A basic DSLR might only cost a few hundred dollars, but a comprehensive photography gear kit for a beginner can cost $2,000.

But photographers love their hobby and are willing to spend inordinate amounts of money to get that perfect shot.

And that means you can make money in this niche… if you’re promoting the right photography affiliate programs.

Photography is a consumer electronics niche so commission rates are low. But in this article, we’ll show you ways to boost your revenue despite that.

Keep reading to find out how.

Photography Affiliate Programs

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1 B&H Photo

Fans of B&H Photo Video have described their 70,000-square foot New York retail store as “Nerd Nirvana” and “A/V Eden. And they’ve done that because not only does B&H stock a huge range of products, but each of their salespeople is a specialist in their field.

So, you won’t get a hard pitch from somebody who knows nothing about a particular camera or accessory. Instead, you’ll get helpful advice from a fellow photographer. B&H Photo Video has been providing this level of service since they opened their first store in Tribeca, NY, way back in 1973.

Okay, so that all sounds awesome, but what does that mean for you as an affiliate? Simply this — B&H operates probably the biggest photography affiliate program on Earth, and that’s not hyperbole.

They’re so big we’d be doing you a disservice if we didn’t include them in this roundup. If you’re serious about building an authority site in the photography niche, then you need to include this program in your portfolio.

URL: B&H Photo Video affiliate program
Commission rate: Up to 8%
Cookie duration: 60-hours

2 Adobe

Adobe is arguably the best-known photo editing software brand, with millions of users worldwide. Subscribers to Adobe Creative Cloud get access to a whole suite of creative apps, including InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, as well as millions of Adobe Stock assets and premium images.

Unusually for such a huge brand, Adobe’s photography affiliate program pays pretty generous commissions, with different models depending on the Adobe products you promote.

Refer customers to Adobe Creative Cloud, and you’ll earn:

85% of the first month on monthly subscriptions
85% of the first month on paid-monthly annual subscriptions
8.33% of the first year on annual subscriptions with a one-time payment

Alternatively, Adobe Stock subscriptions pay out at the following rates:

$72 on monthly subscriptions
$72 on yearly subscriptions with monthly payments
8.33% on single purchases with a one-time payment
85% of the first month for three standard assets a month with a monthly payment

Sign up for the Adobe affiliate program, and you’ll also get access to regular exclusive discounts with attractive publisher incentives.

URL: Adobe affiliate program
Commission rate: 8.33% of the first year, or 85% of the first month
Cookie duration: 30 days

3 Focus Camera

Focus Camera has been in business since 1966 when Abe Berkowitz opened their store on 13th Avenue in New York. Thanks to staff expertise and a range of products from leading manufacturers, the business quickly developed a name for itself.

Since then, Focus Camera has moved into the world of e-commerce, but they still have a retail store operating out of Brooklyn today. Their website is easy to navigate and features pretty much everything you could need to satiate your photography desires. But they do also sell a full range of other optical products such as telescopes, binoculars, and microscopes.

All of this gives you plenty of opportunities to make direct and incidental sales from the Focus Camera affiliate program. The 3% commission rate might seem low, but this niche is pretty typical. The network traffic for this program more than makes up for the lower commission rate, but the short cookie duration means you’re better off only sending qualified traffic to their site.

URL: Focus Camera affiliate program
Commission rate: 3% per sale
Cookie duration: 3 days

4 Adorama

Adorama has been a leading global provider of consumer electronics for more than 40 years, so it’s got a solid reputation. It has a vast catalog of over 250,000 products, encompassing everything from photography accessories and equipment to pro and consumer video gear.

Now, let’s get the bad news out of the way. Adorama’s 2% commission rate is the joint-lowest of all the photography affiliate programs we’ve looked at, and while the 30-day cookie life is better than Amazon’s, it’s nothing to write home about.

But there are lots of positives here too. Adorama offers a bunch of affiliate-only specials, including free shipping on most products and worldwide shipping to 250 countries. Seeing as the UN only recognizes 195 countries, that’s pretty impressive. You’ll also get access to a large selection of banner ads, buttons, and text links.

URL: Adorama affiliate program
Commission rate: 2%
Cookie duration: 30 days

5 GoPro

GoPro is the world’s most recognizable action camera brand, with the company shipping about 2.8 million units in 2020 alone. As well as cameras, GoPro sells a wide range of photography accessories, including mounts, batteries, lighting, and backpacks.

The brand is synonymous with extreme sports. If you’ve ever seen a video of someone surfing, scuba diving, or jumping off a mountain, there’s a good chance the footage was captured on a GoPro. So if that market aligns with your audience, this is a great photography affiliate program to be part of.

While a commission rate of 5% doesn’t exactly set the pulse racing, GoPro’s products are relatively expensive, with cameras starting at about $280 – so there’s plenty of scopes to earn money here. One word of caution, though. GoPro runs 10 separate photography affiliate programs, each targeting a different country, so if your audience spans multiple locations, you’ll need to sign up for each one.

URL: GoPro affiliate program
Commission rate: 5%
Cookie duration: 30 days

6 DJI

DJI specializes in making drones for photography and videography. It’s by far the biggest player in the consumer drone niche, with a whopping 77% share of the US market.

So if your customers absolutely insist on capturing pictures and video from hundreds of meters above ground level, this is definitely one of the best photography affiliate programs for you. As well as drones, DJI makes a variety of highly portable high-end cameras, and even its own GoPro-rivalling action camera.

Sign up for the DJI photography affiliate program, and you can earn money on sales to over 46 countries, with an average commission of $30 per sale. The only potential stumbling block is that, at time of writing, DJI’s affiliate program was “temporarily suspended” for system maintenance and updates, meaning you can’t currently register.

URL: DJI affiliate program
Commission rate: 5%
Cookie duration: 30 days

7 Capture One

Capture One is another photo editing software brand. While it’s not as well-known as Adobe’s PhotoShop, it’s still very much a “big deal”, with a packed feature set that allows photographers to connect their cameras and shoot photos directly to Capture One, and organize them on the go.

There’s a lot to like about Capture One’s photography affiliate program. Firstly, for every referral who buys its photography software within 40 days, you earn up to 30% commission.

What’s more, unlike any other photography affiliate programs we’ve seen, you can earn money without driving sales. That’s right – every time one of your referrals signs up to a free 30-day trial, you make $1! With such attractive terms, it’s no surprise Capture One’s top affiliate program partners earn an average of $85,000 a year.

URL: Capture One affiliate program
Commission rate: Up to 30%
Cookie duration: 40 days

8 Skylum (Luminar)

Skylum is the brainchild behind the Aurora HDR and Luminar photo editing software products. With a 4.6-star rating on Trustpilot from more than 2,500 reviews, it’s got a fantastic reputation, which makes it a comparatively easy sell.

Skylum has paid over $10.5 million in commissions to date, with the most active members of its affiliate program earning more than $100,000 a year, so it’s definitely in your interest to sell its photography software!

The base commission rate of 20% is pretty generous, and the 90-day cookie life is excellent, giving you every chance to earn passive income from the referrals you generate.

URL: Skylum affiliate program
Commission rate: 20% base rate
Cookie duration: 90 days

9 KEH Camera

KEH Camera offers something different for affiliates to promote – pre-owned cameras and photography equipment. Photography can be an expensive hobby to get into, so being able to buy “used” equipment can save you a lot of money.

And KEH has helped over 1.5 million enthusiasts and professionals save up to 40% off regular retail prices. As of right now, it’s also the world’s largest online store of its type. This makes it an ideal program to feature on any type of photography, craft or imagery-related site.

The margins are much higher on pre-owned equipment vs. new equipment, so that means you get a 4% commission on sales instead of the 2% you get with other programs. KEH Camera is also a top performer on ShareASale, and the average order size of over $400 means you can expect to make about $16 for every customer you refer to them.

URL: KEH Camera affiliate program
Commission rate: 4% per sale
Cookie duration: 30 days

10 Master Class

If you’ve been on Facebook at any time over the last few years, you’ll be familiar with Master Class – their ads were everywhere for months at a time. For those of you who aren’t, they offer a range of online-only courses taught by experts in a given profession.

So you can learn the art of storytelling from Neil Gaiman, or even how to be an adventure photography pro from Jimmy Chin. Basically, it’s like Udemy, but everyone you learn from is a celebrity and usually at the top of their given field. Master Class is a perfect example of how you can cater to the photography niche but make more money than choosing to only chase physical product sales.

Master Class affiliates get paid 25% on every sale, which averages out to $38 for every customer who signs up for a class. But they also have a bonus structure where you can earn anywhere from an extra $100 to $300 monthly if you can send enough new customers their way. Photographers love learning new techniques, so Master Class should be a relatively easy upsell to your audience.

URL: Master Class affiliate program
Commission rate: 25% per sale
Cookie duration: 30 days

11 Creative Live

Creative Live offers a range of online courses covering everything from communication and time management skills to photography and video classes. But they’re not your typical photography classes because you can learn how to make the most of Adobe Photoshop, or how to set up your lighting, street photography, or even “iPhonegraphy.

Yes, there’s even a course dedicated to people taking photographs solely with their iPhones. We’ve already featured photography lessons in the Master Class affiliate program, but Creative Live covers all the bases from beginners to experts. What’s also different about their program is that Creative Live gives affiliates multiple ways to make money promoting them.

You get 25% on new customer sales, $10 on returning customer transactions, and $1 for every new registration on their site. They’ll even pay you $10 for referring other affiliates to their program.

URL: Creative Live affiliate program
Commission rate: 25% per sale
Cookie duration: 30 days

12 BorrowLenses

Camera gear is pretty expensive. But not everyone is prepared to drop thousands of dollars on all the equipment they need, especially if they only require it for a short period.

For those people, BorrowLenses — a camera rental company — is a dream come true, allowing them to hire all the tools they need for a professional-quality photo or video shoot.

And the BorrowLenses photography affiliate program is pretty dreamy, too, offering commissions of up to 10% per sale. With an average order value of more than $150, there are plenty of scopes to earn money here. Sign up for this affiliate program, and you’ll also get access to a host of deals and coupons, plus BorrowLenses’ extensive gallery of stock images.

URL: BorrowLenses affiliate program
Commission rate: 5% – 10%
Cookie duration: 30 days

13 Think Tank

Think Tank Photo describes itself as “a group of product designers and professional photographers focused on studying how photographers work, and developing inventive new carrying solutions to meet their needs”. Or, in layman’s terms, it makes camera bags (as well as other “carrying solutions” like belts, backpacks, and duffels).

Backpack prices climb as high as $430, so if you’re targeting a premium audience, there’s lots of passive income potential here.

Think Tank’s photography affiliate program pays a commission of 10%, which is pretty solid. Of more interest is the extremely generous 365-day cookie, which is the joint-longest of all the photography affiliate programs we’ve reviewed.

Commissions are paid three times a year – in January, May, and September – by PayPal or check.

URL: Think Tank Photo affiliate program
Commission rate: 10%
Cookie duration: 365 days

14 Peak Design

Peak Design sells a range of camera gear, including bags and photography accessories. The company makes a big deal about how its products are made by fairly paid workers and are 100% carbon neutral, so if your audience appreciates ethical brands, Peak Design could be a great fit.

With a commission rate of 10% and a cookie life of 30 days, Peak Design compares favorably with a lot of the other photography affiliate programs on this list.

There are a couple of important terms and conditions to remember before signing up. Firstly, you’ll need to earn a minimum commission of $100 before you receive a payout. Secondly, those payouts happen on a monthly basis, on or around the 1st of the month – so you’ll (hopefully) never have long to wait to pick up the passive income you’ve earned.

URL: Peak Design affiliate program
Commission rate: 10%
Cookie duration: 30 days

15 Moment

Moment sells a wide range of photo and video equipment, including home and studio gear like lights and cables, as well as selling several photography courses and even the occasional photography trip. Its products span the full breadth of the photography market – a super simple camera can be bought for around the $30 mark, but it also sells super high-end stuff costing thousands of dollars.

Given its wide choice of products and services, Moment’s photography affiliate program pays a range of commissions. Affiliates can earn:

6% – 15% on camera gear
10% on photography courses
$100 on trips

As if that wasn’t enough, when you sign up for this affiliate program, you’ll also receive a $10 discount on your next order.

URL: Moment affiliate program
Commission rate: Up to 15% on gear
Cookie duration: 30 days

16 Canon

Canon is one of the oldest manufacturers of cameras on the planet, with their history dating back to the release of their first 35mm (remember film!?) camera in 1934. Although they were better known for their inkjet and laser printers in the ’80s and ’90s, they’ve now become a force to be reckoned with in the digital camera market.

In fact, they’re the “go-to” source for many newbie photographers who want to own a DSLR that will make them look like a pro.

Your first affiliate advantage in promoting the Canon affiliate program is that, well… they’re Canon. It’s not like trying to promote a relatively unknown brand, but you will have to deal with the competition because their products are so popular.

Again, you can see that the commission rate is low, but there’s a very respectable EPC, and you also get a dedicated affiliate management team to help make the most of Canon’s offerings.

URL: Canon USA affiliate program
Commission rate: 2.5% per sale
Cookie duration: 30 days

17 SmugMug

SmugMug offers a pretty unique proposition to photography enthusiasts. They can use the site to store their images, build a portfolio or website of their own to display their work, and even earn passive income by selling their photos.

Every SmugMug site comes with built-in social media, shopping carts, and a choice of more than 1,200 printable products for clients and fans to purchase.

To get access to all that stuff, they need to sign up for a SmugMug plan, with prices starting at $55 for a year. As a member of SmugMug’s photography affiliate program, you’ll earn a 15% cut of every annual plan you sell.

To help you out, you’ll get a dedicated affiliate management team, and bi-monthly newsletter featuring promos, contests, and sales opportunities. Unfortunately, for legal reasons, this affiliate program isn’t available in the state of Missouri.

URL: SmugMug affiliate program
Commission rate: 15%
Cookie duration: 60 days

18 Expert Photography

As you can probably guess from the name, Expert Photography sells online courses and other training material for aspiring snappers. It sells a range of photography course products, from simple $10 ebooks to $99 video courses.

Here’s where things get exciting. You get to earn a 50% commission on every successful sale to a referred user, which is higher than any of the other affiliate programs on this list.

What’s more, because Expert Photography’s products are so reasonably priced and highly regarded, it has a refund rate of less than 4% – so once you refer a sale, it’s more than likely to stick. Even better, the Expert Photography affiliate program offers a whopping 365-day cookie life. And because it runs retargeting ads, once you send a referral toward a product page, that product will follow them around the internet, making it more likely they’ll convert.

URL: Expert Photography affiliate program
Commission rate: 50%
Cookie duration: 365 days

Read more:

How to Start a Photography Blog

19 Pixpa

Pixpa helps creatives build beautiful photography websites to showcase their work. More than just a magazine-style portfolio builder, it allows users to add a blog, client galleries, and even a commercial platform to their website. Not only that, but Pixa offers a bunch of built-in tools to grow traffic via SEO and social media channels, then convert those visitors into paying customers.

And it does all that stuff through a series of templates, meaning photographers can build a website from scratch without requiring any coding skills.

Photography websites built on Pixpa are hosted by the company’s fully-managed cloud web hosting solution. Prices start at $3 per month when billed annually, while Pixpa also offers a 15-day free trial with no credit card required.

Pixpa’s photography affiliate program pays a 50% share of the first-year revenue from each referred user, which equates to a maximum payout of $144 per referral. Not bad! To help drive those highly valuable referrals, Pixpa gives affiliates access to high-quality marketing materials, such as banner ads to improve your conversion and click-through rates.

URL: Pixpa affiliate program
Commission rate: 50% of first-year revenue
Cookie duration: 30 days

12 Amazon Associates

Amazon is… well, you know what Amazon is. It basically sells everything in the world, and camera gear and accessories are no exception. You’ll find everything from bags, straps, and tripods to cameras themselves from big brands like Canon, Kodak, and Nikon.

That means there are plenty of opportunities to earn money here. Plus, because Amazon is one of the world’s most-trusted brands, you shouldn’t have any trouble convincing people to buy.

But it’s not all good news. Amazon’s affiliate terms are the stingiest of all the photography affiliate programs on this list, with just a 4% commission on camera and photo products, and a measly 24-hour cookie window.

On the flip side, you’ll earn a commission on anything your referrals purchase from Amazon within that time period, giving you a chance of picking up some unexpected passive income.

URL: Amazon Associates affiliate program
Commission rate: 4% for camera & photo category (see other categories)
Cookie duration: 24 hours

Read more:

How to Become an Amazon Affiliate

Conclusion

If you’ve read any of our other roundups on affiliate programs (and you should), you’ll have noticed we do things a little bit differently here at Authority Hacker.

We only ever highlight programs based on their established sales metrics i.e. you make money by promoting them.

But we also feature programs that can put you a step ahead of other affiliates who are still following the same old, wildly inaccurate advice from affiliate marketing “gurus”.

What’s that…you want to take a leap ahead of other affiliates?

Then click on over to our free training session on how to build a profitable authority site, the Authority Hacker way.

After all, what have you got to lose by listening to free advice from two guys who sold an 18-month-old website for a six-figure sum?

Exactly.