I say getting yourself out there think of yourself as a sales person. you have to go out and prospect and get referrals. how do you do that you ask friends and family or business if they know anyone having an event in which you can take pictures and use it in your portfolio. in the beginning might have to do a few for free but is worth it in the long run. 

 

Read Think and grow rich by napoleon hill

 

great book for using the law of attraction to attract customers

Here are a few tips for making money through photography that I learned on Adorama: 

License or sell your images on stock photography websites: 

If you already have a collection of photographs, you can try selling them on a stock photography website. It can be a good way of earning some bucks. You can become a contributor to websites like BigStock, iStock, and Shutterstock. 

Photography contests:

If you think you are talented (even if you don't think), start competing in photography contests. When you'll compete against other photographers, you may end up being surprised at your talent and skills. Maybe you get to know that your work is even better than those who consider themselves "experts". Even if you lose, you would get numerous opportunities to learn and polish your skills. 

Freelance photography: 

Just like freelance writing, freelance photography is also quite an effective way of earning money. You can get a chance to work with local newspapers and magazines to get experience. The money may not be very much because you'd be a beginner, but it will be worth giving a shot. Over time, once you develop a good reputation with the clients, you can jump into an international market and work with international clients online.  

Doing photography is not everyone’s cup of tea, rather one can try and try again to only master this art if they are interested in it. The major piece of equipment that a photographer requires is a camera. It can either be a digital camera or a camera feature from a phone. The technological world has evolved so much that mobile phone cameras are as well functioning as that of DSLR cameras. However, the finishing of a picture from a DSLR camera has its aura. Photography is done on various occasions, for example, weddings and birthdays. While the hosts are busy greeting people and hosting them a party, they want someone to take care of their memories by capturing them in photos. Therefore, photographers are hired for such occasions and paid a hefty amount, on the demand of good quality photographs. To earn from photography one must have in possession a good camera, with multiple lenses as well as the knowledge of capturing a picture knowing about the proper settings of a camera. To expand one’s business one must contain a proper profile of their work or have some sort of qualification for people to hire them.

It depends on the type of photography that you do, are you an events photographer and can shoot special events for people like birthdays or weddings, or are you a product photographer and you take pictures of things for people who are trying to sell their products because then you will have to go about marketing, etc in the same way. However, the very first step is to build a portfolio for yourself that can showcase your skills well. After that, try and build a LinkedIn profile and simultaneously sell your skill on freelancing websites such as Fiverr and whatnot. As a freelancer, I can tell you that it is a lot more about knowing how to market yourself than it is about being inexperienced. If you can convince the other person that you are what they need,  you're doing a good job.