Great ideas to earn money part-time

Photography

Despite the proliferation of digital cameras and camera-equipped phones, there are occasions where a more formal record of the occasion is required.

Weddings are the most obvious, but people also like family groups on special occasions such as anniversaries, and of course there is continually demand for pictures of children. If you aren't already a keen amateur photographer, it can be pricey to set up from scratch as the equipment you need is generally a step up from the 'point and press' cameras that most of us use..

To get started, you need a quality digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) with a minimum 14 MB picture resolution, lenses, a tripod and, if you are going to do portraits, a studio with backgrounds, props and a lighting set-up.

You also need the requisite level of skills, particularly if you are going to do weddings as there are no second chances to get it right.

If you feel the need to brush up on your technique, join a local camera club or attend an evening class. As well as improving your photography, you'll also make useful contacts and you'll add to your portfolio of work.

The importance of a good portfolio when you are looking for any kind of paid photography job cannot be overstated.

You are very unlikely to get any work unless potential customers can see the kind of photographs they will get for their money.

For weddings and portrait work, you'll need to hook your potential customers with a selection of pictures in various formats. They can look at your work on the web, on DVD or CD Rom and most importantly for weddings, in an album.

You can also take photographs 'on spec' and sell them to magazines, photo-libraries* or mounted and framed direct to the public. Talk to local cafes, restaurants, pubs and craft and souvenir shops about displaying your work and selling on commission on a sale-or-return basis.

* Much easier than it used to be - simply upload your photographs to a picture library and get paid each time they are downloaded by customers.

Wedding Photographer

Taking wedding photographs is not for the faint-hearted but lots of amateurs have made the leap to professional and semi-professional status.

Bear in mind though that there is a world of difference betweeen taking your camera along as a guest to do some extra or candid shots and taking responsibility for providing a complete wedding photograpy service.

Don't attempt to photograph a wedding on a professional basis untill you are 100% confident you can produce the results that the bride expects!

Surf some professional photography sites to look at the kind of standards that you might need to reach.

As well as proficient with a camera, you'll need to be well-organised, calm and authoritative to get everyone in place for the right shots.

You could consider a short course which, as well as teaching you the necessary technical skills, will often include a 'bride and groom' model shoot which will make a valuable addittion to your portfolio of work. Here are a couple of sites which give more information on photographing a wedding.

How to shoot a wedding (external site -opens in new window)

Wedding Photography tips (external site -opens in new window)

Photo Restoration

If you are a dab hand with photoshop, you could offer a service restoring old photographs. You'll need a scanner and a photographic quality printer. You can add value to the service by mounting and framing the photographs or creating montages, scrapbooks and slide shows. Show your airbrushing skills by making posters, flyers and a website with before and after photoshop pictures and place them in shops, noticeboards, libraries etc.

Before and after photoshop - As well as earning money, restoring old photographs can also be very satisfying.

Bob Books (external site -opens in new window)