Building Your Next Revenue Stream: Why Photographers Are Looking Beyond the Camera
Jun 09, 2026I know a woman who makes a full-time living teaching people how to crochet cats. Another friend built a seven-figure business teaching yogis how to do handstands. Not yoga. Just handstands. One offer, entire business.
And then there's me. A pet photographer who accidentally built an education business that's generated close to four million dollars over the past decade. None of us planned this. But all of us figured out something important: you probably have knowledge that other people will pay to learn.
If you're a photographer who loves what you do but feels the weight of being fully dependent on your camera for income, this episode is going to open your eyes to what's possible. I'm walking you through my own accidental origin story, sharing some of the wildest niche businesses I've seen actually work, and giving you a framework for figuring out what your additional revenue stream could look like.
š§ Listen to the full episode here: Apple Podcast | Spotify | Amazon Music
Why Does Photography Income Feel So Heavy Sometimes?
Photography is a time-for-money business. Every dollar requires you to show up, shoot, edit, and deliver. You get sick, you don't earn. You go on vacation, you don't earn. You max out your calendar, and that's your ceiling.
That model works until it doesn't. When your camera is the only thing paying the bills, it starts to quietly change your relationship with it. You say yes to clients who aren't the right fit because you need the booking. You avoid raising your prices because you can't afford to lose anyone. The creative work you fell in love with starts to feel like a grind.
I talk to photographers in this exact spot all the time. And the fix isn't always "charge more" or "book more sessions." Sometimes the fix is building something alongside your photography business that brings in income whether you're behind the camera that day or not.
What Does an Additional Revenue Stream Actually Look Like?
An online business built around your existing knowledge and skills. Courses, memberships, coaching programs, digital products. You build something once and sell it repeatedly to people who want what you already know.
I want to be clear about something. This is not passive income. I'm not sitting at home eating bonbons while money magically appears. An online business takes real effort. But unlike photography sessions, it's not limited by hours in the day or your geographic area. You can reach anyone in the world, and your income isn't capped by how many shoots you can physically do in a week.
The best part? You can start while you're still running your photography business full time. A mini course. A small membership. A group coaching program. The tech is genuinely not the barrier everyone thinks it is, and there are strategies like beta launching that let you monetize your idea before you've even fully built it.
How I Accidentally Built a Multi-Million Dollar Education Business
Back in 2012, I was a stay-at-home mom with two little kids, running a photography business in whatever time I could find. I started a blog called Hair of the Dog, and my only goal was to share what I was learning about photographing dogs and building a photography business. I just wanted to help somebody along the way.
No strategy. No funnel. No clue what a webinar was.
In 2015, I created my first digital product, a resource on running charity mini sessions. I sold it for about $197 and made around $22,000 on that first launch just by emailing my list. That was the moment I realized this could be a real thing.
By 2016, I'd partnered with Heather Lahtinen to create a post-processing course. I was building programs, but I still had no idea what I was actually doing from a business standpoint. I didn't understand funnels or launch strategy. I was just a photographer who happened to be teaching other photographers.
That's the year I found my mentor James Wedmore and his program Business by Design. Ten years later, that mentorship has helped me grow my education business into what it is today: three programs, an incredible community, and close to four million dollars in revenue.
The whole thing started with a blog I almost didn't write.
What Could You Actually Teach?
This is where everyone says "Nicole, I don't have anything to teach." And every single time I want to reach through the screen and shake them.
You have been developing skills and knowledge your entire life. But because those things come so naturally to you, you don't recognize them as valuable. The stuff that feels obvious to you? Someone else is out there Googling it right now.
Ask yourself these questions. What do people come to you for advice about? What do your friends text you about? What can you talk about for hours without getting bored? What have you figured out that other people are still struggling with?
It can be photography. You could teach pet owners how to take better pictures of their dogs, or create a course on your editing workflow or client experience. But it absolutely doesn't have to be photography. And that's where this gets really fun.
The Wildest Niches That Are Actually Making Real Money
These aren't side projects. These are real businesses generating hundreds of thousands, and in some cases over a million dollars a year.
- A kids' art project membership that helps parents do creative activities at home, including digital summer camps and full homeschool curriculum.
- A friend who teaches people how to produce EDM music through a membership.
- Someone who helps busy families meal prep without spending an entire day doing it.
- Two women who created a full certification program for intimacy directors on film and theater sets, a job I didn't even know existed until I met them.
And then there's my friend who's a vegan married into a family of committed meat eaters. She's mastered cooking one meal where her version is vegan and everyone else can easily add meat and cheese. When she told me this, I immediately said "that's a seven-figure membership." Easy vegetarian cooking for meat lovers. As a meat lover myself who wants to eat more plant-based meals, I'd sign up tomorrow.
The through line? None of these people are internet famous. None of them are tech geniuses. They had knowledge and built something around it.
How a Second Revenue Stream Changes Your Photography Business
This isn't about replacing photography. It's about insulating it.
When you have income coming in from another source, photography gets to be fun again. You can be more selective about which clients you take. You can charge what you're actually worth without the panic of "what if they say no." You can take a slow month without your whole financial life falling apart.
It removes the pressure from your camera being the only thing that pays your bills. And that changes everything about how you show up for your clients and your art.
Your version of this might look completely different from mine. Maybe it's working 15 hours a week on an online business and shooting two sessions a month. Maybe it's a membership that mostly runs on its own while you homeschool your kids. Maybe it's a course that lets you take the entire summer off. That's the whole point. You get to decide.
Three Things to Take Away Right Now
You already have knowledge worth monetizing. Full stop. The question isn't whether you have something to teach. It's figuring out what it is and who wants to learn it. Start paying attention to the things people ask you about and the skills that come easily to you that others struggle with.
An online income stream makes photography sustainable. It takes the pressure off your camera and changes everything about how you show up for your business. It's not a replacement. It's the thing that makes photography joyful again.
The most niche ideas often make the best businesses. Handstand yoga. Crochet cats. Intimacy director certifications. These work because the audience is specific, the expertise is real, and when you're online, you're not limited to your zip code. You have the entire world.
Ready to Explore What This Could Look Like for You?
Listen to the full episode for my complete origin story, more niche business examples, and the framework for getting started even if you have no tech skills and no idea what you'd teach yet.
š§ Listen here: Apple Podcast | Spotify | Amazon Music
And if any of this sparked even a flicker of curiosity, my mentor James Wedmore is hosting a free training starting June 11th. People consistently say his free trainings are better than most paid programs. You can sign up at nicolebegleyedu.com/onlinebiz.
MORE RESOURCES
- Travel hacking podcast series: hairofthedogacademy.com/travel
- Hair of the Dog Conservation Fund: https://www.hodconservationfund.org/
CONNECT + LEARN MORE:
- Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com
- Ready to build a profitable photography business? Visit freedomfocusformula.com
- Master the craft of pet photography at hairofthedogacademy.com
- Follow along on Instagram - @nicolebegleyofficial
