Photographers Field

I have been contemplating about making this report since it’s always a very personal subject to share, even with the closest people. I am going to share my income report from August 2021.

There has been surprising expenses and even more surprising incomes and by sharing them with you I know I’ll be helping those who feel their journey as an entrepreneur feels more challenging. The main reason I’m sharing this income report August 2021 is to provide an honest view on all the possible incomes an entrepreneur can have. I do want to be transparent in what I do, since being just a photographer is rarely as lucrative as it might’ve been shown to be.

First for those who are not aware of all the different income streams I have, I will open up what various jobs I do have in order to be able to have this income. These jobs have not fallen on my lap yesterday, but have become a part of my revenues during the last 5+ years.

Income Report August 2021

Income no.1: A non-passive stream

Working as a stevedore in the harbour

This has been my blessing in disguise from the day I started the job: this was time prior to any creative jobs that I have now. Being a stevedore for almost 8 years now has helped me sustain my ability to put money in savings and also to work along my studies, without compromising my free time.

Depending on the week and my own schedule, I usually work 2-4 times, 8hr shifts. This means 280€-650€ / week.

Income in August was 1348,79€

This is nothing special, anyone can work there if you know how to drive a car. Moving onto some more unusual income streams:

Income no. 2: A non-passive stream

Working as a studio manager assistant in Aalto University

This is even more occasional than the previous job. While I am studying there at the moment doing my MA in Photography, I am also working in the photography studio helping photographers with their equipment and teaching lighting and other necessary skills you might need in the studio environment.

Depending on the week I usually work there 1-3 times / month. This is due to the fact it’s not the best location for me time-wise and the income is less. But the job is more enjoyable and lets me be around like-minded people and share my knowledge. The usual income from this would be 180-250€ / month

Since it was the summer, and the university was closed, I didn’t work there during the month of August.

Income in August was 0€

Income no. 3: A non-passive stream, but still a bit more passive

Photography gigs and other photography related jobs

This income stream is very versatile and can bring revenue from multiple sources. This includes:

• editing for clients

• photography gigs

• 1-on-1 clients (portfolio reviews, helping clients edit series, grant applications etc.).

This, like any other income for entrepreneurs, is tightly connected to the season and the demand during that season. During summertime there are usually fewer commercial gigs. This summer I focused more on my studies and building my website so I cut down from most photography-related jobs. Usually there would be 2-4 gigs / month, which could bring in 600€-2000€ in revenue.

Income in August was 980€

Income no. 4: The most passive stream of the non-passive ones

Property renting

This is something I know not many can make an income out of – there are ways to rent rooms even if you’re not the owner of the property, but that would be another post entirely. We have a studio apartment with my spouse and rent it out for short- and long-term accommodation.

The season determines the pricing we have for the apartment; during wintertime it could be anywhere between 55-68€/night. In the summertime we raise the pricing to 75-80€/night. Since the location is central, we can tweak the pricing depending on the demand. Of course theres extra fees for later check-in, pets, extra guests, cleaning etc. which can raise the price.

The expenses for the apartment monthly:

161€/mo apartment substitute

890€/mo housing loan

20€/mo internet

15€/mo electricity

500€/mo in taxes (this varies depending on the month and the rental revenue)

+ other expenses like bathroom amenities, kitchen necessities and the key-service (leaving the key for the guest to be picked up) = 80€/mo

Expenses: 1416,00 €

Income:

Airbnb Income TOTAL = 517,00 €

Booking.com Income TOTAL = 1821,26 €

= 2338,26 € – (expenses) = TOTAL 922,26 €

Income in August was 672,26 €

Income no. 5: A passive stream

Passive streams – selling images and digital products

This is something I want to look into more, but it’s a slow process like any entrepreneur might know. These platforms don’t usually pay much and uploading stock imagery is a big task to start unwrapping.

Shutterstock

I joined Shutterstock in March 2021, and the revenue from that has not been anything to cheer about, but I’m determined to grow it in the upcoming months and years.

Income in August was 10,78 €

Pond5

Pond5 seemed an easier revenue than Shutterstock (in terms of being able to become a seller of images), but so far it hasn’t brought a whipping income. I joined Pond5 in May 2021.

Income in August was 4,58 €

EyeEm

EyeEm is a platform where you upload your images and can also sell them through partner-program. So it’s not an image selling platform like Shutterstock, but clients do buy your images there from time to time.

The difference for me is that I upload more artistic material there and more journalistic material in the other platforms (the ones above).

Income in August was 13,67 €

Canva

Creating e-book layouts, pin-templates and other similar products, Canva is really taking off as a noteworthy revenue for me.

It’s a well-known fact that many creatives use Canva, even if they have skills in ie. Adobe Indesign. I work around 8-10hrs/week with Canva templates creating them for myself and my clients. But once you’ve done it, it’s passive.

Income in August was 38,84 €

TOTAL INCOME in August was 3068,92 €

I wanted to start affiliate marketing, but it hasn’t been as lucrative as the ones that I stated above. I will get back to more ways of making money through passive ways once I learn more about them.

Overall, I’d say there are so many possibilities to make money online that it truly baffles me. I recommend you look for the ones that are possible for you in the area you live in, since I know not everyone can’t for example rent their property as a passive income. Which leads to my last thought – no income is truly passive. It requires work up front and from there on can turn into a more passive income than your average 9-5.

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What are your thoughts on this, what are the different ways you are building your empire with ?

If you liked this article, check out How To Start A Photography Business With No Experience