Profitable Photography: How to Cash In on Passion

Creative Potential Can Build a Thriving Business

Have you ever been told to "do what you love and the money will follow"?

It's a famous saying, but from personal experience, turning your interests into a profitable career will take more than just passion.

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." - George Eliot

My love for photography started as a hobby; as a high school student and in the military, I never thought it would be something I'd make money from, never mind having it make enough to be a part-time job.

That changed when I discovered the power of combining my photography skills with what I've learned running a brand on social media.

In Dec 2022, I stepped away from social media and deleted my successful blog and podcast, The Family Alpha. In doing so, for the first time in years, I was left with the question, "Now what?".

To cut the cord completely from the electronics and find my path to what I wanted to do, I knew I needed something that was grounded more in the "real world", and one night, while hanging out with the family, I walked to my office, grabbed my Sony a7iii (which I'd used as a tool for live-streaming to that point), and I started taking pictures.

This photo was the first that I saw in my head before clicking the button:

After taking this picture in manual mode, without having a clue as to what I was doing, knowing nothing more than I saw a photo in my head and that the picture would be nice, I realized that I was a natural at this.

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This leads to one of the first lessons of turning your passion into a profitable endeavor: You must be good at what you like doing. It is unacceptable to be good enough for what you want, but you must be so good that it makes others want it.

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Things moved fast after this.

I started taking photos and educating myself on my camera.

I took to the streets, as I knew from hours spent with Goldmund Unleashed and George Kellas that reps are king to learning the craft.

From January 2022 to the present day, I have taken over 110,000 photos with my Sony, so when I say I hit the ground running, I'm talking about Usain Bolt; I haven't stopped since.

I also knew my goal; I didn't want to be a portrait photographer; I wanted to be the best action photographer around and to get paid well for capturing those moments that tell the subject's story differently than anyone else.

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SECOND LESSON: You must create the business to share your passion your way. They say once you're paid, your love for the hobby is ruined, and that has not been my experience. But, I've declined many portrait sessions, 10+ weddings, and other opportunities because I knew I did not want to do those things.

To simplify a more complex opinion, I don't like to pose moments. And the cost will be steep to get me to do so.

This is your business, so stay true to yourself while meeting customers trying to find you. There's a happy middle ground, but you don't need to cater to what anyone wants, say, "No." even when it costs you money.

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The Opportunity

This next photo is the one that changed the game for me; it sealed the deal that I could operate in the sports environment at a level people would want to pay me for.

This picture meant so much because I captured the athlete in a moment of triumph and confidence; the story I wanted to tell, I told. I caught the moment I was trying to show, and from there, I knew that I just needed to learn how to deal with lighting, aperture, shutter speed, etc.

Operating in All-Star Cheerleading, where you have 2:00-2:30 minutes to get everything you need, prepared me to perform in any other sporting environment. I knew I could catch the elusive thing that plagues many photographers starting, and the rest were easy lessons to learn and apply.

Because of the album that came from this event, I was offered a photography gig with the All-Star Cheerleading Team.

This offer to be a photographer in a formal capacity is why I decided to create an official business; I knew it was the beginning of something that was going to grow, and that is where Z Photography and Media was born.

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LESSON THREE, MAKE YOUR OPPORTUNITIES: I did not have permission to take the photos I took at that event; I just went where I wanted to go while using what lens I had.

My confidence made people believe I belonged, but I was not supposed to be where I was. I got the photos, got the job, and then became the person everyone was looking for because they knew I'd be getting some incredible moments.

It all started with walking tall with a camera, having no idea what I was doing, but believing in myself, knowing that I could make it happen.

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I'm Not Competing with Price

As a new business, I knew that I wouldn't survive without making money, which is something I learned from my years with social media; I did free coaching and calls for years, and it cost me hundreds of hours that could have been used building out things that would have profited me and my family.