How I Turned My Love For Photography Into A $177K Business | On The Side 

Photography is tough business - a lot of pressure sometimes and people who want things for free. Did fashion and event work for 10 years , got burnt out and left. Good for her - she has a good business acumen, extroverted communication skills and her photos also look good.

It's always impressive when you can turn a hobby into your full time career!

Reading these comments just shows me that a lot of people have limiting beliefs and that is why you may be struggling!

I love this. Seeing an artist make great cash. It's so easy to get caught up in marketing media messages which say make millions and have time freedom by doing something that's not what we love

Not to discredit Grace's photography skills, but she is successful at 23 as a photographer because of her soft skills -- aka her people skills (which is arguably the most important part of photography!) . She's clearly very articulate, bright, and extroverted. As someone who also did photography as a side hustle (I'm a designer) and went to school with photography students, and know so many friends in L.A. who tried to do photography, it is NOT an easy business to get into successfully. Most people I know take 5-10yrs before seeing her kind of cashflow. As an introvert myself, I see a lot of introverted friends go into this hobby thinking they can make a living out of it, but don't realize that in order to really be successful, you have to have major people skills. And this isn't to discourage anyone of course. I'm just keeping it real. When I do it as a side hustle, I have to talk to people constantly, make them feel comfortable, and also guide them to posing and getting the shots. I love everything about cameras and photography, and like Grace, I was in love with it from a very young age (12 or 13), but man, kudos to people who do wedding photography and engagement photos, etc. I just stick to street photography and doing it as a hobby now, because I honestly can't stand how extroverted you have to pretend to be to do the job. Side note: If you are introverted but still want to make money off of it, you should be an assistant! I did some assistant photography for a main photographer, and although it doesn't pay a lot, it's a legit side hustle. You're essentially there to get backup shots or b-roll footage. There's also some photographers who outsource photo editing.

I really enjoy photography, the cameras, the shooting. But to do weddings is a leap beyond anything. This woman is amazing, this takes talent, patience, skill, and motivation to shoot those. She deserves everything she earns.

As an Asian kid myself, when she said that she had been pursuing photography since her 13, I had a hunch that she was not brought up by Asian parents. I hate that I was right...

The right gift for a children is a key to unlock their passion.

Thank you for sharing your photography journey and process, Grace! We're proud to have you as part of #TeamCanon!

I am a videographer trying to make it in the freelance videography and eventually photography business. It is really hard, but once you build a good portfolio and relationship with others, good things will come your way. I love watching this video!

Photography of people will never die...

Photo & video work is really hard to make a living in. Shoutout to her for figuring out her lane...it can be a brutal grind for 9/10 people trying to make it

*Don’t just save all your money in the bank as they tax you so much keeping it. It’s better to invest your money for future expenses. Everyone needs to create a passive income stream to stay debt free and live comfortably*

Love this story! I wish I had started taking it seriously earlier too. Just started my wedding photography business here in Berlin last year

Lucky to live in US to charge such amounts (top from the very top photographers in Czech is 1100 USD per day). Well done and keep shining!!

CNBC it doesn’t take much to share her socials in the description guys!!

4k per wedding. 45 weddings per year. US averages 1+ million marriages per year, declining, post-covid wedding boom will cool off but still, if she decides to travel around for gigs, she can make enough to retire and let interest do the work while she pivots to something else. Given the churn rate of US marriages, she's gonna be in business for a while lol

Honestly it's not even her turning photography into a business that's most impressive it's her work ethic

I feel like she should be making more... She's killing it!

Was a wedding photographer as well, but recently sold my company to my business partner. Averaged about $6000 per couple at about 35-40 bookings per year within the first 4 years of the business....which isn't bad since our wedding season here is only about 6 months long due to weather. But one thing that I found is more important than the 6 figures revenue is the time and mental well-being. 35-40 weddings condensed within a 6-month period is extremely tough on social relationships, and I got really burnt out. It'll become just another routine "job" and especially in photography as an art, it will end up showing in your work. Congrats to her, and hopefully she can stay positive and passionate about her career!

There are many business ideas, but the start is the most difficult part of a business

So cool how Grace was able to turn a passion/side hustle into a full time job! Love her story!

Wow man.. 4000 for a wedding... US is truly another world. In Europe, if you manage a 1000 to 2000 you can be proud of yourself 😅 Beyond that you're a star!!

Your potential is nice, keep it bro.❤

Keep the grind up! I am a photographer who at age 29 was making 70K a month.

We're in the first 6 months right now for our photography business, commercial though! It's always inspiring to see others have managed it before us 😊

This goes to show that hard work brings you places if you take it seriously!

I knew immediately when she said that her family took a RV trip cross country when she was a kid that either one parent was white or she was adopted. Asian parents too busy hustling and cant afford that luxury. Also Indian/parents push you to more STEM fields.

Her busiest year she shot 46 weddings, if she made 177,000 that means she's charging nearly 4k a wedding or probably more because there will be expenses involved. I need to get into wedding photography.

My old neighbor was a full time photographer she made 80k a year, I always admired her she was living the dream. ❤️

Ugh. I’m struggling so hard right now! I’ve been a photographer for almost a year (I’ve been taking pictures longer but just started a business last year). I only have several sessions booked for the rest of the year, but I started off with sessions every weekend!!! Hoping this is just a slow month 😅

I love this story!!!!! Awwwwwww! Im starting my own photography business! This story is amazing to learn from!

I'm a 6-figure photographer as well. It is absolutely possible. I love her story 💖

Dreamville, dream living, on the beautiful coast! This is possible for all of us!!! Grace is paving the way, I am so so inspired from this! Thanks for the share CNBC. Grace is living proof that business is a reflection of oneself. Now that she has mastered the process/systems, she can enjoy some time of enjoying time at the beach. Who wouldn't want this type of life balance?

You need so much hustle to make a photography business really profitable.

Thank God for weddings and wedding budgets, huh? It feels like this is the only reliable source of income for professional photographers at scale. Personally, I am an amateur photographer. I don't depend on photography as a source of income. In some years I have sold prints through art fairs and galleries where it made a financial difference, but nothing to the extend of the business Grace has built for herself. Congratulations!

my goal for this year make some money of photography. I have being taking photos for 10 years now, seeing other photographers making it full time career, it give me motivation to keep taking photos and some day I will make it my full time career.

I had a high-paying job when I started my photography as a hobby from SLR film to DSLR and maybe this is one reason why I didn't go into the business side of it. Then, my only thought in mind was to follow the growth of my kids in stills and now my grandkids. I guess I didn't have that business acumen in me that I practically gave my photography services for free to my friends who were in need of a photographer for weddings, kids baptism, birthdays and other special occasions.

Mrs Grace is legit and her method works like magic I keep on earning every single week with her new strategy

Wow. She is beyond inspiring. So hard working, focused and courageous. One of the best stories I've seen here. And they are all so good!

Very very inspiring and realistic unlike some of those other similar videos. I truly found this motivating to follow my true passion. What a lovely young woman with such a mature mindset, even from when she was a child. You go Grace!

Loved this video. For any photographers out there struggling, my channel is all about the photography business side of things. Worth a watch to learn more about client acquisition, sales, etc.

Unfortunately it's harder than that in some countries, but it's a great thing to do what you like for a living

This is so inspiring, well done!

It's inspiring to see someone take a hobby and turn it into their life's work!

Why , as a photographer yourself are encouraging and telling everyone how easy it might be do earn a living with photography ….So then next year there will be a army of newbie’s trying to steal your gig and offer really cheap photoshoots and your high income will be history 🤗🤗🤗 , congratulations greetings from Paris 🇫🇷😎👍. ( excuse my poor English I am French , merci )

She is so articulate.

Very inspiring, and this is going to sound mean, but partly because her photography is so average. Shows that getting far is not about talent but just how hard you work.

I was lucky enough to take music lessons when I was young and that turned into my teenage side hustle! I am still teaching lessons and absolutely love it!

She used to bully me in highschool! So glad she’s doing well though.

Excellent story of success. I just started back into photography as a hobby, so I can teach my son the same hobby.. Already have a business so we will never make this a career, but really happy for Grace turning this into something successful.

Don’t give up. Be disciplined and adapt. Be realistic.

One day CNBC ull interview me as well. Waiting for that day 🙂.

Love stories like this, driven, courageous, execution. Amazing women! 💪

Grace, may your photography business continue to flourish. Thank you for sharing your inspiring story.

In LA almost everyone is a Pro Photographer...

This is inspiring! I was thinking of creating a group with other entrepreneurs and ambitious people, where we can help and push each other to get better

1:23 woah, uhh thats photoshopped

Being a wedding photographer is a stressful job, I can say. Sometimes you have moron customers whose attitude towards you is just ridiculous.

I hate when people are saying how much they earn. It is not all about the money. It also about the heart. From these 177K there is a huge deduction to run a business (Studio or workspace, gear, multiple cameras, computers, car, insurances) and then there is not so much left of 177k. So the number is kind of an illusion.

Too bad I'm too lazy to think of ideas to get ultra rich, haha. Good for her!

It's alot of negative Nancy's on this post .. I believe in myself I can do all thing threw Jesus who strengthens me 🙏

Gross $10k a month = $120K, and you take your wage out of that. So is the $177k a year is a bit of a clickbait lie right?

This is what I want to do ! To have my own schedule and pursue something that makes me happy and others

Absolutely Amazing 👏 😍 ❤ Thanks for sharing 👍 😀 😊 Photography is my passion to and I'm learning about it and your story though me a lot. I usually take photos of Nature, food, landscapes and others. Best of luck in your Photography business!

Nice content! The best way to find that balance between saving and living is by investing, this way you get to have your savings intact and then live comfortably of the revenue coming in from your investments.

She has such a great mindset and was very responsible and strategic about the transition into entrepreneurship. Very inspiring.

That's inspirational! Congrats! I love photography and wouldn't mind making money with it.

Just like me except I'm doing real estate photography. At 19 I started getting serious and at 21 decided to make it my full time job. it is difficult but it's sooo worth it. The grind for more clients and bigger jobs will never stop

Love seeing other boss babes charging their worth! I'm a boudoir photographer in Maryland and my goal is to hit 300k this year! Can't wait to see you hit that mark too!

When I was a kid they were called photographers, now we call them entrepreneurs. I think it helps as Florida is a wedding destination.

Wedding photography is more for extroverted photographers

This is so hard to do when you’re not into portrait photography

The problem with shooting events is that most events happen on weekends. You spend weekends celebrating with strangers and you don't have time to celebrate with family. Even when you do spend a weekend with family, you always have in the back of your mind the possible thousands of dollars you gave up to be with family.

She has a great business understanding

🚀 1) find something you love 2) find something other say you’re good at 3) find something someone will pay you to do

Outside of wedding photography you need to be extremely good or have good connections in order to survive.

how can you trust someone to edit your photos? who do you out source to?

As a 14 (almost 15) year old who is really getting into photography, you're my inspiration. may your business continue to be successful!

Very inspiring story, thanks Grace for sharing your journey with us....

I love this video. It is encouraging me to keep going. I am a struggling soloprenuer with a stationery store. And a graphic designer. Low sales. And low client work. Any advice for this? And I do have social media experience. Any advice for this too?

I see that Contax T2!

this is so inspiring thank you for sharing Grace!

i was in the business before. The clients yikes. Tough business. All the lightroom and photoshop. We even had proprietary software engineers to automate some of the tasks. I was one of them. She'll retire at 30 hopefully. It's great when your young. When your old. Look for new career.

Which camera you would suggest if someone is starting out? And what should be ideal budget for camera?

i could do this if i was able to live at home while going to college …. instead i get the pleasure of spending 2k in rent yay

Love this series!

and here I am, a medicine student in university who watch more video about photography than biology in the past year, and I just bough my new Fujifilm X-E4 😂😂

Love women growing and doing what they love!

It’s super misleading when they say $177k a year, when that’s not what they make. She might have made that 1 year. Could go up, Could go down depends on clients, she could go down to like 20k etc.

Why do self employed call themselves entrepreneurs?

what an inspirational story!

how she can make own schedule? when its client who tells when, where to reach... why people lie ?

Great story! Good skill development over time. Goes to show that even if your main job is soul-sucking, having passions on the side balance out life's necessities.

You need hustle to make any business profitable. Good for her for turning her passion into $$$ 👏👏👏

Love For Photography -- but love its not enough, car, cameras, computer, and friends to spread your skills, without that you can just dream

People Capp on how much they make tbh

This is inspiring. I'm a photographer in Miami and I'm looking for more motivation to keep going and this did it! Thanks Grace!

I love, love this story! I relate to this on such a personal level. I started my photography business in college at 19 and went full time in April of last year.

Amazing! Congratulations Grace! 🤗🤗🤗