5 Ways to Make Money from Photography as A Stay at Home Mom

If you are a stay-at-home parent and a photographer, and you'd like to be able to make a side income from your skills, then this video is for you!

Being able to contribute to the household finances, do something creative, and have something all of my own was SO important to me after I gave up my corporate job to become a stay at home mom, and this might just be you too. 

But finding work that fits around school days, playdates, doctor appointments and holidays can be difficult to say the least, which is why photography has been a lifesaver for me.

I created this video to give you some ideas of how you could earn an income from your photography skills too.  I’ve seen so many women follow their dreams and turn their passion into a thriving business, and still be able to be there for their kids, so I hope this inspires you to do the same!

When I first traded in my corporate job to become a stay at home mom, I honestly felt a bit lost, I was used to earning my own money, and doing things just for myself, and I wanted to regain some feeling of independence, whilst still being a stay at home mum.  I knew I didn’t want to work fulltime, because I wanted to be at home, but I also wanted to earn income too. 

Maybe you feel the same way, wanting to be a stay at home parent, but also wanting to earn your own money, if so, I’ve come up with 4 different ways you can earn a side income from photography that allows you to work as and when you want. 

Start a Portrait Photography Business

Let’s start with the most obvious first - starting your own portrait photography business.  So this could be family photos, newborns,  school group photos or even corporate headshots. 

The beauty of having your own photography business is that you get to decide when and how much you work. You could simply take on one client a week on weekends only, and then spend your time during the week editing and delivering the photos, or if your kids are at school for some of the time, you could do newborn photography or corporate headshots. 

The beauty is, you are in control of what you photograph, and when and where you photograph it!

Contribute to Stock Photo Sites

You can submit your photos to stock photo sites, such as iStock, ShutterStock, Dreamstime and more.  They take many different types of photos, so even your day to day images can be sold.  You simply take the images, upload them, add keywords and people searching for those keywords can find your photos. If they like them, they buy the right to use them for a fee. 

You do have to submit high quality photos, but if you have a large portfolio of images, it’s a great way to make money from something you already have. 

Become a Second Shooter at Weddings

Most wedding photographers will have what is known as as second shooter at a wedding.  So they are the lead shooter, and as a second shooter, your job is to back them up and get some different shots, either from different angles when the main photographer is shooting, or getting candid shots of the guests as the happy couple are getting their photos taken. 

The upside here is that you don’t have to do any of the work of finding clients, paying taxes, getting photos books done, etc, you show up and do the work!  (you’ll just need to figure out how much to charge for your time)

This is also an excellent way to get started if you want to start shooting weddings on your own someday, as you’ll learn a lot as a second shooter.

Offer your skills on freelancer platforms

You can also set yourself up as a freelance photographer on places such as Upwork or Fiverr.  Many companies want photos of their products or clothing on models,  or food or recipe stages, so you can get work that way as well! 

Sell Prints

Another option is to sell prints. This is where you basically sell images that you have taken as posters, or even gift cards or postcards.

You can do this online, on places such as Etsy, or you could go to local cafes and see if they will let you hang your prints on their walls. Many cafes want artwork and you need a place to display so it can work in both of your favours, or you could also display at local craft fairs. 

There you go, 5 different ways you can make money from photography. as a stay at home parent!