Competition over photography jobs can be greatly discouraging. While the photography job market is projected to grow in the next ten years, the majority of photographers categorize themselves as freelancers or independent contractors, working with an average of 2 to 3 different industries or client types. Furthermore, with so much technological advancement in both equipment and software design, keeping up with the latest cutting-edge features and trends requires time and money, which can be difficult to allocate properly without a stable income or steady schedule.
The bottom line is, most photographers will be left with limited resources to spend chasing down work, so exploring the latest trends and discovering niche demands is an rewarding way to focus effort and design new unique opportunities.
Below are four lucrative examples of growing markets that photographers should be targeting, and could be transforming by capitalizing on the evolving capabilities of cameras, editing software, & other imaging technologies.
1. Offering Online Courses and Workshops
A both immediate and passive, remote way to generate revenue and business opportunities, teaching can easily be seen the best among photography jobs. Since there is always something new to be taught and someone new to teach, offering online courses is a strategic way to keep up to date with the latest technologies as you update your coursing materials. Furthermore, this is an excellent self-initiated avenue of building both a recurring client base and a small network of future photography job seekers.
A photographer with teaching skills can definitely consider hosting virtual workshops to showcase new equipment or techniques that can set them as leaders in image capture & photo work, creating both a steady income source and brand awareness.
2. Capitalizing on Event Photography
While local demands for photography jobs will greatly vary, every place has its own unique opportunities for professional photography with events worth documenting. From important personal life milestones and memorable social gatherings, to industry expos & professional summits, to store openings and sales campaigns, a professional photographer with creativity and initiative can generate an opportunity of shared success and collaborative growth.
Event photography is not limited by event type, size of venue, nor number of participants. Targeting smaller, less populated events can make for excellent opportunities to provide professional photo work. Here, there will be better chances to build a business relationship directly with host and to showcase their venue/products.
Larger events can offer a better quantity and variety of avenues to take with a greater the number of participants. Industry conferences or academic symposiums will have workshops and seminars where high-end photo work can help highlight a company or individual’s impact and importance. Trade shows and exhibition style events are more inclined to have brand booths and product demonstrations, where an underappreciated vendor will more likely appreciate recognition and exposure.
Recurring events can lead to a stable revenue stream, and repeat clients can lead to higher fees. With the proper prep work, every local event starts to reveal endless possibilities of building a future with capturing the present. By setting up an online portfolio to build both an online presence and reputation, event photography can be the turning point of a photographers professional career.
3. Brand Collaborations Or Sponsorships
A very niche way to reduce the need of having many clients is by targeting brand collaborations and sponsorship deals. This example immediately suggests affluent brands and selective photography jobs that seem unattainable due to the highly competitive nature of the industry. However, there are many high-end brands and luxury item vendors with small outreach and low exposure that have yet to see the benefits from collaborating with a professional photographer.
Portraits and product reveals can be a key concept of brand awareness for any size business, and a crucial element to product design. Hence, the willingness to pay a premium for an exceptional take on essential work is a scalable trend. With the rise of influencer marketing, organizing sponsored shoots is becoming a reliable way for photographers to generate value for both product brands and high-net-worth individuals with creativity and the use of cutting-edge techniques. Furthermore, these self-initiated opportunities help build a reputation and pave the way to more content creation opportunities or higher brand deals, where a carefully designed portfolio matters most.
4. Real Estate as a full-time Photography Job
The industry with the longest standing record of offering photographers is real estate. Interiors and exteriors, before and afters, landscape, softscape & hardscape, distinctive architectural features, nearby landmarks and stunning views, an endless supply of documentation and sales material commanding a strong demand for professional photo work.
With so many areas to choose from come many specializations and technologies that can help establish a niche. To facilitate a sale or project under construction, the industry will not shy away from purchasing professional photo work, stabilized videography, aerial photography & drone footage, virtual staging services, panoramic imaging for 3D floor plans or 360 virtual tours, and other skill photographers can hone to find their niche.
Drone footage is becoming a popular request by property listing managers and land development marketers, and offers many layers of certification and licensing requirements, with commesurate levels of expert service and compensation. However, just as property sales can be geographically inconsistent and sporadic, so is demand for all levels of drone operators.
For designers and construction companies, marketing and branding are just as essential, where a digital presence and an online portfolio will often be the edge that pushes their services above the competition. These can make excellent return clients that can appreciate having a professional photographer that can offer comprehensive media & exposure solutions.
Getting To Work
Rethinking a business to serve more than one industry or client type will initially seem resource heavy and overtaxing. Despite the glaring benefits, such as additional revenue streams or financial safety nets, diversification can feel out of reach for most photographers. Most do not have time to be molding themselves into the perfect candidates for the photography jobs everyone is already competing for. However, exploring strategic or innovative niches and refining an unmatched combination of skills to serve them can greatly justify the investment.
In today’s world, digital media already dominates a major portion of the average person’s daily interactions, with visual content such as photos and videos being #1 in what everyday people are most exposed to. The global photography market value is among the highest, as, along with its greatest ally, marketing, it is in a unique position to affect every other existing industry.
While the aggressive competition and undercut offers can erode a photographers confidence in their professional self-worth, the fortunate truth is that capturing the smallest fraction of that market can mean significant and stable lifelong income. There is no better way to get ahead of competition and secure first pick than to conceptualize and pursue new unique opportunities and untapped potential.
