Business Trends

The lure and magic of wildlife and nature images tempts many photographers to jump into the field. However, it’s not nearly as easy as many aspiring pros think or hope. The all-important “look before you leap” challenges to this photo field can be considerable and the start-up time longer than the usual commercial photography business.

For our annual discussion on the business of wedding photography, I spoke to three wedding photographers who are finding success in doing what they love. One of the keys to their success is that their marketing ideas and tips illustrate top-of-mind awareness, which helps keep them foremost in their clients’ minds.

As people move through different stages of their life, photographic records of these events are the mainstay of the portrait photographer’s business model. The idea of hiring a professional photographer to capture life’s important moments will never be completely replaced by relying on family or friends to “just take a picture.” 

Photographing wildlife in their natural habitat has always been both challenging and rewarding. Whether you develop a business selling the use of the images or leading workshop tours, this field requires a special combination of passion and patience. In this article, we look at how and where wildlife photos can be sold as well as prospects to pursue and pitfalls to avoid. Special thanks to our four contributors: Sean Crane; Barbara Fleming (Fleming Safari Company, LLC); Eric Horan (Lowcountry Photo Safaris); and Josh Patterson.

While previously thought of as a niche, boudoir photography is now a thriving way for photographers to make a living. Usually a gift to a loved one or one’s self, boudoir photography consists of an intimate photo of a woman or man suggestively covered or even fully nude. Although the photographers I interviewed all have different businesses, they all have one thing in common: tremendous kindness and compassion. Thanks to the following photographers for sharing how they have made their businesses a success: Mariah Carle, Lynn Clark, Lindsay Rae D’Ottavio, Megan Drane, Kristi Elias, and Mistie Simone.

This month we talk with seven photographers pursuing their passion for action, adventure, and sports and find out how they are getting the work: Aaron Belford, Tegan Keller (Tegan K. Studios LLC), Chayce Lanphear, Joe Morahan (Morahan Visuals, LLC), Elli Morris, Jayms Ramirez, and Robert Snow.

For this month’s column, we look at how to turn your love for wildlife photography into a serious business. I interviewed the husband-and-wife team of David and Jennifer Hemmings who have been particularly successful in the wildlife photography field.