Freelance Photographers: How to become Successful in 5 Easy Steps

It's no secret that the photography industry is booming. With more and more people using their smartphones to take pictures, it doesn't matter if you're a professional photographer or not there are still plenty of opportunities for you to make money with your camera!

But before we dive into how to become a freelance photographer, let's talk about what exactly being a freelancer means. A freelancer is someone who works independently from home as opposed to an employee.

They have freedom in their schedule and can do work on behalf of multiple clients at one time because they don't have set hours.

Freelance Photographer

Freelance Photographer is a job that will provide you with the freedom of working on your own schedule and for multiple clients at one time. It is an independent job that doesn't have set hours, meaning you're able to work for whomever whenever.

As a freelance photographer, your main responsibility would be taking pictures of different products or people and selling them as stock photographs.

You could also take on clients who need photos taken at their business location once in awhile if it's not something you'd like to do frequently.

Types of Freelance Photography

There are different types of photographies but we like to focus only a few of them. The main types of freelance photography are events, food and product photographs so if you have a camera or smartphone with a decent lens, get ready to start shooting!

1. Animal Photography

Animal photography is about capturing the personalities of different pets in a photo. It can make for some pretty cute family photos!

As an animal photographer, you would be responsible photographing dogs, cats or other popular household pets. You could also specialize in photographing only one type of pet such as horses if that's your preference.

If you're interested in photographing wildlife, you could also do that but it may take weeks or even months to get the perfect shot.

Wildlife photographer is a type of freelance photography that requires patience as it can sometimes take weeks, months, or even years to capture the perfect animal photo. But if you're lucky and work hard on your shots, they could even be featured in National Geographic!

2. Fashion Photography

Fashion photography is all about capturing photos of people in the latest fashion trends. It's not only for magazines but also for online catalogs that sell clothes, shoes or other products!

To become a fashion photographer, you would be responsible photographing models wearing different types of clothing and selling the shots to companies who need them.

You could even start your own online shop that features photos of models wearing different outfits and sell them to customers.

3. Wedding Photography

The wedding industry is one of the largest industries out there as it has a lot of potential for making money!

As a wedding photographer, you would be responsible photographing weddings and selling the pictures to couples who need nice memories of their special day.

4. Landscape Photography

As a landscape photographer, you would be responsible for taking photos of different landscapes such as oceans, mountains and national parks to later sell them online or even in magazines!

There is also an opportunity for someone who specializes in photographing only certain types of scenery such as deserts or lakes.

In your free time, you could also photograph events such as birthday parties or weddings for family and friends who need photos taken.

5. Sports Photography

Sports photography is all about photographing athletes as they compete in their sport. This can be a great way for you to make money depending on the popularity of the sports you're taking photos of!

As a sports photographer, your main responsibility would be photographing people playing different types of sports and selling them online or even to magazines who may need them.

You could specialize in photographing only certain types of sports such as baseball or football if that's what you're interested in.

6. Architecture Photography

As an architecture photographer, you would be responsible for taking photos of the different types of buildings out there such as houses and skyscrapers.

If you love looking at aesthetically pleasing designs, this is one freelance photography job that's perfect for you!

No matter what type of freelance photography career path you choose to follow, it all starts with applying for jobs online.

You can also try photographing family and friends in your free time to build up a portfolio of images you've taken before applying to bigger brands!

7. Food Photography

Food photography is all about photographing different types of foods that can be sold online or even in magazines. If you love food, this could be the perfect freelance job for you to land!

To become a food photographer, your main responsibility would be taking photos of food and selling them online or through other means. You may even have some opportunities to sell your shots to magazines that need them!

As a food photographer, you'd be responsible for photographing different types of foods and selling the photos online or even in magazines.

There may also be opportunities to take photos at restaurants as well so if this is something you're interested in pursuing, it's best not to ignore those possibilities!

8. Advertising Photography

Advertising photography is one of the most popular types of freelance photography around. As an advertising photographer, you would be responsible for taking photos that represent a certain brand to promote it online or through magazines and other forms of media.

As an advertising photographer, your main responsibility would be photographing different brands in order to sell them online or even in magazines.

You could specialize in photographing certain types of brands such as beauty products or electronics if that's what you're interested in!

How to be a Freelance Photography

If you're interested in becoming a freelance photographer, it all starts with applying for jobs online. You can also try photographing family and friends to build up your portfolio before you apply for bigger brands!

After that, it's just about finding clients who are willing to pay money for the photos of their business or products. If you love photography and have a unique eye for design, this could be the perfect career path for you!

1. Choose Your Equipment

If you're just starting out your career as a photographer, you'll need to choose the right camera equipment for yourself. As mentioned before, investing in higher quality cameras is important but it doesn't have to be something super expensive either!

Many retailers may offer refurbished camera equipment that will allow you to purchase a better quality camera than if you were buying new. If you don't have the money to buy any gear, don't worry!

You can still learn how to be a successful photographer with your camera phone. Many people are able to take beautiful photos of their surroundings and even other people just by pulling out their phones so if that's all you've got, it's okay!

2. Start Taking Photos

While start taking photos, it's important to learn how the two basic types of photography logos work. These are known as "shutter speed" and "aperture."

Shutter Speed is responsible for controlling the amount of light that comes into your camera while Aperture takes care of rendering different parts in focus or out-of-focus depending on what you want.

If you want to be a freelance photographer, it's important that you learn these two things in order to have the best photos possible!

You can also start taking photos of your surroundings, family and friends to build up a portfolio of work you've done before applying for jobs.

3. Share Your Photography

After you've taken photos, it's time to share them with your audience! There are a few different ways that people can post their work online which include blogging and social media.

Blogging is a great way to get exposure since other people will be able to see your blog once they find it on Google or through another search engine.

Social media is also a popular way to show your work off since many people are active on social media accounts every day!

4. Build a Portfolio

If you're interested in advertising photography, making a website that stands out can be difficult but it's important if you want potential clients to take you seriously. As an advertising photographer, the design of your site will reflect how professional and serious you are about your work.

So, if you want to be a successful photographer, make sure that you choose a website builder that offers free trials so that you can test out their features before deciding whether or not it's right for you!

No matter the type of photography style that interests you most, it's important to have an online portfolio that represents your style in every possible way.

5. Freelance Photography Jobs

There are a variety of different freelance photography jobs that you can choose from if this is the direction that you want to go in.

For example, some people may be interested in working with events or being an advertising photographer while others might find themselves more at home behind the camera!

If you're looking for work as an event photographer, there are a variety of events that you can work with, including weddings! Weddings are a great way to build up your portfolio since they typically pay more than other types of photography jobs.

Once you've found steady freelance photography work as an event photographer, it's time to start looking for bigger brands such as modeling agencies and businesses so that you can show off your work and gain exposure.

Conclusion

Now, you have learned all about the freelance photography world and how to become a successful photographer! Once you've learned the basics, it's time to showcase your skills so that people know how good at photography you are.

Remember, blogging and social media can be a great way to start gaining exposure for your photos so if you don't have the funds necessary to purchase top of the line equipment just yet, using what you already have is perfectly fine!