Most event photographers in Kenya are paid once, by the client who booked them, and then give the rest of the photos away. Every guest at a wedding, graduation or corporate event would happily pay for good photos of themselves. The problem has always been getting the right photos to the right person and actually collecting the money.
Why selling to guests usually fails
You know how it goes: a WhatsApp group of 200 people, a Google Drive link, a week of "can you send mine again?", and chasing individuals for KES 500 each. Most never pay. The photos end up compressed in someone's status, with no credit to you.
The fix is to remove every step between a guest wanting a photo and paying for it.
The model: upload once, every guest is a customer
- Cover the event as you normally would. Your booking fee from the client stays the same. Guest sales are extra income on top.
- Upload the event to PicsZako and set your prices: per event, per album, or per photo.
- Share one link or QR code. Put the QR code on a table card or in the programme, or have the host forward the link in the event WhatsApp group.
- Guests find themselves with a selfie, see watermarked previews, and pay by M-Pesa on the spot.
- You keep 75% of every sale. Money clears in three days and goes to your M-Pesa.
What it can add up to
Take an example (yours will vary): you sell photos at KES 750 each, and you keep KES 562 of every sale. If 40 guests at a wedding each buy two photos, that is 80 sales and about KES 45,000 to you, from photos you would otherwise have given away. Do that every weekend of the season and guest sales can match or beat your booking fees.
Tips that increase sales
- Announce it at the event. A QR card on every table works far better than a link sent days later. People buy while the excitement is fresh.
- Upload fast. The same evening or the next morning is ideal. Sales drop the longer guests wait.
- Shoot the guests, not just the couple. Table rounds, group photos and candid dance-floor shots are what guests buy.
- Brand your gallery. Add your studio name, logo and colour, so every guest sees your work and remembers who to book next.
- Price sensibly. See our pricing guide for event photos.
What it costs you
Nothing up front. There is no monthly fee, no listing fee and no storage charge. PicsZako only takes 25% when a photo sells. Create a free account and try it on your next event.
Sell your next event on PicsZako.
No monthly fee. You keep 75%. Create your free account.