MAKE MONEY WITH SPECIALTY PHOTOGRAPHY

Photo credit: www.photofolio.co.uk

Do you have enough ideas on photography? There are many

specialty opportunities for ambitious photographers where you can venture into
and make good cash.

Attorneys:

There is a series of detective novels that feature the adventures of a

private detective who can’t pay his bills, so he moonlights for a liability

attorney. His job: to photograph accident victims and locales to return to

the barrister to see if there is sufficient evidence for a lawsuit.

These novels may be fiction, but most writing is grounded in reality.

Certainly that is the case here. How many trials revolved around

photographs of evidence or victims?

Attorneys need this kind of photography. In many cases, it isn’t for the

weak stomach. There are car crashes, fires and other difficult situations

into which you’ll be thrust. You have to want to do this type of work. If

you do, there’s plenty of it out there for you.

Start by contacting attorneys in town and sending them a resume and

samples of your work. While they’re not looking for great art with these

photos, they want reliable pictures and photographers who will know

what angles to shoot and who can make snap judgments at a scene.

Scheduling flexibility will be important here. If you hold down a regular

job and are running your photography-based business part-time, this may

not be a practical area of specialty. Lawyers can’t necessarily predict

when these photos will be needed any more than you can forecast the

weekend horse races. An accident will occur and you’ll be needed.

Expect late night calls and the need to drop what you’re doing (within

reason) and rush to a scene.

Since this information may well be used as evidence, you will need to be

accurate in your written description of the photograph as well as precise

in noting exact time and date for the record. Sign the back of your photos

so that you can easily identify them if called on to testify in a court of

law. This also prevents other pictures from
being slipped in and

misidentified by you as you’ll only swear to the authenticity of the photos

you signed. You’ll probably be paid (as the detective in the novels was) on a per

scene basis plus mileage expenses. You might also work out an hourly

rate instead as it could be time consuming work in some cases.

Either way, there is a substantial amount of legal photography business

available. It’s another area to explore.

COMMERCIAL

If you’ve set up a portrait studio in your home or outside your home, you

can likely find work in shooting products for businesses to use in

advertising and sales brochures. Almost any type of written work

published by a company has some type of artwork to it, at least on the

cover. Often, this artwork takes the form of a photograph.

Unlike people and animals, products will sit still. No need to get the

product to smile. Consider it a "still-life" shot and arrange the product or

subject to be photographed in the most appealing manner.

The shots could be for a catalogue, a brochure, a manual, a trade show

layout, inventory, ID pictures, etc. There are endless possibilities with

businesses. You probably know the larger-sized businesses in the area. Call on them

first, armed with your portfolio. They are usually utilisers of commercial

photography. While they may have a photographer as an employee, there

could well be too much work for one person to handle. It’s not enough extra work to
justify hiring a second employee, but sufficient to hire a freelancer; you!

Your local Chamber of Commerce can give you a listing of area

companies ranked by size. Work your way down that list. The need for

pictures is there and it’s merely a question of who’s going to shoot it.

CHURCHES

Just as school graduations are an excellent time for photos, so, too, are

"graduations" in church. Baptisms, confirmations, bar mitzvahs (in the

Jewish faith) all are important life events for the participants.

If you belong to a church or synagogue, let the minister, priest or rabbi

know that you are available to do photographing. In addition to the

"graduations", there are youth activities, prayer meetings, bake sales and

other special events which these religious institutions hold that are

meaningful to them to be remembered in pictures.

These institutions also Honour their own memories in anniversary

celebrations. Picture books are often sold as a means of fund-raising.

There is a substantial amount of photography involved with a

commemorative edition type of project.

As you photograph these events for the church, try and think about how

you might use the photos otherwise. Remember, local newspaper

publications may publicise a church or synagogue event. This means you

can be hired by both the institution and the newspaper to get the same

photo. Twice the pay for a single work!

You’d be surprised at the number of photographers and writers who

"double up" on their work; in other words, get paid twice for the same

job. It’s called using your time and talent well. There’s nothing wrong

with this unless one of the entities has an objection. But, usually with a

public event, this is not the case.

AERIAL

A real specialised area is the taking of aerial photographs. If you’re not

someone who likes hanging out of a plane or helicopter, this isn’t the

right idea for you. For those who don’t mind the high-wire, stunt-like

activity of aerial photography, it can be a well-paid area of endeavour.

Who needs aerial photographs? Cities and towns, for one, for land

development planning. Engineers, for the same reason. Real estate agents,

to advertise a property. Newspapers, on occasion, for a story.

If the pilot is unfamiliar with the landscape, you should have the client

accompany you to identify the correct object for photograph. It’s not easy

to pick out your subject from the air. It’s definitely not the same as

looking at it from the ground.

You’ll probably hover some 800-1,200 feet above the ground and you’ll

be moving. Practising this type of photography first can ensure the

desired results. It’s not easy, but if you work at it, you’ll make a good

living at it as the pay scales are high.

You may have to pay your pilot and a rental fee for the vehicle, but you

build that into your rates. If you build a rapport with a particular pilot, all

the better. There is a lot of trust and instinct in this specialty photography

area, so it helps to be working with a familiar face.

The picture postcard business can be a source for these aerial

photographs. Even if you are on another assignment, there’s no reason

not to shoot all the film you have up there. If you get a couple of good

shots out of it, you can get paid twice again: once for the assignment and,

secondly, if you sell a second shot to a postcard company, magazine or

newspaper. Try to maximise your time in the air. If you have several

assignments, try to do them all on one trip. That way you only pay the

pilot and rental fee once for several paying jobs. Arrange your schedule

accordingly and work out the flight plans in advance with the pilot. Aerial photography
can be a financially rewarding and exciting business especially if you like to fly!

There are probably other specialty areas you can work in, but these are

the most common. Almost anything you can think of has a need at some

time or another for a picture. The possibilities are both endless and

lucrative.

MODELS

Fashions may go in and out of style, but fashion photography never will.

The demand is always there for a fashion photographer, whether it’s a

catalogue advertising clothes or a magazine doing a layout.

From modelling the latest fashions to simply posing near a featured

landmark all present photographic opportunities. Once you contact local

department stores and catalogue publishers (there are thousands), you

should have a lengthy list of prospects.