How I Made $125,359.36 in 2 months, as a Photographer (Income Report)

In my photography income report, I report my revenue and expenses as well as insights into the changes that I will be making with this site. 

This is what I will be covering in my photography income report (feel free to click and skip to what you would like to see)

Why I Publish Income Reports

It’s a little weird publishing what I earn to all my friends, family, and loved ones, but that’s the trade-off I accept for the transparency that I provide to my audience.

I never publish to brag, only to show my readers just what is possible as a photographer with some hard work and determination.

I (Aaron) own two six-figure photography businesses and it’s from my successes and failures that I teach on this site.

I am teaching business strategies that work in a completely different niche (ie: Dance Photography), and I am hoping this will make it a little more applicable to you.

There are a lot of “experts” out there teaching how to be a portrait or wedding photographer.

While many of them are VERY successful (and good at what they do), it makes their strategies a little less relatable and harder to apply sometimes, if you’re in a completely different niche.

I want to make note that I ONLY photograph dance portraits 2 months out of the year. The rest of the year I travel for fun, spend time with family, and run a commercial photography business.

This is not an ALL year-round kind of business, which is exactly what I wanted and has never been my passion.

You can read my story on why I changed my focus and how I became a dance photographer.

I hustle for only a few weekends, 2 months out of the year, so I can create a lifestyle that allows me to do what I want the rest of the year.

But…

If you’re serious in being a dance photographer, there are a few things you have to do throughout the year if wanting to grow.

I hope the transparency and honesty that I provide through my successes and failures will help you on your photography journey.

Start Photographing Dance Portraits TODAY!

If you’re interested in being a dance photographer yourself, check out my article on 4 ways to make money as a Dance Photographer.

I also have a FREE 5-day Bootcamp on Photographing Recital Portraits to get you started in the most profitable service I offer.

Show me the MONEY!

Proof of Income

Here is a screenshot of my square account where I generated $125,359.36 in revenue from April 5th to June 10th (2019). This was only photographing Spring Dance Recital Portraits and is not quite 2 months, was off by just 5 days.

You will notice the spikes in sales at the beginning of April and a few in May / June.

Spring dance portraits weren’t photographed for the entire two months, but only a few days each month.

This year I worked with 18 dance schools with revenue for each ranging from $3000 all the way up to $10,000+.

Some of the smaller dance schools I would only photograph for a few hours and all day, with the larger schools.

The square report doesn’t reflect cash and check payments and all the additional revenue I make with dance studios (photographing recital action pictures, custom outdoor dance portraits)

The numbers above don’t reflect business expenses. Some of the expenses I incur are the following.

• Taxes
• Photo Lab and Prints
• Sales Staff
• Travel Expenses (fuel, hotel, food)

Income RECAP Sense I Focused on Dance Photography

The chart below contains the revenue since I started focusing on growing my dance photography niche.

It took me awhile at the beginning to grow, but I was learning and fine-tuning my process. 2017 was the year that everything came together and now have a consistent six-figure revenue model.

It’s these successes and failures along the way, that I teach on this site.

In 2013 I only photographed ONE dance school and had no clue what I was doing.

The following year I picked up a few more studios and made $37,294.02 in revenue. The beauty of this service is I didn’t have to constantly reinvent the wheel. I maintained the current dance schools I worked with and added more, doing the same thing, over and over.

Upcoming Changes

Well, I have a lot of ambition for 2020 in providing as much awesome content for my readers and followers, who want to take control of there photography business and grow.

My mentor Doug and I will also be working on some courses on Posing Dance Portraits, Dance Recital Portrait Biz, Six Figure Dance Photographer, along with a possible course on Outdoor Dance Portrait Sessions.

Keep an eye out for them and we will be launching each course throughout the year.

This is a big undertaking, sharing all the knowledge and experience we have, but our main focus is to see YOU succeed.

New to Dance Photography?

I have a mess of resources for you to get you started.

What are Dance Recital Portraits?
How much does it cost to Photograph Dance Recital Portraits?
5 Best Dance Poses that Parents Want?

Along with all the latest Blog Articles that I have written

If you have any questions about my photography income report or about photography in general, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below!