There are a lot of photographers, both professional and amateur, who struggle to make ends meet in their career. That is, if you are doing business the traditional way. With the internet, you can actually share your skills with a wider audience and the easiest way to start is through photography affiliate programs.
Unlike the conventional settings, affiliate marketing allows you to diversify your source of income. By recommending other company’s products or services, you’ll earn a small, but recurring commission for as long as you are active in your online promotion. No, you are not becoming a sales person (if that’s what you are thinking). You are going to embark on the exciting journey of online entrepreneurship as an affiliate marketer.
Now let’s see what type of opportunities are out there.
1) Photography Techniques
Anyone can take nice pictures, but to produce good quality and stunning images, most people know that they need to learn the basic features and techniques step by step. This type of information, usually come in the form of guidebooks and I am sure you’ve seen some of these in the bookstore.
The thing is, some people might not know which book to choose or maybe they prefer the convenience of eBooks instead.
At the Digital Photography School, there are 23 types of eBooks written by world renowned photographers. They have everything from basic camera functions to landscape photo shoots as well as courses to help people get started. They also provide instant digital downloads at very affordable prices, which means one can start learning from the computer immediately.
The payout – 40% commission on each sale. Most of their learning resources range between $20 to $100+, which means you could earn up to $40 per transaction. (Tips – digital products always pay higher commissions than physical products).
Here are some trending ideas that you can use to promote these eBooks.
- How to take pictures while traveling
- How to shoot portraits outdoors
- Black and white photography tips
- Advanced tips for landscape photography
- Tips for taking pictures of food
2) Photography Equipment
When I first bought my DSLR, I remember reading a lot of magazines to find one that suited my budget and need. I did the same for my tripod and camera bag as well. Needless to say, the effort paid off.
Product reviews are just that; they help readers to decide what is best for them based on other’s experiences and insights so that you’ll buy something that’s worthy of your investment.
The Amazon Associate program (just another fancy term for the Amazon affiliate program) gives you access to thousands of photography equipments that you can promote online. If you are an enthusiast in this niche, you may have owned some of these items already.
- Accessories
- Bags and Cases
- Digital Cameras
- Flashes
- Lenses
- Lighting and Studio
- Tripods and Monopods
You can then go on and write a product review or comparison to help your readers choose the right equipment. Now, you must be wondering why Amazon and not an online store that sells specifically photography stuff.
Well, you can, but the advantage with Amazon is that it’s a trusted household brand, they offer good delivery services AND you get extra commissions, even when the customers purchase something irrelevant to your niche during that one single transaction. Isn’t that awesome or what? 🙂
The Payout – The fixed advertising fee allows you to earn 4% commission per sale. With the volume based fee, your commission increases as you sell more.
Here are some topic ideas that I’ve researched to help you write some good product reviews.
- What’s a good DSLR camera for beginners
- Good camera bag for travel
- Nikon vs Canon which is better
- How to choose a macro lens
- Best lightweight tripod for landscape photography
3) Photography Places
Photography and traveling is like a married couple. If you love taking pictures, chances are you would love to go places as well. I think this is a great opportunity to leverage from travel related affiliate programs.
No, I am not referring to flight/hotel bookings here; I am talking about the best place to watch local festivals or the most beautiful beach to capture a sunset view. People love going to places like these for photo shooting.
If you can provide this type of information besides product reviews, it will not only thrill your readers, but also save them time from researching on the internet. I am sure your readers will love you for that.
For example, there is a ton of travel guides that you can recommend through the Lonely Planet Affiliate Program. They offer physical books as well as eBooks for download and their payout is 15% in sales commissions. Not bad, right?
Alternatively, if you are already an Amazon Associate, you can also promote the Lonely Planet guide books through their marketplace. Yes, your commission would be lower, but you are offering convenience for your readers to purchase everything from one place.
Here are some destination ideas that I’ve brainstormed for you.
- Best sunset points in Santorini
- Where to take pictures of Brooklyn Bridge
- The sky lantern festival in Thailand
- New Zealand snow photos
- Best Christmas light displays in USA
4) Photography Websites
With so many people wanting to learn and build their career in photography, they are probably going to publish their work online sooner or later. And for that, they will need a good platform and I can’t think of anything better than to start with WordPress.
However, not all WordPress themes are suitable for the photo niche. The free templates are usually limited in terms of designs. Premium themes, on the other hand, are more suited for online businesses as they look more professional.
Supported by more than 18,000 photographers worldwide, Photocrati offers a variety of gorgeous themes that come with features you’ll like such as the filmstrip, lightboxes and slideshow. You can even sell your own photos using their built-in eCommerce system.
The payout – You earn a $20 commission for every single sale that you make. Wow!
Here are some topics that you can geek about while helping other photographers build their online presence.
- Best WordPress themes for photographers
- WordPress themes for portfolios
- WordPress themes for wedding websites
- How to build a photography website
- What makes a good photo blog
So there you go. Four different types of photography affiliate programs to diversify your income. Lots of demand and definitely plenty of profit to be made online. If you need any help starting an affiliate business, check out my recommended training platform here to learn more.
Have some questions or thoughts about this topic? Simply leave them in the comment below and I’d be happy to respond to you.
You may also be interested to read;
How to Create a Photography Website
I did not even know there were photography affiliate programs. I have a very nice DSLR camera, so I am interested! And wow, you have a lot of ideas Cathy for using my camera. I do love to travel and I have had people ask me if they could buy some of my photos, and if I could take particular shots for them. I never really thought much about it though.
Hi Cathy,
Thank you for sharing some tips to guide for someone who has the potential and skills in photography but clueless in monetizing them. The tips are really helpful and I think just by focusing one of the four aspects, one can kick start and develop their photography business well. I just got a text from a friend that Royal Caribbean, a traveling cruise company, invites photographers to take picture at beautiful holiday sites and beaches without bearing any costs.
Quite an interesting concept using your photo enthusiasm/skill to make small commissions on quality products. I especially liked the Lonely Planet and travel guide idea. EVERYONE buys those books, even me!
Say, if you were promoting expensive cameras to your readers or audience, do you think one would get a larger commission if you joined the company directly as an affiliate, rather than going through Amazon?
Most definitely Philip. In fact, you could earn up to 6% in sales commissions when affiliating with Canon Shop (USA). Their cookie duration is longer too – 30 days. Many top brands offer direct affiliate programs these days and it’s easy to get approval as long as your blog has a lot of good/interesting content. Amazon is surely not the only option out there and this could be a potential (and more profitable) alternative for people who live in the states that don’t allow Amazon affiliation.
Cathy,
I enjoyed reading this blog on how to make extra money with affiliate programs in the photography niche. You have done your research well, and describe quite a few good programs. The selling of eBooks written by photographers is a good one; I didn’t know that was available. If you research enough, affiliate programs are available anywhere, in any given niche. Photography is also a popular choice since most of us have taken pictures at some point in our lives.
Perfect, just what I was looking for. Never realized that these 4 types of photography affiliate programs existed. I am interested to start a blog using your ideas. The problem is, I am not very good with computers. Will I be able to get any help or support from the platform that you recommended? I would need a lot of it.
Hi there David, creating a blog isn’t as difficult as you’d think. With a platform like WordPress, you just need to click install, tweak some settings and everything is good to go. Yes, there’s definitely step-by-step training to show you how to do this within Wealthy Affiliate. If you feel stuck at any point, just sent me a PM and I’ll help you out 🙂