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Transcript
This week, I’m going to introduce you to three photographers that I think you should check out. One shoots pets, oops, that didn’t sound right, okay, one photographs pets, one is a wedding photographer, and one is a landscape photographer.
I’ll put all the links in the show notes and over at photographysidehustle.com/154
My intention in discussing these photographers is not just to showcase their work but to inspire you to think creatively and push the boundaries of your own photography and especially your earning potential.
Cat Race
So, the first photographer is Cat Race. She is the owner of Cats Dog Photography in Preston, over in the UK.
For years, she has been shooting on location outdoors but has now started shooting in the studio also. Her work has been published in magazines, and I’m sure she has done lots of commercial work. She is the British Pet Photographer of the Year for 2023.
Her business makes money from selling prints, not digital files. People look at her work and want a piece of wall art, and they will willingly pay good money for it. She also does a few workshops, and if anyone should put a course online, it’s Cat. I would be the first to sign up for one.
Take a look at her outdoor work and check out the angles she shoots from. Then, instead of a dog in the photo, imagine a child or a family in the photo. How good would the image be?
If you could produce portraits of humans composed and edited the way Cat Race does her dog portraits, you would be unstoppable. So, again, look at her photos and see how low she gets and how deep the depth of field is in the majority of them.
Check out her website, catsdog.co.uk. I’ll put a link in the show notes.
Okay, the second photographer I want you to check out is …
Emin Kuliyev
He is a New York City wedding photographer, and his work is incredible.
Check out his website … em34.com
If you are thinking about or are already shooting weddings, you need to look at his portfolio; it’s massive. I first came across him over 15 years ago. His style is photojournalism, so he documents the day and adds beautifully posed portraits. There are no photos of a family group in a straight line in front of some trees. He does shoot large groups on the streets of New York, but they look great.
He has won multiple awards for his wedding photography. You would think that with all his awards, he would be charging crazy prices. But he charges $1000 for the first hour and $500 for each additional hour. So an 8-hour wedding would cost $4500, which sounds low for New York.
Plus, he only offers digital files! This guy is leaving a massive amount of money on the table. Take a look at some of the weddings he shoots. They are expensive-looking events, and I think he could be charging double what he is right now, and no one would blink an eye.
Emin is an incredibly skilled photographer, but he is an example of someone who has not maximized his income sources. Maybe the prices on his website are out of date, or he wants more free time. But still, he could be making a lot more money selling prints.
Anyway, he takes photos that you can learn a lot from. If you can produce images half as good as Emin Kuliyev you will be very successful. Just make sure you max out your revenue sources. Check him out.
Okay, next is …
Michael Shainblum
He is a Canadian landscape photographer, filmmaker, and educator based in San Francisco, California. He has been working professionally as a photographer and filmmaker since he was 16.
In Hollywood, an actor who can dance and sing is called a triple threat. Well, in photography, Michael Shainblum is more than a triple threat. No, he probably can’t dance or sing, but he makes money from multiple avenues of photography.
I found him on YouTube, where he has 119k subscribers and makes money from the ads YouTube puts in his videos. His videos are excellent, and I never miss one. If you want to shoot landscapes that people will want to buy, then watch how Michael does it.
His second source of income is selling prints of his stunning landscape photos. If you are wondering what platform he uses for his galleries, it’s SmugMug. It’s nothing too fancy, just a gallery where people can choose a photo and buy a print of it. He doesn’t have to do anything apart from uploading the files and pricing them.
The third way he makes money is from his video tutorials. If you want to know how he edits his images, he will show you. If you watch his YouTube videos and buy his tutorials, you will know everything Michael knows.
His number four revenue source is workshops. Now, this isn’t something anyone can do. Your work has to be up there with the very best, and his work definitely is. I’m pretty sure any workshop he puts on will be fully booked.
If you want a way to learn how the pros shoot, book a workshop with one and accelerate your progress.
Money source number five is timelapse and aerial photography. This is probably aimed at commercial customers. His website has some amazing timelapse videos, and the editing is perfect. You could make these types of videos for local businesses or towns and cities.
Number six is shooting stills and videos for commercial clients. His client list is a corporate who’s who. Here are just a few of them …
Apple, Google, Samsung, Jeep, BMW, National Geographic, Adobe, the BBC, Disney, Toyota, LG, Nike, Facebook, DJI, Mercedes, NBC, and Audi.
So, Michael travels around the world doing workshops, and during the time before and after, he shoots landscapes, timelapse videos, and YouTube videos.
Now, I’m not saying you have to do the exact same thing as Michael, but I do think whatever you shoot, you should try every source of income available to you. I’m sure if he could sell some postcards in a local store, he would do it.
Summary
So, if you shoot family portraits, from now on, when you look at landscapes, pet portraits, or any photo, think about how you could use that kind of setting to your advantage. Just because it’s a photo of a dog, think what it would look like if it were one of your customer’s kids in the photo.
Just because a photo is in a different genre than yours, don’t dismiss it. Consider how you could incorporate that composition into your genre.
There are a lot of photographers out there, all trying to get customers. Keep working on improving your photos and maximize how and where you can sell your work.
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for this episode. I’ll put all the links in the show notes and over at PhotographySideHustle.com/154
If you need help with anything, you can find me in the Facebook group
Have a great week, talk to you soon. Bye.