How to Monetize your Travel Photography

In this episode of the Travel and Adventure Photography School Podcast, discover how to turn your travel photography into a profitable venture. Host Robert Massey shares seven practical strategies for monetizing your travel photos, from selling prints to landing corporate contracts. 
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Find all the show notes and connect with Robert:
Website: robertmasseyphotography.ca
Instagram: @robertmasseyphotography

Transcript

0:01

How's it going everybody welcome back to the Travel and Adventure Photography School podcast, where we explore the world of adventure and travel photography to help you elevate the work you create in the great outdoors. As always I'm your host, Robert Massey. And in today's episode, we're diving into the exciting topic of monetizing your travel photography. Many of us dream of turning our passion for photography into a sustainable source of income, whether you're a seasoned professional, looking to expand your revenue streams, or just a budding enthusiastic, eager to explore those possibilities. This is the episode for you. So we are going to be exploring the ways you can make money while you are on the road. Or from work you've already produced while traveling and to try and get jobs that will allow you to go to destinations that you've always wanted to visit. All right. Let's get right into this. Our first stop on the journey to monetizing your travel photography is an oldie, but a classic and still good today. Stock photography platforms. These platforms like Shutterstock, Adobe stock and Getty images, offer a convenient way to sell your images to global audiences. To get started. Simply create an account, upload your best travel photos and add relevant keywords to make them discoverable. That sounds a lot simpler than it actually is. That's because the key to success in stock photography is quantity and diversity. You need to aim to build a diverse portfolio, covering various themes, destinations, locations, places, people, everything to attract a wide range of buyers. Because buyers, aren't going to typically be coming back to you over and over again, to buy the same work from you. They're just looking for the best image to represent what they're looking for. Now stock photography is getting more difficult to make money from. With AI image generators, more free options, and just that over-saturation of the market of people doing this, it's a lot more difficult, but it honestly still is possible. But to be very clear, it's not as simple as just pulling old images off your hard drive and uploading them unless they are. World shattering. That may be a good way to make a tiny bit of extra money, like an extra coffee or two a month. But with some learnings and understandings of what people need from their stock travel photography, you can make income from this. To do that. You're going to have to learn a lot about what people are looking for right now from their stock photography in the travel world, what they need more of and what isn't already being oversaturated. A great example from Banff is it's really easy to find a really nice stock photo of Moraine Lake. You adding another one? It's probably not going to stand out to people. It's not something that people really need right now, unless that is super unique. You need to go find those niches and those places for what people are really looking for and what isn't already oversaturated in the stock photography market. Now. To really get to a point where you could be making a few hundred dollars a month. You'll need about 6,000 high quality images uploaded to your chosen stock platforms like Adobe stock, Getty images. I stock Shutterstock, et cetera. And that's just according to some estimates on the market. Now go check out one of those stock photography agencies. They can give you a lot more information on how to get going and what they're looking for right now. All right on to number two. Another oldie, but a goodie selling prints of your travel photography. Whether that's through an online marketplace like Etsy, print on demand services, your own online store, selling prints can be a lucrative avenue for showcasing your work and connecting with art enthusiasts. Now when selling prints presentation is key. You want to invest in high quality printing materials and offer a variety of print size and finishes to cater to different preferences. And to the audience that you are targeting. Additionally, don't forget to promote your prints through social media, your website, local art fairs, to reach a wider audience than just people who might stumble across your website or stumble across it on Etsy. One of the best ways to sell prints is through your own website. That's because you control that platform. You control how those images are shown and you control everything about how people get that print. So look for a website that allows customers to see your images in their best format, whatever way you think that looks like. And it gives them options for ordering different kinds of prints or reaching out to you if they're looking for something really specific. Some websites also allow people to see what a print would look like above standard household items like couches and tables, which helps them envision different sizes and might actually convince them that that eight by 10, they were thinking would look really big up above their couch. Is going to look super tiny and they actually want. The 36 by 24, because that's going to look better in their space. People don't tend to understand sizing the same way that we do, who are really involved in photography and printing and thinking about those aspect ratios and dimensions all the time. And so making it really easy for people to see. What those sizes actually mean, means that you are more likely to sell a print and you're honestly more likely to sell the bigger print. Now there's also some other platforms that allow people to upload their own images of their living rooms, their kitchen, wherever they want to put this print and superimpose your print above the spot where they are thinking of placing that artwork. And that can be huge because again, people can actually see your artwork in the space with the color of their walls, the color of their cabinets, all those kinds of pieces. And it's those little touches like this that can honestly help you sell way more artwork, especially when you are getting into that high end art world where you're selling prints for a thousand,$2,000,$3,000 dollars. Now for selling prints, there are a variety of monetization styles that you could look into, including entering the luxury art world, where you make limited copies of your print. Even 10 20, I've seen some photographers go as high as 250 These are typically priced higher because you're limiting that print run. And once that print one is done, you are making basically a legal obligation to not sell that print anymore. And you need to offer these kinds of prints on more luxury services like archival and textured papers, mounting them in really high-end frames and using things like glare free glass. Now, all of these are expensive upgrades that separate your artwork from others. And they're pieces that show. That you want that artwork to not just become something they have up in their home for, you know, a year or two years, like a poster. You want them to hand it down to their kids and their grandkids. And this becomes an heirloom piece that people want to have up on their walls for generations. Now you could also actually go with the mass selling route, which is the total opposite of what we were just talking about and sell as many prints at volume as you can of a single image, don't put a limit on it, just sell it as many times as you possibly can. Now you want to keep your costs low here. And for example, use things like lower quality papers, frames, and printing methods, because you are wanting to turn over those prints really quickly. Keep your margin a lot smaller. So you're not aiming to cover off like a thousand dollars in one print. You're aiming to sell a print for.$50,$60, something like that, where your margin is a lot lower. But you're wanting to turn them over really quickly. And finally, you could also do drop shipping prints. This is actually where you don't have a website that people buy your work through. This isn't my favorite, but it does actually reduce your costs a little bit. It doesn't mean you have to manage a website or sales or customers, or if there's anything wrong with the prints or anything like that. But it takes control of your artwork out of your hands. So, you don't host your own artwork, but you send it off to a service like Red Bubble and they take care of hosting it. They take care of selling it, they ship it, they print it. They do everything. All you do is you provide that artwork file and they deal with everything else. And to do that, they typically take a percentage of your earnings to do so. It's super variable depending on the website. I've seen that number go as high as 25 to 30% from some of those places, but that could be well worth it. If it means that you don't have to do any other work whatsoever. Selling prints is becoming increasingly popular as well. I'm seeing a lot of photographers popping up at farmer's markets and craft fairs. And. Just honestly having galleries pop up around town and a few other places. But that shouldn't scare you off from doing this because a few standout prints targeted at the right audience can become massive sales. For example, there's a local Banff photographer here who has started focusing on nighttime photography of popular locations. So he is bringing people a print of a location they've likely fell in love with while they're here at a time of day, where they likely would never actually see it. We're talking like 3:00 AM with the Milky way. And that mesmerizing beauty, along with the fact that they fell in love with that location makes it easier for him to sell that print to people and to stand out from people because he's doing a lot of work and he's putting a lot more effort in than a lot of other photographers are, especially those ones who are just going at the same time of day as that person who showed up with their cell phone and snapped a photo off on their cell phone. They're like, Hey, I got a photo that looks kind of like that. I don't really need to spend. 50 a hundred thousand dollars on a print. Whereas he's going at a time of day where they never would have seen it. And that can just be mind blowing for people. So that helps him stand out as well. All right. Let's jump into the world of freelance assignments for travel photographers. Freelance assignments with travel magazines, websites, and brands. Offer an exciting opportunity to showcase your photography skills and earn income while exploring a destination. To land freelance assignments, you're going to start by building a strong portfolio, showing your best travel photography work, network with editors and brands. Get to know what they're looking for, the type of work that they're looking for right now. What means that you're going to separate yourself from other photographers and other creatives? And then pitch them unique story ideas and especially unique photo story ideas. Really that's what you're bringing to the table versus somebody with just an iPhone. Who's just wandering around. You're helping them tell a story of the destination. Bring that unique story idea and then be persistent. And showcasing your value as a photographer to them. Now remember building relationships and delivering quality work here are key to securing ongoing freelancing gigs. If you want to continuously work with the same. Resources and the same people they've got to like that first round you did. And that second round you get in that third round, you did, and you have to build up that trust and expectation that you will deliver when you pitch. Now, if you can also pitch additional written content, you are going to double your chances of getting hired for these typical kind of media pieces and that's because they're almost always looking for written content to be included as well, especially if you want to be working for some of those bigger travel brands and we're talking like Conde Nast. Travel and leisure, those kinds of places. Now the really great thing about this is that you don't actually need a large social media following. As you aren't advertising a destination to an audience that you've built up. You're not using your clout to advertise a place. Instead the work is going out on that media companies, socials magazine, website, whatever they want to put it out in. And they're using their audience that they have built up. You are just the one creating that work and then handing it off to them. All right. Onto number four, our next avenue for monetizing your travel photography is licensing your images for commercial and editorial use. So licensing your images for commercial purposes, such as advertising campaigns and marketing materials and editorial content like magazines and travel websites. Can provide a steady stream of income while allowing your work to reach a wider audience. When licensing your images, it's important to understand licensing agreements, pricing models, and usage rights, as well as model releases, location releases, and a few other things that need to come into when you are selling commercial work. Consider partnering with agencies or platforms specializing in commercial licensing to streamline this process and maximize your earning potential. You can also get hired to shoot images specifically for commercial use in campaigns, but that is harder to land jobs in places where you want to be going. So selling images for commercial or editorial use one-off through especially agency work who are pitching your work to people and pitching your image galleries. Is a great way to add an additional potential revenue stream. All right on to number five, where we have talked a lot about this on here already. Thanks to my role in working with freelancers and creatives here in Banff. And that's collaborating with tourism boards, hotels, resorts, and travel brands to create content for their campaigns, marketing efforts, social media, or basically any other delivery channels. So when you're pitching collaboration ideas to tourism boards and brands, you really want to focus on highlighting your unique storytelling abilities and the value you can bring through authentic and engaging content. This is really key to remember here. When you are approaching these kinds of organizations, you need to approach them with solid ideas of what you bring to the table for them. This pitch is not about you wanting to see the destination, although do say how beautiful it is or how you've always wanted to travel there. Or your favorite part about it your favorite memory if you've been there before. But point out what you can do for them. Make sure your pitch is entirely focused on that potential client. And what you are bringing to the table for them, not what they can bring to the table for you. Keep it entirely client-focused. And honestly be prepared for lots of ghosting. Lots of no responses to your reach-outs and honestly direct nos. You are going to seeing a lot of direct rejection with this path. But it can lead to some great connections and great potential for work in the future. So stay positive, keep reaching out, keep coming up with new ideas for places you want to go. And. Try reaching out to different types of companies that you see a connection with. If you are a huge snowboarder. Let's say just reaching out to snowboard companies that are in the area. Is a great idea, but you could also be reaching out to the ski hills. You could also be reaching out to outdoor companies. You could also be reaching out to companies that focus on apres. And seeing if there's any option for you to get involved there as well. Think not just about the thing that you do and the thing that you're interested in, but think about. Where you can diversify out in the other pieces that are tangentially related to what you love to talk about. All right, moving on to our second from last suggestion here. Let's discuss the power of social media and influencer marketing in monetizing your travel photography. So platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok, all offer opportunities to grow your own audience, collaborate with brands and earn income through sponsored posts and affiliate marketing. So to monetize your social media presence effectively focused on creating, engaging content that resonates with your audience and aligns with your brand. Build relationships with brands that share your values and authenticity and explore opportunities for sponsored content that adds value to your audience well generating income for you. This is when the key things to remember for you. You don't want to go out and just partner with a company because they're throwing tons of money at you. You want to make sure that that company is bringing real value to your audience. This is the people who trust you. This is the people who trust your voice. And you need to make sure that what you are showing to them and the things that you are advertising to them. Actually resonate with them and won't break their trust with you. Now influencer marketing ranges across the board from offering photos and videos to doing stories, channel takeovers, collab, sponsored content, pretty much anything you can think of doing on social, you can pitch doing as part of a influencer marketing campaign with an organization. When you were pitching these stories. Make sure to include your audience size demographics, engagement numbers, and what types of content perform best for you and tailor that response to the audience you think that organization is targeting or that organization should be targeting with a campaign like this. And finally, honestly, this isn't actually all about social media anymore. This is a new change, but in today's world marketing teams are actually looking to have their influencer dollars spread a little bit further. Because a social post is great and it's beautiful and might get a little bit of engagement. But it'll fall down that list of people being able to discover it very quickly and it won't come back up again without throwing extra money behind it or without a little bit of luck. So marketing teams are actually looking for people that have an engaged, social media following. And some form of long-term content platform where the content that they create can get engagement for weeks, months, or even years down the line. So think a blog, YouTube or a podcast. This is because they want their investment to pay off for a lot longer than for a couple of minutes or hours that a piece on social media really does perform for. So if they want that social media influencer, They want that chance to have your audience and engage with that audience on a short shot. But then they also want to engage with that audience. Weeks and years down the line as well. So they remember that destination that they're trying to drive people to, or that product or anything like that. All right. Last one for today. Let's talk about the importance of diversifying income streams and building a sustainable career as a travel photographer. While monetizing your travel photography offers really exciting opportunities. It's honestly. Essential to diversify your income streams to ensure long-term stability. Consider exploring additional revenue streams, like teaching photography, workshops, selling photography courses or eBooks. Offering photography services, like running a studio in the location that you live in or monetizing your blog or website through things like affiliate marketing and more sponsored content. So by diversifying your income streams, you can build a resilient photography business that thrives in the long run. One of the best pieces of advice that I've heard is to really ensure that you have diversified income streams is to make sure that you are bringing in revenue from seven different income streams. And that is so that you can ensure that if one, two or even three of those drop off, you still have some money coming in. So you can pay bills. You can get food, you can do all the things that you need to do while you rebuild those other. Income streams. And then while you are diversifying that income stream and looking at that long-term sustainability of your business, you also need to make sure that you're setting aside some of your income for retirement, those quiet time savings, because you won't always be finding these kinds of gigs. And investing a little bit, and that ensures that you're prepared for times when you can't be out shooting. And when you just can't find the work that you need. And there you have it. Those are seven of the best ways to monetize your travel photography. And this is just the beginning. There's so many ways you can find to monetize your travels. These are just the ones that don't really require you to be set up in a specific location. There are also location specific examples, like setting up your own adventure, photography studio, running a creative team to create marketing collateral for local businesses and participating in local galleries, art shows and markets. Really the opportunities are kind of endless for adventure photographers looking to turn their passion into a profit. You just have to get a little bit creative and see where you can fit in your photography and the work that you create. All right. And that's it for today. Thank you so much for joining me on the episode today. If you found this valuable, definitely give it a subscribe so you can listen to the other episodes as they come up. And I'd love to hear from you. I love talking to people about photography. That's why I do this. I love hearing from people and I love just hearing more ideas about things that I could talk about on here, but just what other people do as well, because that helps me learn and grow as a photographer and as a creative as well. So if you've got an idea, reach out to me. If you just want to talk to me, reach out to me. You can reach out to me on instagram at robertmasseyphotography or on my website at robertmasseyphotography.ca. All right. Until next time everybody lets adventure. Bye for now.