ERIC KIM

Why You Should Teach Photography Workshops

Group selfie: NYC Conquer Your Fear of Shooting Street Photography Workshop 2016

Dear friend,

If you want to make a living from photography, get some extra cash, or share your knowledge I recommend you to teach photography workshops.

Why?

The trend I see:

Cameras are getting cheaper, more people are making photos, and there is a higher demand for people to learn how to make better photos.

Even today, everyone has a “smartphone” with a camera.

Therefore, everyone is a photographer.

Assuming there are around 7 billion people on planet earth. That means there are potentially 7 billion Photographer on planet earth.

Based on my experiences, almost everyone I know likes to make photos. My mom, Cindy’s mom, children, and strangers all like to make photos.

We like to make photos of our food, selfies of our life experiences, and to document our everyday lives.

70 Million Potential Photo Students (globally)

I think everyone wants to make better photos.

I would say perhaps 1% of people or photographers will pay real money to make better photos.

7 billion x .01 = 70,000,000

1 percent of 7 billion is 70 million.

So based on my napkin estimates, I think there is a potential market for photography education of at least 70 million, globally.

Potential photography education market in America: 3 million photographers

In America, let’s be more conservative. Let’s say America has roughly 300 million people.

Let’s assume everyone in America owns a phone with a camera.

With the same logic, let’s assume 1% of photographers will pay money to improve their photography.

.01 x 3 million = 3,000,000

So in theory, there are 3 million Americans potentially paying money to improve their photography.

That’s a lot of people.

Trends don’t lie.

Demographically, population is booming. Technology is getting cheaper.

You can already buy a very good iPhone with a very good camera for only $399 USD (iPhone SE). You can buy a good used iPhone for less than $200 USD.

In America, even working class and most poor people can afford a new iPhone, with a monthly plan.

I imagine a world where eventually you can get a free smartphone from any major company, except it will be “sponsored” with advertisements.

We are not far away from a free Amazon Phone, with a great camera for the price of $0.

How you can capitalize

Today, tomorrow, and decades into the future, there will be a huge demand for photography education.

This is where you come in.

I think virtual reality is over hyped. In the future, people are still going to want to do “real life” photography. Tourism and travel will always exist as industries.

If you build a loyal following, you will be able to monetize selling experiences through photography workshops. You will help your students guide their creative vision. To help your students make more meaningful photos, to help improve their composition, all while curating a fun experience.

Even 20 years from now, I’m still going to want to hang out with other photographers in real life.

I will want to enjoy espresso with fellow photographers, talk in person, walk on the streets, and make photos with my students. I will want to still enjoy a nice dinner with them, in a restaurant with real human waiters, while enjoying a nice rack of lamb– while my students enjoy a nice beer, wine, or cocktail.

ERIC KIM: Photography Teacher Teacher

I personally see my future as a teacher of photography teachers. Meaning, I will teach potential photography educators, workshop leaders, and “experience curators”.

I’m going to teach workshops, teaching other photography teachers how to make money teaching photography workshops.

I’m also a master photography marketer and branding expert — I will teach other photographers how they can promote themselves, and build confidence to monetize their photography.

How do I monetize by teaching workshops?

Very simple: you need to do the following to monetize photography workshops:

  1. Build a photography platform (via your own website, photo blog, or app)
  2. Build a following of people who trust you
  3. Announce that you’re teaching a workshop, book a location, and create a signup sheet via Google forms.
  4. Have people to send you money via PayPal or other service.
  5. Teach the workshop
  6. Profit: Income – Expenses

Very simple.

The hardest parts:

    1. How to build a following of people who trust you
    1. Have people actually pay real money

To build a following and have people trust you enough to send you money is called “branding”– or trust-building. It isn’t having a fancy logo, or a lot of social media followers.

As a rule of thumb, less than 1% of your followers will pay you real money for your workshop or services.

So the secret:

  1. Build up your follower base.
  2. Have people trust you more.

1. How to build your follower base

Blog more, publish more or share more.

Do more guest blog posts on other popular sites.

Write compelling blog posts, that get shared more.

Create useful information, that will get indexed higher on Google search results.

2. How to have people trust you more

Trust takes time.

Stay in the game for a long time without going broke.

Spit the truth, don’t bullshit your followers.

Be generous. Give away good stuff for free.

Don’t censor yourself, stay what is really on your mind.

How to Teach Photography Workshops

To learn how to teach a workshop refer to the guides below:

PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101

ERIC KIM x HENRI NECK STRAP // Portrait by Benjamin Thompson

Learn how to make a living from your passion:

How to Make Money with Photography

Photography Marketing 101

How to Hustle.

Entrepreneurial Principles

How to be a Full-time Photographer

Photography Blogging

Social Media

How to Save Money

START HERE >