Taking photos with a digicam is a hobby to many people around the world. There are plenty of opportunities to actually earn some money by simply taking pictures. If you have an eye for photography - and those pictures everyone talks about and loves says you do - then you could start picking up some extra cash by simply using your camera. You do not need to be a professional or even have taken photography classes. You don't even need a lot of expensive equipment. All you need is a good digital camera, some imagination, and a steady hand.
Take your digicam wherever you go and practice taking a variety of pictures. Shoot landscapes or animals, buildings, flowers, abstract art, people...it doesn't matter what you take a picture of. It could be the most boring thing on the face of the earth. What does matter, however, is the presentation. Make the pictures interesting. Practice by snapping so many pictures in a day that you fill up the chip on your camera. If you have a 2GB chip, you can take close to 600 high-resolution pictures a day. And when you download the pictures from your digicam, you'll find plenty that you want to keep.
The beauty of a digicam is that you can delete the pictures you don't like either from the camera or from the computer without shelling out development money. This is why you should also feel free to play with some of the different picture taking options your camera gives you. Try taking a picture in black and white or sepia tones. See what the difference between the actions (or sports) and plain portrait setting is. Try the nighttime setting. Don't be afraid of exploring the options on your camera. If you know your camera well and what it is capable of doing, you'll be able to take more interesting photos when you start trying to earn some money.
Obviously running your own photography studio may not be the most lucrative venture right off the bat. But there is nothing that says you have to be limited to taking portrait photos. Start out by taking some photos of local landmarks and offering them for sale on places such as e-Bay for the cost of printing or processing the picture and adding an inexpensive frame to it. Offer to shoot some pictures of your next door neighbor's daughter's birthday party, or for a friend's family reunion. If you pick up a professional client, always make sure you take photos at different angles so that you get a wide variety to choose from.
Finally, take some of your favorite photos and post them on the Internet at places like TodaysPhotos.org. This can help get you some exposure as a photographer and maybe even a couple of paying jobs to get you started.
