 2010 til 2016. Free…..I took everything and everyone. I first charged $50 in 2016 to do some engagement photos and then have creeped up ever since. I’m still not that expensive, and it’s not because I don’t feel that I’m good, it’s because I want to make sure there is a price point for people who want good photos without paying a lot of money. I have been there where I have wanted photos but couldn’t afford it so I am coming from a place of knowing how that feels. I say pay for what you can afford, and there are people out here at every price point, so don’t come for me. Getting back to free though……build your portfolio during the off-season. Offer free shoots in various niches to practice and to see how far you can stretch your imagination.
Great video above about working for free and some plans that you can put into place.
Instagram doesn’t work for me so I have been doing other things to share myself. My website is always number 1 with SEO posts. Threads have been great with networking without always selling. Reddit has been awesome I can jump into conversations a lot. So I will be writing a blog post once a week and making sure it’s SEO-friendly. I will show my personality on threads at least 10 times a day, Monday through Friday. I will jump into 3 Reddit groups a week. I will attend more events with my camera and take a picture, and post it (this works wonders for me and I want to do more of that)
I will be doing more free work during the Summer….I definitely want to get more into courthouse weddings and work with small businesses a little more. So I will be offering myself for free for some things to gain more experience in those things. If I want to do more small businesses, I need to position myself as more of content creator but in the photography world. More content business days for businesses, more behind the scenes pictures and videos, more monthly retainers. I only do small businesses if I’m doing a monthly retainer which helps me and helps the business always keep content.
Nobody is buying photography. They are buying more clients, sales, trust, and attention. If you can tell the story of the brand, the business, the couple, the family, then AI can’t take that over. I need to shift the way I think and stop saying I’m just a photographer, I am a storyteller, or I can say Visual Storyteller or moment architect (Law Roach is an image architect, so I like moment Architect)
Another thing I want to do more of small videos. Not trying to be a videographer but offering small moments on video is the way to go. I actually did one for my YouTube channel the other day, where I did small clips of a shoot that I did and made it into a video.
So here is my list of what I’m doing
- Attend more events and carry my camera with me
- take photos everyday which I am doing for my project 365
- Offer to do free shoots in various niches to help me practice during my down seasons
- Where a photography tshirt out and about. I bought a few from Etsy and I plan on wearing them on shoot days and just random days around town
- Position myself as not just a photographer but storyteller
- Do more photos in smaller towns. I’m never an Atlanta photographer to many folks trying to be that pick a smaller town and be the photographer in that spot
- Learning strobe lights I took a class on that and will take more. I now see why everyone carries the them outside I get it now.
- Doing other things that don’t require a camera but gets my mind going. Turning daily things into a story helps me frame the task in a new light…try it.
People are still paying for shoots but it’s all how you position yourself and build that portfolio people want to see what you can do before they spend their coins.
What will you do differently in 2026 for your business or life?
