📷 Event & headshot photography
Corporate headshots, family sessions, small events and product shots. Suits: People with a good camera, an eye, and the confidence to direct people.
Reviewed 2026-09-25 · what a review checks
Earnings are modelled, not measured: €40–€120 an hour (assumed effective hourly rate including editing; priced per session) × your hours × 10–40% of those hours paid in the first months. Check local prices before you set yours.
Decide one product and one price. "Photography" does not sell; "LinkedIn headshot, 3 edited images, €X" does.
- Pick one product: e.g. LinkedIn headshots
- Shoot five friends for free for a portfolio
- Offer a fixed-price office headshot day to local firms
To start: €0–€1500 — lens or lighting you lack, editing software.
Monthly: €15–€60 — software, backup storage, insurance.
- Written agreement on usage rights and delivery.
- GDPR: consent for identifiable people, secure storage of images.
- Gear failure on the day — backup body/cards.
- Editing time is often double the shooting time.
Self-employed income; equipment qualifies for capital allowances.
Declaring side income as a PAYE worker. Side income is taxable from the first euro. If your net non-PAYE income is under €5,000 (and gross under €30,000) you can declare it on Form 12 through myAccount. At €5,000 net or more you are a “chargeable person” and must register for self-assessment and file Form 11 by 31 October. Source · checked 2026-09-25
VAT registration thresholds. You must register for VAT once turnover exceeds, or is likely to exceed, €42,500 a year for services or €85,000 for goods. Source · checked 2026-09-25
Business expenses. Costs incurred “wholly and exclusively” for the side business (tools, software, platform fees, a share of home costs) are deductible from the income before tax. Keep receipts for six years. Source · checked 2026-09-25
Educational information about Irish tax rules, not tax, legal or financial advice. Your position depends on your circumstances — check with Revenue or a qualified adviser.
Day-by-day actions for your first week, and what to do at your first customer, first €100, first €500 and when to scale. Included with Hustler (€9.99/month, 14-day free trial, cancel any time).