Photographers Field

The last report from August 2021 received loads of positive feedback, so I’m going to share yet another entrepreneur income report from March 2022.

I do think opening up how I manage to create income streams that are not necessarily photography-based, is important. Many creatives think that in order to be an artist, you need to only work in the creative field.

This is not necessarily the case, and even if I am doing photography, I do think every passive /non-passive income you can hold takes you closer to getting rid of your day job. This is, if you that’s your goal.

I know it’s mine.

For those who are not yet familiar on what I do and where my income streams are, keep on reading.

And remember, these jobs have not fallen on my lap yesterday, but have become a part of my revenues during the last 5+ years.

Some things have definitely changed from last income report, and there has been slight changes in building my finances and to become self-sufficient, at least in financial sense.

We still own an apartment with my partner and I still work in the harbour but pretty occasionally.

Lets dive in to the specifics!

Photography Entrepreneur Income Report March 2022

Income no.1: Non-passive

Job 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. Working there for almost 8 years now has helped me sustain my ability to put part of my income towards savings and also to work along my studies, without compromising my free time.

Depending on the week and my own schedule, I make about 180€-300€ / week.

Income in March was 906€

Income no. 2: Non-passive

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.

Depending on the rest of the schedule I usually work there 1-3 times / month. But the job lets me be around like-minded people and share the knowledge we have.

My monthly income is 180-250€

Income in March was 250€

Income no. 3: Non-passive

Photography gigs and other photography related jobs

This income stream brings revenue from multiple sources. Which include:

• editing for clients
• photoshoots
• 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.

I’ve been focusing more on my photography project and been doing less of commissioned photoshoots and other photography-related gigs.

Starting out as a photographer can be highly lucrative, and you can actually start pretty simple without experience.

Income in March was 300€

Income no. 4: Passive stream

Renting our property

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 65-68€/night.

In the summertime we raise the pricing to 75-85€/night. Since the location is central, we can tweak the pricing depending on the demand.

Yes, it does require minor work, but I would still say it’s mostly passive, when looking the income it brings.

The expenses for the apartment monthly:

1086€/mo apartment substitute + expenses like electricity
400€/mo in taxes (this varies depending on the month and the rental revenue)

Expenses: 1486,00 €

Income In March

Airbnb Income TOTAL = 576 €
Booking.com Income TOTAL = 1072 €

= 1648€ – 1486€ = TOTAL 162 €

Income in March was 162€

Income no. 5: Passive stream

Selling images and digital products

This is something I’m working on monthly, but it’s a slow process. I’m educating myself on the print-and-demand field and taking courses to serve my clients better. These platforms don’t usually pay much and uploading stock imagery is a big task to start out with but pays back once it’s done.

Etsy Shop

I really started building my Etsy shop late January, and had my first sale in February. My goal is to build a profitable online shop with various products that bring higher monthly revenue than my other jobs combined.

But first, I need to build a basis for everything – luckily I’m not in a hurry and enjoy diving into these things.

My income from Etsy in March was 31€

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.

I haven’t really uploaded much of new material to EyeEm, so was not expecting much either.

My income from EyeEm in March was 23,87€

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 creating templates. But once you’ve done it, it’s passive.

Income in March was 43,74€

TOTAL INCOME from everything in March was 1716,61€

I have also looked into 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 a passive income once I get started with them myself.

There really are ways of making money online, and just by taking the first step you are open towards the possibility of it becoming the main income for you.

As you can see, these months were very different from each other. So I never really know how much I’ll earn.

Which leads to my last thought – no income is truly passive. It requires investments up front and from there on can turn it into a more passive income than your average 9-5.

If you liked this article, check out

Here It Finally Is: The Entrepreneur Income Report August 2021

How To Start Your Photography Side Hustle Today And Earn Extra Money

How To Start A Photography Business With No Experience – Simple Guide