The Roaming Photographer – How to Fund Your Lust for Travel

How To Be a Freelance Photographer • Travel The World • What No One Tells You

Imagine this… You walk into work and your boss tells you that next week you are going to climb a snow-capped peak, capture its magic, and THEN they pay you for it. Sound too good to be true? My friends: becoming a travel photographer is definitely possible (anything is!) if you set your mind to it

For some, being a travel photographer is a fantasy. For you, this could be a regular Tuesday.

That’s exactly why being a freelance photographer can be the greatest job on the planet.

Being paid to travel, see the world, and capture it one photo at a time is the dream.

Becoming a travel photographer doesn’t happen overnight though. It takes (a lot) of hard work, scraping by, and persistence with reaching out to potential clients. It can all be undone more easily than you thought and then that dream fades as quickly as you can open your eyes.

We at The Broke Backpacker want to help you in your quest, which is why we wrote this epic guide on how to be a travel photographer! With the help of this insider guide, you’ll know the behind the scenes tips for how to be a freelance photographer. Even with these tips though, you’ll need to put in the extra effort – there is no elixir that will give you everything you need.

If you’re still interested in learning how to become a travel photographer and are ready to put the work in then let’s get to it! Here’s how to start freelance photography and travel the world whilst you’re doing it!

What is Freelance Photography?

Freelance photography is like any other self-employed job i.e. copywriting, marketing, programming, etc out there – you work for yourself, seek out potential clients, and complete the projects that they set out for you. So when asking yourself “what is freelance photography” or “how do I become a freelance photographer,” know that it’s not an entirely unique job.

In essence, what a freelance photographer does is they work on multiple projects that they have found and been given by multiple companies. Pay is always negotiated beforehand and varies from project to project. Trust us when we say that a steady income is a relative luxury in the freelance photography world. Even if you’re able to support yourself as a freelance photojournalist, income fluctuates very often.

What Does A Freelance Photographer Actually Do?

Simply put – a freelance photographer takes photographs. Sometimes employers will hire you before you’ve actually taken photos, sometimes you will take them by yourself and try to sell them. Either way, your goal is to take high-quality photos and sell them.