$70,000 in 6 Months with Aura Photography - Side Hustle Nation

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      Imagine earning $5,000 in just one weekend by taking colorful portraits that make individuals feel recognized and valued. This year, Summer Ray launched an aura photography business, creating visuals that represent a person's energy field and charges $44 per session. Through her website, somalumin.com, Summer has generated $70,000 in just six months while maintaining her full-time job.

      If you're unfamiliar with aura photography, that's perfectly fine. However, regardless of your belief in energy fields, Summer's strategic method for establishing her business provides useful insights for any event-based side hustle.

      Tune into Episode 707 of the Side Hustle Show to discover:

      - How collaborations with local businesses led to immediate customer inflow

      - The factors that motivate customers to pay $44 for a brief experience

      - Innovative ways to convert a weekend into $5,000 in earnings

      (Learn more about the Soma Lumin Guide program — use promo code HUSTLE for a $100 discount!)

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      How Summer Launched Her Aura Photography Business

      Summer didn’t require lengthy and expensive certification or a substantial initial investment to start her business. She adopted a straightforward approach that any service-oriented business could emulate.

      She contacted local boutiques, retailers, and metaphysical shops to offer her services. Some allowed her to set up for free as they were excited to introduce a new service on a Saturday, while others charged a flat fee of $50 to $70 for a few hours in the store.

      The beauty of this model is that it worked financially from the outset. If Summer only captured two photos at $44 each throughout the day, she would cover the booth fee and start making a profit.

      During her first pop-up event, Summer took approximately 30 photos, and the next event drew around 50 sessions. She anticipated spending months establishing social proof and explaining how aura photography functioned, yet people were immediately intrigued and willing to pay.

      Each session costs her around $1.50 to $2 in materials. She prints the photos on Polaroids, which she attaches to postcards printed at Staples. The high profit margins granted her the ability to sometimes offer sliding scale pricing for college students or others needing assistance.

      What Is Aura Photography?

      Aura photography has been around since the 1960s or '70s, based on the concept of capturing electromagnetic frequencies on camera. Traditional aura cameras range from $7,000 to $20,000, and no new models have been manufactured since the 1990s.

      This situation created two challenges for traditional aura photographers. First, the old technology cannot be repaired if something goes wrong. Second, some photographers went out of business when their cameras broke down and were unable to afford replacements.

      Summer recognized an opportunity and developed her own modern version. She created custom software in Python that employs biometric sensors placed on individuals' hands to track the speed of electrical energy flowing through the body.

      The process produces a 20-second video showcasing the person's energetic field in motion. Summer and the client watch the video together, discussing the meanings of the colors and movements before selecting a frame that looks great and has vibrant colors. That chosen frame is printed as their takeaway Polaroid.

      Her unique element is the video aspect, which older cameras cannot offer. Each session lasts about 10 minutes, in contrast to the 20-30 minutes required by traditional cameras that need time for Polaroids to develop.

      The True Product: Connection and Experience

      Early on, Summer realized she was not merely selling a photo; she was offering an experience that influenced how individuals perceive themselves.

      More than half of those who participate in sessions express negative feelings before starting. Comments such as “You’re gonna see the devil on my shoulder,” “It’s gonna be black,” or “I’m gonna break your camera,” are common.

      Then Summer reveals their photo,