Start a Headshot Photography Business for Supplemental Income

I have previously mentioned many of the microstock photography websites that I use to create monthly residual income and make money online.  These sites include Shutterstock, iStockphoto, Dreamstime and many others.  Whether you are a professional photographer or just an amateur who is looking to make some extra cash with your photos �?? you can find a ton of great microstock photography website information on the Residuals and Royalties blog.  

If you have been submitting to these microstock photography websites all along, you may have noticed a decline in the amount of monthly income you are earning from your photos.  This is partially due to the large influx of photos that are submitted to these websites on a daily basis.  If you don�??t keep up by constantly uploading new images �?? your earnings are bound to take a nose dive, this is something I have seen happen with my own photos over the past year.  In fact, I have seen my average monthy earnings on Shutterstock go from about $125 a month to about only $65 a month.

This decline in earnings has caused me to try and find other sources of income that can be created with my camera.  While I was living in Los Angeles, I frequently shot headshots for local actors and business people who needed these types of shots.  If you are a photographer who is looking for alternate ways to make money �?? you should consider shooting headshots. 

My headshot sessions usually only last about an hour an a half and I let the client keep the full rights to all of the images that I shoot.  I am currently charging $179 for about 160 photos, which includes four wardrobe changes.  I don�??t shoot in a studio and all of my images are shot outdoors in natural light.  Now that I live in Colorado, I only get a few headshot clients a month �?? but I love being able to make a few hundred bucks in only a couple of hours.  

If you are already shooting microstock you won�??t need much to start doing headshots in your local community.  You may need an assistant to hold a bounce board, but other than that �?? your investment should be minimal.  You will want to build a website that shows samples of some of your previous headshot clients and give them an idea of your shooting style. 

You should list your headshot website on all of the major search engines; Google, Bing and Yahoo.  It is a good idea to contact local talent agents or modeling agencies and show them samples of your work.  If you can develop a relationship with these agents, there is a good chance that they will send their new talent to you when they need headshots.  Believe it or not, many people are even hiring headshot photographers to take �??dating�?� photos for use on dating websites like match.com and eharmony.  Real Estate agents also use headshots in many of their printed advertisements and on their business cards, so advertising at a local real estate school might be a good idea as well.  

Headshot photography is a great way for freelance photographers to supplement their income without a large investment.  You can take an inside look at a recent headshot session that I shot in downtown Denver, Colorado below�?�

If you are a photographer who has delved into headshot work or you have other ideas for making income with your camera �?? please let us know by commenting below.  Feel free to paste a link to your photography website as well.

You can visit my headshot photography website here: Wolfe Photography 

Happy shooting! 

Michael-John Wolfe 

Tags: make money online, residual income, royalties