How and where can a photographer make money in 2026?

Let’s start with the backstory of how I got into photography. We won’t remember those moments when I was 8 or 10 years old, running down the streets of Mogocha with my parents' point-and-shoot camera (or maybe it was a Zenit), photographing everything within the lens’s field of view. We’ll remember those moments when I received a paid commission for a shoot, and my hobby became professional.

2018, the country was rejoicing over the recent FIFA World Cup, and I was elated at having successfully worked as part of the Organizing Committee (not as a photographer) and, having received all the diplomas and certificates, decided to buy myself a drone. A quadcopter. A bird. Just to fly for myself. Some time later, a construction company saw my terribly simple aerial photos on ForbiddenGram and wrote that they needed aerial photography. That’s how I completed my first commission, for which I received a monetary reward. This was the Filatov Lug metro station and the surrounding area. I still have photographs of the place—there was no metro yet, no houses, no roads, and a dense forest all around.

Back then, I didn’t know what a “hole” was, why ND filters were needed, or why it was better to shoot during blue and gold hours. However, I posted my photos on social media—it’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to find an audience and clients. No investment, no money, no loans. And now, thanks to social media, 50% of my clients come to me.

So, first things first: be social media friendly. By 2026, people spend more time on their phones and laptops than outside of them. And if someone needs an abstract fruit photoshoot, they’ll look for someone online. And you, as a photographer in this field, can help them find you. And remember, it’s not enough to post one photo a month to your private Odnoklassniki profile without captions, tags, or mentions. Use ALL social networks—Odnoklassniki, VK, FB, Instagram, 500px, Skypixel, 35th, Telegram, WA, X, and so on. Tagging different profiles and accounts for reposts, using the right hashtags, and sharing links to your work with friends.

To earn money, a photographer needs to promote and showcase their work.

Let’s move smoothly to the second point. I’ll start by saying it right away, and then expand on the topic. You need to buy my super-important course, called “Photographer Alexey Nikitin Will Teach You How to Make Money with Photography.” In this fantastically successful and incredibly exclusive video course, I’ll reveal 10 secrets of a successful photographer. By purchasing photographer Alexey Nikitin’s course for just 1,999 rubles, you’ll start making money with photography. Unfortunately, I know people who buy these “courses” regularly, then watch them attentively for two hours… and nothing. And nothing changes for them. Ever.

I’m a huge proponent of the idea that it’s better to try something yourself once than to watch it 88 times from others. Instead of that super-incredible course: “We’ll show you 5 studio lighting schemes, ” go to a photo studio yourself. And in a few hours, after watching a free reel online, everything will become clear. Instead of taking the best course in your city from yet another no-name like me, titled “How to Take Photos Right?!”, get off the couch, pick up a camera, and go shoot. In a studio, in a park, on the street, in the mountains, and so on. There’s nothing better than firsthand experience. Instead of staring at your phone on the subway, look around. Instead of walking through the park with a hoodie on and headphones on, look around. All the answers to how light works and free inspiration are all around you.

So, second: develop. Develop, first and foremost, on your own. This doesn’t mean you should always and everywhere work alone. It means that when choosing between picking up a camera and trying something yourself or watching the 14 best architectural photography lessons in Moscow from an incredible photographer, the choice should be the former.

To earn money, a photographer needs to develop their skills independently, develop their observation and visualization through independent experience.

And so we’ve reached the third point about how to make money as a photographer in 2026.

A small digression: this point is only for those who don’t work and don’t plan to work “on a regular basis.” If you enjoy and want to earn a good living from photo shoots in schools and kindergartens, and you’re willing to take three 4-hour assignments a day for 2,000 rubles, then reading further will be a bit of a bummer. In all other cases, when you see yet another online ad seeking a photographer with a strong portfolio and expensive equipment to shoot a corporate event for 200 people, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., in a city 170 km from the Moscow Ring Road, or to shoot a newly opened massage parlor in a luxury building, don’t be lazy and tell the client, “Fuck you!” “I’m a professional. I shoot for more money because I do quality work! “You can pick up your expensive phone and take photos worth 1,500 rubles, which won’t please any of the 200 people at the corporate party or potential massage clients!”.

So, third: value your work and your experience. To earn money, a photographer needs to learn to properly value their work, convey the rationale to the client, and justify their choice in your favor. Here, I’ll perhaps include a few humorous quotes from my personal experience, to which I responded with a hint of irony: “I told you so!”

— “Alexey, our photographer we chose got sick yesterday. Can you come see us in an hour?”

— “The photographer shot everything in JPG, so he said he wouldn’t do any post-processing, and it’s fine as is! Can you help us with the overexposure and noise?”

— “Tell me, Alexey, can you shoot us a clear video based on the specific specifications?” “Yes, they filmed it for us, yes, but how could they have wanted to? They said they didn’t understand the specifications!”

— “You don’t show up to filming in a dirty, stretched-out T-shirt reeking of alcohol, do you? We tried that here…”

Fourth. Try different things and don’t get stuck on one thing. Here’s another great example from personal experience. First, if you shoot naked women, I’ll rip your camera off. Second, why do you edit some photos one way and others another? Find your own consistent style!

As a result, I wasted three years of my life not shooting artistic nudes, and for three years I put aside my experience in this field, which now brings me income, just like other styles. I also didn’t want to explain why some photos are in cool tones, some in sepia, and some in black and white. Now, every day, I’m free to create what’s in my head and soul, just by discussing with the client before the shoot what kind of editing they want.

Again, I encourage you to be a versatile photographer, because if demand for aerial photography and wedding photoshoots drops sharply in winter, and you’re not skilled at shooting catalog photos in a studio, you’ll face financial ups and downs. Summer is honey, winter is pie. So, there are options. And yes, you might not become the greatest fashion photographer in the history of Naro-Fominsk (that’s not what this article is about), but you will have a steady and healthy income from photography.

So, fourth: shoot whatever you want and edit it the way you want and see it.

A fifth, sixth, and seventh point could easily be added: stock sites, contests, and cold selling of videos and photos.

In the final points about how a photographer can make money in 2026, I’ll combine several topics because they are related.

Stock sites. You can earn money by uploading photos and videos to various platforms. Yes, it’s a long-term investment. First, you need to invest a huge amount of time correctly and efficiently uploading an incredibly large amount of material, then constantly update and expand your work, and finally, wait for the earnings. If you have the time and a lot of different material, this is a decent passive income. Stock sites bring me around $500—I spent two weeks on them about five years ago, and those photos and videos are still going strong.

Contests. Many contests, both Russian and international, offer prizes. They can be measured in monetary terms or in tangible items, such as a TV, headphones, or a lens, which can easily be exchanged for cash. Participate in photo and video contests; there are a huge number of them, and you’ll always be able to find ones with categories that suit you.

Selling your material. You can always independently offer your work to various resources—from local print publications to online media giants. This could be anything—a glossy magazine from a factory in your city, a coffee shop in central Moscow, the administration of a shopping center, or an aspiring actress. You’ll never know until you offer. Activity is everything.

So, fifth and subsequent: use all the photographer’s tools to earn money. In conclusion, I want to remind you that this isn’t an educational article from the Ministry of State Structures and doesn’t claim to be axiomatic, nor is it quite selfish in places. However, it’s not made up and is presented based on my personal journey in photography. I wish you wonderful photographs and good compensation for them!

P.S. If you have any questions, want to discuss something, or want advice, please don’t hesitate to contact me!