When the world came crashing to a halt in early 2020, the event photography industry fell into a void. The pandemic put a stop to hundreds of thousands of gatherings, events, and parties, as the UK was instructed to stay at home, and event photographers were left without subject matter. With no events, many photographers suddenly found themselves without any means of earning a living. A photography expert Brigitte Stanford from the International Career School has figured out how photographers can avoid losing out on income during a pandemic.
Life in Isolation Photoshoots
The pandemic also provided a unique and unprecedented opportunity for photographers to document history unfolding in real-time. ‘Life in lockdown’ became a popular subject for many out-of-work photographers, capturing empty city streets, forlorn faces through windows, NHS doctors and nurses battling on the front-line. Exceptional circumstances create extraordinary images. Londoners in particular used the lockdown as a way of diversifying their craft to capture these strange times and to record both personal and collective experiences of life in lockdown. The National Portrait Gallery and Museum of London both curated collections of lockdown photography. The pandemic generated novel commercial opportunities in the form of ‘isolation portraits’ and doorstep photoshoots.
Event Photography Trends
Wedding photography revenues are estimated to have dropped by a third between 2020-2021, with about 99% of photographers reporting that their income and businesses have been hit, with wedding photographers hit hardest. According to Bridemagazine, about 260,000 weddings in the UK, which are usually a reliable source of income, did not take place in 2021.
Working within the constraints of isolation rules, photographers have been able to offer photoshoots for individual families or households where social distance rules do not need to be applied, as well as engagement photo shoots involving just two people. Around 16% of wedding photographers said they have started doing off-site photography, while around 50% said they do engagement and family shoots, with many planning to continue to pursue new niches alongside wedding shoots when restrictions are finally lifted.
Overall, the event photography industry is expected to recover relatively quickly from the pandemic, with total industry revenue predicted to grow by around 22.5% in 2022. The weddings that have been postponed until 2022 means that there will be around 475,000 weddings in the UK this year, around double the normal annual average. This creates a great opportunity for wedding photographers, in particular, to take advantage of this post-Covid wedding boom.
Clients have arranged retrospective photoshoots to commemorate special occasions which took place during the height of the lockdowns. People who got engaged or had babies during the lockdowns are likely to still want professional photographs to commemorate the event. As industry reopens, particularly the hospitality sector, many venues are holding ‘grand re-opening’ events. These are potentially profitable opportunities for event photographers, to create visual marketing content for large companies by documenting these events.
Ways to Increase a Photographer’s Income
Despite the obvious challenges faced by photographers due to the cancellation of events, there are opportunities for income generation beyond traditional event photography. Professional photographers have been forced to come up with innovative ways to monetise their creativity and professional skills. For those starting out in the field of photography, some areas are rapidly gaining in popularity. The photography expert Brigitte Stanford from the International Career School has selected the most interesting ones.
Distance Photography
This is a very good opportunity to photograph those who are in other countries and cities. Remote photoshoots give you the opportunity to take pictures of people who are very far away, without limiting the photographer and the model.
Everyone is in such a panicky mood these days, and photo shoots lift it. Previously, something could only be done by going outdoors, but now you can do it at home too. People can feel beautiful, put on make-up, dress up, get beautiful pictures, and fill their profile with content, which is now almost impossible to do sitting at home.
In distance photography, the main problem is image quality. If the resolution of the photo is insufficient, the chances of further colour correction or any editing are very slim. Fortunately, there are a number of services specifically designed for remote photography. The images have a much higher resolution than your standard WhatsApp call.
For Android users, there’s Shutter, Photo Timer + and VSHOOT, which can be controlled through a browser window and in an app on their phone. You can see the photos you take and then download them as a zip file. For iPhone users, there are the CLOS and FaceTime apps.
The Digital Future of Photographers with NFT
11 March a JPG file created by Mike Winkelmann, aka Beeple, was sold at an online auction for $69 million. This caused a boom in the NFT craze among digital creators. Tokenizing (tagging) a photo is the process of uploading it and putting it up for sale. In addition to having irrefutable proof of copyright, you can receive a royalty, such as 10% on each subsequent sale.
NFT is for the most part based on organic engagement, as it actually involves people who have funds (in cryptocurrency) and are willing to spend them. NFT creators often build their own audience – from family, friends, or social media. But some marketplaces like OpenSea and Bitski create, like Etsy and Shopify, a system to filter and search for specific products by category.
There are two categories of people who buy NFT: speculators and collectors. Speculators buy in the hope of reselling at a higher price. Collectors buy because they appreciate the artist and his work. If you are a fine art photographer and have had difficulty monetising your work so far, perhaps NFT could be a turning point in your career.
Sale of filters for photo processing
On the flip side of this, the lockdowns allowed many photographers to spend time learning new techniques and up-skilling, as ways of maximizing their future earning potential. Some began offering their own presets on platforms such as Lightroom and Photoshop for other photographers to purchase.
The trend for using presets has come from mobile photo processing, which has become very popular with bloggers. They know how important the right choice of filters is, and so they pay a lot of attention to how they blend in with their photos. Among the most popular mobile photo filter applications are the following: VSCO, Snapseed, Enlight, TouchRetouch.
Product photography solutions
With event photography being the worst-hit niche of the industry, many turned their lenses towards other, more ‘pandemic-proof’ niches, such as product photography, to maintain a steady income during the lockdowns. Demand for high-quality product photography increased as many brands needed to showcase their products on the online marketplace, rather than in stores. Additionally, the housing market in the UK experienced a huge boost as initial restrictions were eased, providing an opportunity for event photographers to create income by moving into the property niche.
Creating a visual for Instagram
Instagram has long ceased to be just entertainment: for many, it is an income-generating platform. Entire teams work on creating content for bloggers and business accounts: copywriters, content managers, promotion managers.
A hot area is the creation of visuals in posts and stories. Quality and harmonious visuals attract the attention of subscribers and are therefore valued amongst a professional audience. Visual promotion services are needed for:
- experts from different industries (psychologists, nutritionists, tutors, beauticians, coaches, writers, etc.)
- bloggers (a visual manager saves the blogger’s time by taking account design into his/her own hands)
- businesses (beauty salons, brands, shops, online schools, online shops)
How to Protect Yourself from Falling Income as a Photographer
Take a refresher course
We can all see the pace at which video-related social media is evolving. This is especially true of YouTube and Tik Tok. Instagram also focuses on video content – Reels. The success of video has been confirmed by more than one study:
- 80% of users will choose a brand’s live video over reading a post (according to a Livestream survey)
- 9 out of 10 people say a video helped them make a buying decision (according to Hubspot).
- 76% of customers bought something only after seeing a video with a full description of the product (according to Wyzowl).
A moving image allows you to clearly demonstrate a product, present a service, show the process from the inside, and reveal product content. In many cases, a video is more informative and compelling than a text description – especially if you want to talk about external features or the process. Overview videos allow a clear and detailed demonstration of the product, its functionality, and ease of use.
Video is needed not only for clients but also for the photographers themselves. For example, to serve up a fascinating backstage process. Plus, learning how to make beautiful videos can also actually help you create more beautiful photos. So it really is a win-win option to diversify your skills.
Many users are finding people they love through video, sharing their creativity, ideas, and hobbies with them. Reels can also be a good additional source of contact with a photographer’s target audience on Instagram. If your reels get recommended to your followers, you’ll be flashed in their feeds more often and you’ll be remembered. And when they ask, “Who do I book a photoshoot with?” they’ll think of you.
Get Involved in Promoting Your Personal Brand
When people book a service, they want to be sure it will be done well, and a personal brand will help show competence in the work. Start by defining how you identify yourself – wedding, reportage, advertising, family, children’s photography and so on. Even if you work in more than one field, identify your main genre. It can be what you like best, or what makes you more money.
The client needs to see that you are developing in the genre they want. A photographer’s positioning is always obvious from their website and social media profiles. To create positioning, you need to:
- determine what your target audience is
- analyse what your competitors are doing
- identify your uniqueness
- shape the key message you want to convey to your audience.
Hold live events where you talk about something useful, or showcase the events you attend. You’ll be able to tell people not only about what you’ve already achieved but also about the invaluable experiences you’ve had along the way to your dream job. Write publications about your work, share your knowledge, share your experiences.
Photographers are not just being called to point and click their cameras these days, neither are we just magical wizards that wave our wands in the editing process. We have to be tenacious in our approach to getting clients. We have to come up with brilliant ways of marketing something. It is the idea that sells, the concept, the story. What is it you are trying to say! That’s what people are really interested in. You have to be a business person first and an artist second.
Covid has distanced us from everything, our family, our friends and the world at large. We have to keep reminding people that we are all humans at the end of the day. We are more similar than different to each other. Brigitte Stanford still believes that Photography is one of the best ways to show that commonality. Therefore it’s important to adhere to covid regulations when running your business and to always put your client’s needs first, as you don’t just want a client, you want a returning client. Brigitte Stanford thinks word of mouth is probably more powerful than ever before. If your friend tells you about a great photographer, you’re more likely to believe him than the ad you saw on insta two minutes ago.
Conclusion
In 2022, it is possible to make money from photography, but to do so you need to adapt to changing market conditions. The imposition of restrictions due to Covid-19 creates more room for creativity and self-expression, creating visuals on social media, NFT, and remote photography.
The best way to stand out from your peers is to build a personal brand and broadcast it on social media. An emerging area worthy of attention for photographers who want to increase their revenue is videography. Not only can you extend your services to product videography for marketplaces and wedding videography, but you can also diversify your content to broadcast your brand on social media.
