Make Money During the Slow Season with Passive Income
One of the biggest challenges photographers face during the slow season is securing sufficient bookings and earning enough money to get through the winter.
Passive income sources can help pad your earnings throughout the year—including during the slow season—without requiring a daily time investment. Typically, all it takes is a one-time effort or periodic focus to establish these income streams, and when you’re not busy with bookings, it’s the ideal time to start getting things in motion!
Image by Sarah Ching
Edited with Quest 43 Llŷr
Read on for photography-based passive income ideas to help you earn money while you’re not actively working!
Prints
Printing and selling photos you’ve already taken is one of the biggest and most lucrative revenue streams for passive income— and you can sell prints several ways.
Image by Lucie B Photo
Edited with Quest 44 Aureus
Sell prints to clients - If you don’t already have a print shop set up through your gallery, make it a priority this winter to get one set up or find a way to offer your clients ways to purchase prints through their online gallery or through you so you can make money on work you’ve already done for them!
If you already have a client print shop, create email marketing workflows to promote those products through sales on specific print sizes or framed prints, specials throughout the year, etc.
In addition to prints, you can sell clients albums, canvas or metal wall art, calendars, and more through most professional print vendors. Upsell things clients wouldn’t be able to purchase through consumer companies and point out the quality difference between the prints you offer and “Fast Photo” printers to show them the value of the products you offer!
If you don’t already have a favorite print vendor, check out:
Many online gallery providers partner with professional photo printing labs so you can offer clients the ability to shop directly from their gallery, so check out those options and order tests prints if you’ve never used the lab before!
Sell fine art prints - If you photograph landscapes, nature, travel photos, or still lifes in your spare time, sell prints of those photos! People love to decorate their homes and offices with beautiful images.
If you have your own photo printer, you can create limited edition print runs of your photographic art and sell them on your website or Etsy. One of our preset developers, Liam Rimmington, has created an online store on his website to sell his photo prints and he promotes them on his Instagram.
Images by Liam Rimmington from his Online Print Store
Print-on-Demand - If you don’t own a photo printer or don’t want to deal with the backend work of creating an online shop for your photo prints, consider using a print-on-demand service that will print and dropship prints directly to your buyers.
Some print-on-demand companies also have built-in storefronts and offer their own SEO and marketing. Expand your product offerings by allowing prints on clothing, mugs, water bottles, and even shower curtains and blankets!
Large framed prints from Lauren’s Society6 store displayed in a customer’s home
Some print-on-demand companies to look into are:
Archipelago team member Lauren Alexandra Wessel uses Society6 for her online print-on-demand shop and has had the following experience:
“I set up my Society6 shop years ago because my mom wanted to buy prints of some travel photos I took in Alaska— from there, I upload a few new photos a year and select which products I want them printed on (usually wall art but I enable things like coffee mugs or tote bags in case they generate sales). I don’t do very much to promote my shop, but I still earn a few hundred dollars a year for minimal effort, which is nice!
Sometimes friends and family purchase framed prints or products from the shop but typically the sales come from total strangers. I have also had people reach out asking for different options of the photos I have on there, and one big sale of a huge print to an office company that wanted one of the designs printed larger than what Society6 offers.”
Stock Photography
If you have a large archive of photos you’ve taken over the years that are not earning you any money, why not license them to stock photo companies and earn ongoing revenue?
Image by Kate Cullen
Edited with Quest 42 Falena
Selling stock photography is one of the easiest ways for photographers to generate passive income by monetizing their existing library of images. Stock photography platforms act as marketplaces where businesses, publishers, content creators, and advertisers search for high-quality, royalty-free images to use in their projects. By uploading your photos to these platforms, you can earn royalties every time someone licenses or downloads your image.
There is an upfront time and effort investment in selling stock photos, and if you only do client work, this might not be the avenue for passive income you’ll want to pursue (unless your clients are willing to sign model releases allowing you to sell their likeness, or you take lots of anonymous detail photos).
Image by Benny Guzman
Edited with Quest 44 Aureus
Choose a Stock Platform - Select one or multiple stock photography websites to showcase your work. Popular platforms include Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, Getty Images, iStock, and Alamy. Each platform has its own rules, audience, and payment structure, so research which aligns best with your style and goals. There are also companies that cater specifically to more creative imagery like Trevillion and ArcAngel.
Submit Your Portfolio - Upload high-quality, versatile images that appeal to a broad audience. Subjects like landscapes, travel, business, lifestyle, food, and technology tend to perform well, but so do niche topics. The more diverse your portfolio, the more opportunities for sales.
Add Keywords - Use detailed and relevant keywords when uploading your images to help potential buyers find them. Keywords like “vintage café,” “minimalist office,” or “autumn forest” are specific and searchable, ensuring your images show up in targeted searches.
Earn Royalties - Once your images are approved, they become available for purchase or licensing. Each time someone downloads your photo, you earn royalties, typically ranging from a few cents to several dollars, depending on the platform and licensing agreement.
Set It and Forget It - After uploading your portfolio, stock photography platforms handle all the sales, licensing, and customer service, freeing up your time to create more content or explore other revenue streams.
Affiliate Marketing
Image by Sam Morris
Edited with Quest 29 Altitude
Earn passive income by partnering with photography-related brands (such as camera gear, editing software, web platforms, etc) and promote their products through affiliate links on your blog, YouTube channel, or social media.
Affiliate marketing is an excellent way for you to earn passive income by recommending products, services, or tools you genuinely use and love. It involves partnering with companies or brands to promote their offerings, and in return, earning a commission for every sale or lead generated through your unique referral link. Different brands offer different commission amounts or requirements for participation, but if you have an active audience to “sell” to, it can be a great way to earn passive income!
Archipelago has our own affiliate program called Archipelago Ambassadors, and if you’re already a Quest subscriber or Archipelago Member, you can take advantage of the program, earning 50% commissions on sales!
Other possible affiliate partners you could consider:
Culling or AI Editing Software companies like Imagen, Aftershoot, or Narrative
Tips for Affiliate Marketing Success:
Be Authentic: Only promote products and services you truly believe in and have used yourself. Authentic recommendations build trust with your audience, and your followers are more likely to buy what you suggest!
Know Your Audience: Understand what your followers or readers need, whether it's beginner photography equipment, advanced editing software, or niche photography tools. Tailor your promotions to these interests.
Create Valuable Content: Provide value to your audience through tutorials, reviews, comparisons, or guides that seamlessly integrate affiliate links. For example, “Best Cameras for Portrait Photography” or “How to Edit Wedding Photos in Lightroom.”
Focus on Evergreen Content: Invest in creating content that remains relevant over time, like gear reviews or how-to guides on your blog or website. This ensures you keep earning commissions long after the content is published.
Leverage Social Media: Share your affiliate links on Instagram stories, TikTok videos, and Pinterest boards, paired with engaging visuals or video demonstrations.
Image by Wertán Botond
Edited with Quest 32 Zalea
Do you earn passive income from something not mentioned in the article? Tell us in the comments!