8 Photography Business Success Stories [2024]
Capturing moments through a lens can be more than just a hobby; it can be a thriving business. A photography business involves taking professional photos for clients in various settings, from weddings and events to portraits and commercial shoots.
It's an attractive idea because the demand for high-quality, unique imagery is ever-present, fueled by social media and digital marketing. Starting this business requires a good camera, basic editing skills, a knack for creativity, and the willingness to market yourself online and locally.
With commitment, you could see your passion for photography transform into a stable and satisfying career. It's an opportunity to monetize a skill that brings joy to both the photographer and their clients, making every moment you capture a business success.
In this list, you'll find real-world photography business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a photography business that makes money.
1. Blend ($1.2M/year)
During his work on various API projects, Vaibhav Prakash envisioned an app simplifying e-commerce product photography. Teaming up with Vishwanath Kollapudi and Jamsheed Kamardeen, they launched Blend in 2021, which now ranks among the top three design apps in Southeast Asia, driving over 30% monthly growth.
How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 28
Blend is an AI-powered design and product photography tool for e-commerce sellers that helps solve the common problem of high costs and strong competition faced by direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses, with the goal of leveling the playing field for small businesses and larger brands by democratizing content creation and helping them grow.
2. Sean Audet Photography ($132K/year)
Sean Audet pivoted from a decade in hospitality to launching his own commercial photography studio in 2018. Initially a small experiment, his studio now earns around $11,000 monthly, fueled by his passion for food styling and quick learning through YouTube tutorials.
How much money it makes: $132K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 1
This case study follows the journey of Sean Audet, who built an award-winning commercial photography studio specializing in food and product photography, growing it from a part-time experiment to a full-time career that brings in around $11,000 a month, emphasizing the importance of taking risks and embracing new opportunities for aspiring founders in building and growing their own business.
3. 52Frames ($120K/year)
Started as a personal project for Yosef's personal photography improvement, he eventually started a Facebook page for other enthusiasts to join as well, and ran it that way as a passion project for over a decade, with people participating in weekly photography contests. It was only until 2021 when Yosef launched a premium site membership that generated him enough revenue to quit his freelancing career in video production.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
52Frames is an online photography community that started as founder Yosef Adest's passion project, which grew into a successful business with over 3,000 photo submissions weekly and 700 paying members after ten years of incremental growth and centred around community building, organic word of mouth, and delivering value to customers.
4. Digital Cohort ($120K/year)
Sepideh Maleki, a photographer based in the Seattle Metro Area, came up with the idea for her product photography business after setting up a Shopify store to sell wicker baskets. As she started shooting her own products and improving her photography skills, she realized that product photography itself could be a viable business opportunity. With a low cost of entry and a focus on acquiring local customers through platforms like Craigslist, Sepideh has been able to generate an average of $10k per month in revenue for her business.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $15K
How many people on the team: 2
Product photographer Sepideh Maleki shares how she grew her business from scratch, generating an average of $10k per month through a focus on customer acquisition with a clear traffic and revenue plan, organic search optimization, and impeccable customer service.
5. jonathan is media ($101K/year)
Jonathan discovered his passion for photography at a young age and honed his skills while studying photography in school. He stumbled upon an opportunity to help an Amazon FBA seller with product photography, which sparked his idea to start his own business offering product photography services specifically for Amazon sellers. By focusing on this niche market and delivering exceptional service, word-of-mouth referrals have been his primary source of customers.
How much money it makes: $101K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 0
This case study follows Jonathan from jonathanismedia.com, who started a product photography service for Amazon FBA sellers during his teenage years and now making close to $10k/month in profit, through word of mouth, offering exceptional quality services, and a focus on SEO, paid media, and word-of-mouth as long-term growth strategies.
6. LRF FLOORING LTD & LF MEDIA ($84K/year)
Liam Francis, a qualified floor layer, and his partner moved to London to kickstart their photography and videography business. They lost their jobs due to the pandemic, but they persevered and started LF.Media. They offered their services for free in exchange for products, built their portfolio, and started charging clients, eventually making £100,000 a year in just 12 months. They also started LF.Flooring, which helped fund LF.Media and contributed to their success.
How much money it makes: $84K/year
How much did it cost to start: $20K
How many people on the team: 2
London-based entrepreneur goes from jobless to making £100,000 a year by starting two successful businesses: photography/videography company L.F Media and flooring selling/fitting company L.F Flooring, despite losing everything due to the pandemic.
7. The Match Artist ($62.4K/year)
Founder Shane came up with the idea for The Match Artist after struggling with online dating himself. When he realized that better-quality photos drastically improved his success rate, he teamed up with a photographer friend, Nick, to start a business that takes tailored photos specifically for online dating profiles. They have since helped over 100 singles take photos and average $5,000-$6,000 a month in revenue.
How much money it makes: $62.4K/year
How many people on the team: 0
The Match Artist helps singles take amazing photos for their online dating profiles through a 3-hour executive shoot, coaching, and email course, pioneering a new genre of photography, with an average monthly revenue of $5,000-$6,000 and a plan to double down on paid ad campaigns in the future.
8. PEWDOC ($14.4K/year)
Manthan Gajjar, the founder of pewdoc, came up with the idea for his business after realizing the potential to make money online through blogging. He used his passion for photography and his knowledge of SEO to create a photography blog that offers tips, tricks, and gear reviews for beginner photographers. Through consistent publishing, SEO optimization, and targeted ad campaigns, Gajjar has been able to attract and retain customers, earning $1.2k per month.
How much money it makes: $14.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 1
Founder Manthan Gajjar built his photography blogging platform, pewdoc, as a side hustle project and now generates $1.2K per month by publishing trending photography content for newbies. He shares his process of building a blog on a low budget, gaining traffic through consistency and SEO knowledge, and using social media advertising to attract customers and retain readers through newsletters.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
