This is how car photographers are making a full time income in 2024

It is possible to be a full time car photographer - and people are doing it! With technology advancing rapidly, and the explosion of AI car photography, there are quite a few options to make passive and active income as an automotive photographer. In this blog I will share with you just how people are doing it, and how you can start today. First let’s understand two categories of income sources, passive income vs. active income.

What is passive income?

Passive income is selling a product which does not require you to create something new, it’s already there. Say you created an audiobook and put it on your website. Each time someone purchased the digital audio copy, and a file was sent to them automatically after the purchase, this would be considered passive income. With passive income, you can essentially make money while you sleep!

What is active income?

Active income is when you need to physically be there to facilitate the sale or service. Say you were doing inventory photography for a dealership. In order to take the photos you would physically need to be there, to take photos of each car. The number of cars you can photograph will depend on how long each one takes to photograph. While still profitable, it will be time consuming and needs to be considered into your pricing.

Passive income ideas for car photographers:

• Selling LUTs on your website/Etsy

  • You’ve probably refined some go-to presets on Lightroom based on previous photoshoots. Choose to sell them as a package based on a specific style or piece them out and make it easier for people to spend a little cash.

• Selling photo prints which are fulfilled from a print on demand website

  • Some website like Printful allow you to upload your photos and choose various sizes and materials to print your photos on. Always check a print-on-demand company’s reviews to see how other creators enjoyed or not enjoyed their services.

• Selling phone wall papers from your car photos

  • People are always looking to switch up wall papers. Crop your high quality photos into wallpaper sizes and sell them as a pack on your website or on Etsy.

• Creating an automotive photography course

  • If you’re feeling confident enough with skill as a. car photographer, consider creating tutorials that people will find beneficial. Lots of people are switching to mini courses to learn new skills after their work day is done and your course could be one of them.

• Create content for YouTube

  • While some work is needed up front, having a successful evergreen video people use as a resource could earn you a great passive income.

• Upload stock photography

  • Stock photography is a great way to get your work used in multiple platforms you may not have expected, and earning money while doing it!

• Affiliate marketing

  • Giving great recommendations can go a long way. Affiliate marketing will pay you a certain percentage based on the product you’re recommending.

Active income ideas for car photographers:

• Inventory photography for dealerships

  • Photos help to sell cars. Having great photos makes it easier to show all of the vehicle’s features and how well maintained it may be. Dealerships are always looking for photographers, however some are looking for full-time employees as opposed to contractors. An easier sell may be visiting smaller dealerships who get limited inventory and visiting them on a scheduled basis.

• Private car photoshoots

  • Private car photoshoots have actually been a bit harder to come across than other active income sources, but there is still a market. The difference here is that depending on the car owner’s purpose for having the photos, you’re often servicing a want rather than a need. A person who isn’t using the car photos for selling purposes probably just wants them - versus a person selling the car privately may need the photos to help sell the car.

• Be an automotive photographer for a social media agency

  • Some dealerships and automotive manufacturers will outsource their social media needs to agencies that specialize in this department. Finding out some of the advertising agencies that commonly work with companies in the automotive industry can get your foot in the door to having some exciting shoots where you get paid!

• Vehicle auction photography

  • Vehicle auction photography can sometimes not be the most exciting, as there is typically a set shot list that you must adhere to - but it still will utilize your skills behind the camera and pay you well.

• Photograph for automotive detailing shops

  • New automotive detailing shops are always on the hunt for great photos to showcase their work online. My first consistent photography gig had actually been with an automotive detailing company in Toronto - Alpha Shine. The owner of this company was looking for content that would show customers some of the exotic cars they have been trusted to work on, and behind the scenes shots of their team getting right into the detailing.

• Photograph for automotive magazines / online editorials

  • Consider reaching out to automotive magazines to either sell some of your photos for use or to capture new content for their team. Magazines always need new content to share to stay relevant - and you can help with capturing that content.

• Commercial photoshoots for automotive manufacturers

  • This may also fall under jobs sub-contracted out by advertising agencies. These shoots can pay really well, but will require you to be very careful to follow all of the brand guidelines and objectives. A lot of active time will be involved for these shoots, and sometimes more than you initially planned for at the shoot and behind the scenes.

My recommendation is to tap into as many income streams as you can possibly manage. Prioritize those where automotive photography is a need, more than a want. You will find more opportunities that are ready and willing to pay when someone needs it. Most often passive income streams only need to be set up once and will earn you continuous income. Active income streams will be more time consuming but are where your skills come in most handy.

Leave a comment below if you’ve tried any of these income streams out and how it went!