EP 86: 7 Ways to Make Money When Photography Business Is Slow

Alison: [00:00:00] All right guys. Welcome back. Today we are talking about, um, selling your Saw sawdust. So if you haven’t heard of that phrase, selling your sawdust, uh, it refers to when the lumber industry was cutting logs and making sawdust This. Annoying little product that was in your face and they were throwing away and they figured out how to turn their byproduct of their primary objective into a sellable re reasonable product to to profit off of it. Um, and so they made MDF and Particle Board out of. Uh, glue and sawdust. Um, so how can we do that as photographers, service providers? Um, in, in our world, it’s a lot less obvious because our services are more invisible. They’re not gonna make you sneeze or get in your eye and make you itch like sawdust will. Um. So this episode is probably gonna be pretty fast. We’re gonna run through a whole list of things that, um, photographers can do to just make money in the slow season. Uh, some of these things we’ve done, [00:01:00] uh, some things Melissa has done or some we’ve never done, so Melissa Arlena: Yeah, Alison: be interesting. Melissa Arlena: I look at it Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: you have a camera. Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: you can do with that camera, even if it’s not your main hustle. So if you are like, Alison: Yep. Melissa Arlena: I’m a. Portrait, maternity newborn photographer or whatever. You may be like, well, this doesn’t sound on brand for me. You don’t have to advertise these as like on your website or anything. These are things that you can do in a sub-brand. You can do them just where it’s not mentioned anywhere, like Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: page, something like that. It does not have to be your main gig for some of these. They could turn into that later on. But, um, but yeah, like the big thing too is kind of to start with, so you have a camera and if you have a studio, we’ll start with that right off the bat. Alison: Yep. Melissa Arlena: a studio. You could rent that out, like peer space, home studio list. Um. Alison: Yeah. Y’all hotels are rent like motels, I should say. I have seen motel meeting rooms, very plain, generic, ugly rooms [00:02:00] on peer space for hourly rental, Melissa Arlena: Yes. Actually Alison: like Melissa Arlena: me. I had, when we were in South Florida and moving, Alison: mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: to rent a meeting room because, uh, we had movers there that day and I had to give a presentation somewhere. I literally rented a room of an apartment complex, like their little meeting, their sales Alison: You like commu? Melissa Arlena: complex and, oh, ’cause I got there, I was like, where am I? Alison: Yeah. Like they’re making money off of that. Exactly. Like, so do that with your own studio, Melissa Arlena: Yeah. Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: you have a nice house and stuff, you can do those types of things. When we redid our kitchen down in South Florida, I actually had planned to put it on like a home studio list because it was a Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: kitchen that got good light and everything, and it was big. So it was really good if somebody wanted to do a branding shoot. And I’ve done that, like I’ve rented a house Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: for brand doing branding shoots with others. Um, especially even Alison: Yeah. I’ve done that. Melissa Arlena: Like with studio spaces and stuff too. I’ve, I’ve rented studios for branding shots and stuff, Alison: Yeah. I rented. I rented a whole [00:03:00] house in Charleston to do branding mini sessions from home studio list.com. Melissa Arlena: Yeah. Alison: and turns out they were like around the corner for my granny. It was crazy. Um, and so that was really cool. I actually have a feature on there still. I don’t know if it’s still there, but they featured me, um, on there. So places you can do that and rent your home or studio are peerspace.com, home studio list.com. gigster.com. Melissa Arlena: Mm-hmm. Alison: then, we’ll probably have to vet that. Um, so think about doing that. Melissa Arlena: Yeah. And Alison: Rent your space out. Melissa Arlena: yeah, if you have a studio, then doing Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: headshots, heirloom Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: I mean, you know, I think probably a lot of people are gonna cringe at this, but like themed mini session events, I Alison: Yeah. Why not? Melissa Arlena: well, but if you’re, if you know you make it, you gotta make. Studio rent this month and you’re like, nothing is booked. Uh, I would at least try to do like some Valentine minis or something. I would probably, I wouldn’t go straight Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: a big mini person. But heirloom Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: Or even like, think about it this way. You have, you’ve had a studio, you’ve been in [00:04:00] business for several years. You’ve got a client list. Send out an email to your client list that says, Hey, we’re offering a headshot day. It doesn’t have to go on your website guys. It doesn’t have to be a Alison: Nope. Melissa Arlena: but you send it out. Here’s the details. know, come book your slot. You already have your ideal client there, so offer up some headshots for them, you know, in your style, in your studio. Like they don’t have to be, you know, the, the, oh my gosh, we’re doing the corporate blue backdrop or anything like that. Like just use what you have. Alison: Or, or do that, do a free event for your Chamber of Commerce. They get a shot and they can upgrade to like however many more they want to be paid. Like simple, same concept, right? Like white or black. Um, so the next one, Melissa has done this, but we were both courted by a company shooting local businesses for social media. Um, we, there, we had a company reach out to each of us. I’ve had actually a couple different companies and I never did it, but they wanted me to go out to places like, um. Corporate businesses with different locations and franchises to take interior and [00:05:00] exterior photos of their locations for their Google My Business, so that their Google My Business profiles would look clean, sharp, well lit and professional. Melissa Arlena: Yeah, Alison: and depending on where you are in business and the time of year, like it can be great. Typically, the going rate is something like 50 to $75 a job, and Melissa Arlena: I Alison: if it’s around the corner, Melissa Arlena: The company I worked Alison: okay. Melissa Arlena: it was $150 for the job. I didn’t have to edit it. All I had to do was Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: hour, shoot it, come back, upload the photos, and I was done. Alison: Yeah. So I was, the last one was 70. They wanted me to go, uh, drive 45 minutes, one way to be paid $78. And I was like, Hmm, no, thank you. Went, went doing that. Um, but at other stages of my career with shorter drive times, I absolutely a hundred percent would’ve done that. Um, Melissa Arlena: Yeah. Alison: can do that. Yeah. Melissa Arlena: Well, and even so, even if you’re not shooting under an umbrella company, like, uh, Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: you could approach local businesses and just like, Alison: Mm. Melissa Arlena: you know, you need images for social media, like clothing stores and stuff like that, that are more [00:06:00] boutiquey and, and. Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: you’ve done that before in Alison: Yep. Melissa Arlena: Right? And going in and Alison: Yep. Melissa Arlena: I’m gonna come in once a week. I’m gonna shoot your new stuff, whatever. Um, and then that way you’re providing images for them for social media. And again, these aren’t things guys that are gonna make you like millionaires or anything like that. You Alison: Nope. Melissa Arlena: up though. Like you could build up doing social media for a local business and turn that into a bigger thing. But you know, this is more of that, like, I have a camera and I need to make a little extra cash. And like, what can I do if Alison: Yeah, Melissa Arlena: If I’m not booking what I want yet, what else can I shoot to kind of move things along? Alison: that’s right. Um, yeah, so I, and you can create a whole package. I mean, you could do a one-off thing, you do a reoccurring thing, you do a monthly, quarterly, whatever. Um, so there’s a lot of fun ways you could take shooting for companies. Um. So, uh Melissa Arlena: Oh wait, I got one more Alison: oh. Yeah. Melissa Arlena: for influencers. So this may sound a little funny, but when I was in South Florida, I knew a girl who was, did like Amazon, you know, like she would do things for around the house and she would get [00:07:00] outfits and stuff and she would talk about them on her social media, but she always wanted like. Nice new photos of these different outfits. And so she’d reached out to me because she wanted to work with me like once a week or something, or once every two weeks where I would come over to her house, photograph her in these different outfits, and then she would use ’em for social media. So I didn’t end up doing it at that time because I was busy getting ready to move and had plenty of newborn sessions. But Alison: But hey. Melissa Arlena: if you’re not sure, if you’re don’t have a whole lot right now, like you never know, like that could be something that helps kind of, you know, helps you use that camera and make a little extra money. Alison: Yeah. Uh, so, okay, so another thing that I did, or I know I never actually did it, but I did interview for the position and technically I was hired. I just didn’t, I never got a job because I had. I was homeschooling at the time, homeschooling my kids. But, um, I worked for a real estate photography company, so this is, so a lot of people have boutique, like personal brand, real estate, photography companies, but this was a franchise company, um, that was owned by some friends and some friends.[00:08:00] Who specifically wanted to hire military spouses. Um, their business model was a bit more shoot and burn than a boutique personal brand would be. Um, but their whole thing was they were based out of Newport News and they wanted photographers all around the, um, Hampton Road area. So no, no matter where they got a listing to shoot. Somebody would be really close and, and have a quick turnaround to shoot that listing for any real estate agent inquiry that they had. Um, and so I was interviewed and I was supposed to do ’em, but I just, I wasn’t able to get my drone license to make myself really valuable in that. And it just, it didn’t work out with timing and stuff, um, because they, they needed stuff probably quicker than I was willing to, to make happen. Right. With childcare and all the things, but. You could one, work for a franchise, look for a franchise real estate photographer. Um, they will teach you the settings. They will teach you how. They just want you to use your own camera and own gear and bring it on site, um, and then turn it around quickly or like pitch yourself to a personal brand photographer or [00:09:00] per a personal boutique real estate photographer. Does that even makes sense for Chester Knight? If, if somebody needs some real estate, help offer yourself as a second shooter in your slow season. Say, Hey, I’m just looking for extra work. Do you have a lot of listings you wanna pawn off on me? Like. Melissa Arlena: Well, and here’s the other thing. So I did take a class on real estate photography from a real estate photographer, and I did Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: two sessions with that. Um, Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: I was chatting with a realtor at the school and she was like, you’re a photographer, right? And I was like, yeah. And she was like, do you do real estate photography? And I was like, well, I have in the past. And I was like. But I’m not doing it anymore. Like she was ready to be Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: go. And Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: have very nice high-end homes and stuff that they were needing photographed. Um, and so like even having that conversation of like, oh yeah, I’ve taken this course, or whatever, um, or Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: that you can take a, a real estate photography course from. And then that can give you a little bit more skills on, on doing that kind of thing. Um, Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: the fact with, you know, where Allison’s talking about with the company and with the other stuff, you’re not the one who’s having to go and find the clients. Like they’ve got the Alison: Yeah, Melissa Arlena: need someone with a camera to go shoot it. And when you’re having [00:10:00] a slow season, that’s an easy way to fill your calendar. Alison: absolutely. Melissa Arlena: Let’s see some other options. Um, stock photography. Alison: Yes. Okay. Have you done this? Melissa Arlena: I actually have not done stock photography. Um, Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: I know, um, I know a really great resource for stock photography. We’re gonna try and get her on the podcast and everything. Actually. She said yes. I just gotta give her some new dates and stuff. Um, but she’s done stock photography, uh, and photograph my Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: like one of my kids newborn session images was actually used in an ad for model, um, the Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: and stuff. And so I have been the subject, I guess, of stock photography. Alison: you’ve been the model. The model. Melissa Arlena: the person who was shooting it, but I was, after that I was like, girl, I need to do this too. Um, Alison: It’s brilliant. Melissa Arlena: and stock photography. Like I remember at the time it was our newborn session, I. She just, um, she just was like, Hey, you know, I wanna submit this for stock. And she had me sign an extra model release for it. And so, so that’s something to think about. If you are, Alison: Yeah.[00:11:00] Melissa Arlena: doing it for a session that’s like a current paying client, then you, they need to sign a separate release for that kind of Alison: Yes. Commercial work. Melissa Arlena: I know she’s done a ton of stock photography, of shooting things around her own house, shooting her own kids, where she’s like, Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: sign on the model release. No issues Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: Um, Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: Travel Alison: Same thing. Melissa Arlena: one. Alison: Yeah. Like if you’re already gonna be traveling and you get beautiful. And you get beautiful landscape imagery or iconic places or crowds or street photography, like you could double that for some stock imagery. Um, one thing I did or I’ve sat under as a real estate photographer, did the same thing. Where he would take, he took his images for clients. His clients were usually designers and builders. And so he would take these images of homes and commercial spaces that were epic and beautiful, but then he would turn around and sell them to the product, like the maker of the range and the hood, or the tile producer, or the people who made the carpet, or [00:12:00] the people that, um, made the sink and the faucet. And so he would. Be hired and contracted for, you know, the builder, but then he would turn around and similar to the your photo for model, he would go and sell it and offer it in a package deal for perpetual licensing to the maker of those products in the photo. Like brilliant. And he. It really is. And now I will say like he is a, you know, professional, um, architect for photographer. Melissa Arlena: Mm-hmm. Alison: Um, and I think over the course of maybe him doing it, and I think the, at the time it would’ve been like five years, I think he made like a hundred thousand dollars Melissa Arlena: Wow. Alison: off of over the course of five years Melissa Arlena: But that’s a hundred Alison: selling his SAEs. Melissa Arlena: Yeah. Alison: Yeah, he’s doubling. I mean, probably doubling income because it would’ve been zero otherwise. Right. So that’s a hundred percent increase. Like why not? Melissa Arlena: Another thing I would say, and this guy is like so many of us could do this, Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: mockups, like lay flats, Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: albums and stuff like that. So if [00:13:00] you pick, you know, even if it’s like start easy with like prints or even like Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: something like that, and stick with, you know, if you’re doing frame prints, maybe you’re sticking with like just. I guess it doesn’t really matter what frames you’re doing, you know, it depends on what Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: or whatever. But people, I mean, I know I’m always looking for like some kind of flat lay or some kind of product mockup that I can put my own images in that is Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: something framed on the wall. And honestly, sometimes I don’t even care if it’s something I don’t necessarily offer entirely. ’cause maybe I’m Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: media, but they, people are always looking for that. I saw a post the other day where somebody was like, Hey. Where can I find more product mockups? And so people sell them on Etsy Creative market. Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: put up a page on your website, you know, just a little shop page for other photographers and then sell that kind of stuff. And then, you know, these would be images where, you know, it’s a. A display of a frame, so you know, you do have to have some stuff in your home maybe, Alison: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Melissa Arlena: an album, dude, I can’t tell you how many times I would take, like I would get album sample albums [00:14:00] and before I would drop it off at the venue, I would photograph it, and then I would go ahead and do the little cutout and Photoshop. Now I would do it in Canva where you could just drop another image in, and I have at least Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: that I probably stuck like five different people’s photos in. the years, it was like it was a newborn album at one point. It was a maternity album. At one point. It was a wedding album at one point because I could just keep reusing it after Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: that’s an easy one where you may just look around your house and be like, here’s my camera. And look, I’ve got a bunch of sample products I could photograph right now. Alison: And I am that desperate photographer right now with my own lab. Like I’ve, I am looking for those mockups and that stuff to sell. I was venting Melissa before we started recording. For two years I’ve been trying to get my lab for my albums. I sell an album almost for, to every single client. They won’t make me a video. They don’t get, like, they make mockups, but their mockups don’t fit my brand at all. They’re very European looking. I don’t like them at all, but I’m like begging, like, I will pay you. So much money to make a video of my own album, coming off the [00:15:00] printer and being assembled, like, please for the love help me help you sell more albums. Like, I am desperate for them, uh, to do this. And they just, they won’t. So, um, but I, I’m being a little particular, but I want it to be from my lab, not just any lab. So, um, Melissa Arlena: And that’s the thing. Some Alison: so there’s that, Melissa Arlena: on that, but you know, Alison: but I wanna, Melissa Arlena: too, like photographing Alison: yeah. Melissa Arlena: and stuff. Um, and that could be reaching out with those small businesses. Like you go down to a Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: and they don’t, maybe they don’t have a lot of good like. You could go to the store, check their social media, and if it looks like Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: Hey, I’ll come in once a week and you’ll pull a selection of jewelry. I’ll photograph it for you and that, and you’re doing product photography for them, that kind of thing. Alison: Yeah, I mean, I, and to me I can hear it, I see like a double or triple, triple wayman with that. If you’re doing a children’s boutique as a family photographer, doing some product photography for them that could then earn you, um. Uh, Melissa Arlena: Mm-hmm. Alison: sort of event with their, with them. You earn their trust doing their photos. Then you can do some sort of [00:16:00] collaboration of an in-store event or promotion with them in a giveaway to get actual more clients for you. Like triple whammy right there. Hello? Um, and then finally, and probably most obviously second shoot, Melissa Arlena: Mm-hmm. Alison: you can be an associate photographer. And that’s sort of what we were talking about with the real estate, uh, but slightly different like second shoot for a wedding photographer for anybody or commercial photographer. Um, I worked hard in college to get an internship with an actual commercial photographer and his whole motto Melissa Arlena: Mm-hmm. Alison: No brides, no babies. Uh, and it was, it was eyeopening and interesting. Um, I definitely learned a lot. Melissa Arlena: Yeah, Alison: Um, so. Melissa Arlena: with second shooting and stuff, I mean, that, that can, you know, it takes up a weekend, so that can be hard. But Alison: Yep. Melissa Arlena: I mean, I used to make like at least $500 every Saturday that I second shot. And that was a long, long time ago. I know those rates have Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: up. And when, when I talk about associate shooting and stuff too, it, it’s not just for weddings. I mean, Allison’s got an associate shooter in the Alison: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Melissa Arlena: that, you know,[00:17:00] Alison: Non-compete, like, Melissa Arlena: Looking Alison: sorry, we have we, yeah. Melissa Arlena: and stuff for, you know, for who’s booking a ton and Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: and be like, Hey, I don’t know if you’re looking for an associate shooter or a backup shooter or something like that, but you never know. Like you may, you may find yourself too going, you know what? The business part of this sucks. I don’t wanna deal with the business and marketing, I Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: pretty images with my camera. And you can find Alison: And then, Melissa Arlena: happy to hire you. Alison: yeah, because people like me, I was searching, it took me a year to find my associate photographer. I, I mean, people wouldn’t even like. Broach the conversation. I never even told them how much I was willing to pay, which was triple the going rate, just to have them, because they’re not associate shooting, right? Like, well, sorry, they’re not second shooting. They are the lead on my sessions. But I couldn’t even get them to have a conversation with me. They, they were not open to it whatsoever. So if you’re open to that, reach out to those top, top results on Google, uh, for any genre and see what happens. Like worst case scenario, they’re completely perplexed and say no. Like, so what? [00:18:00] You know, Melissa Arlena: the worst you’re Alison: um. Melissa Arlena: you never know though. You might hear somebody Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: you know, I have been thinking about this. Can we have a meeting? Let me look at your portfolio. Stuff Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: you Alison: Okay. Melissa Arlena: know. Alison: Yeah. And so for the last idea to make some money in the downtime or get creative about your income, uh, volume photography. So volume photography is usually things like preschool photos or private school, like smaller schools doing just school portraits or even sports volume work. Um, dance portraits. I’ve done that. Like y’all, there’s some big money in, in, in sports and school stuff. Um, it’s. Not creative, not necessarily fun. It is probably a bit labor intensive and you need to be very organized on the front end. It may require you to, to use some new systems to do it really well, but it’s lucrative. It is a hundred percent lucrative. And if you live in a cold climate or a climate where the, the seasonality really does impact your, your ability to shoot and you don’t have a studio. Perfect. You buy a portable kit, you do it inside, you go to them [00:19:00] weekday? Well, preschools and private schools will be weekdays, right. During school hours. Sports and dance will be other, you know, outside of those hours. Um, but Melissa Arlena: Yeah, we Alison: do it. Do it. Melissa Arlena: school, it’s a headshot photographer that they have Alison: Mm-hmm. Melissa Arlena: in and do the kids’ photos, and he does a fabulous job. Like I’ve, this year my boys went to public school and they got the typical life touch photos and they’re terrible. They’re so bad. And my husband actually said, he said, well, why don’t you call the guy from the preschool and see if we can make an appointment with him and get the boys photos. Done by him, like in that school style. ’cause Alison: So smart. Melissa Arlena: I like to hang him in Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: and stuff. And I don’t even wanna swap this year’s because the boys look terrible. I’m like, Alison: Oh, that’s so sad. Melissa Arlena: I was like, Alison: That’s so sad. Melissa Arlena: up in the, in last year’s. And so, and yeah, that Alison: Yeah. Melissa Arlena: a headshot photographer who also does private school photos. So like, you Alison: I, Melissa Arlena: it’s, think outside the box on, I don’t, Alison: yep. Melissa Arlena: main gig, but what else can I do? Alison: Exactly, so to recap. Melissa Arlena: be temporary Alison: Yep. Melissa Arlena: the other part. Alison: Yeah, it’s temporary. You don’t have to do it forever. You done, you’re done. Say, I’m not [00:20:00] done. You know, I’m, I’m done doing this. So if you have a studio or a nice home, rent that out. Um, do some extra sessions, indoor sessions, if you’ve got that studio, some themed tiny things. Shoot for an umbrella company, regardless of what that, the purpose or the end goal or genre is. Um, stock photography for travel or products or your own kids product. Product mockups second and associate shoot or even volume work. So hopefully there’s at least one or two items in there that can, uh, can entice, entice you to, um, keep going in the slow season. So thanks for listening guys. As always, reach out to us if any of this is interesting or if you have any follow up questions.