Google is offering photographers who own 360 cameras an opportunity to make some additional cash, but is anyone actually earning as a Google Street View Trusted Photographer?
Here’s the concept: You go into a place of business (a bar or restaurant, for example). You take some 360-degree photos and create virtual tours that improve that business’s visibility on Google. You make money. They make money. Everyone’s happy. Right?
Earning a Google Street View Badge
Slow down. It’s not quite that simple. First, you need to earn a Google Street View badge. To do that, you need to publish 50 360-degree photos via Google’s Street View app. This could take a month or more. Take a lot of them, one meter apart, so Google can connect them, kind of like an interior version of Street View. Make sure they conform to Google’s guidelines.
Soon after you hit 50 qualified images, Google will send you an email and you’ll be invited to become a Trusted Pro. Fill out some forms, turn on an “Available For Hire” option, and wait for approval. Once approved, you can display the Trusted Badge and will have access to sales resources for pro photographers and agencies.
Keep in mind, Google won’t pay you for your photographs. However, once you’ve achieved Trusted Pro status, they’ll provide you with marketing tools so you can try to sell 360 photo services to local businesses. If a local business requests a 360 photographer from Google, they’ll send you a paid lead. So you still have to sell your service to that business and that business will pay you.
Benefits of Google Street View Images
“Get more customers through the door with stunning images of your business on Google Maps,” Google notes. “Work with a Street View professional to create your own immersive virtual tour, or get Street View-compatible gear to capture imagery yourself.”
Google tries to connect businesses with the photographer or agency that the business would then hire to do the work. The ownership and control over the images are determined pretty much the same way other photographic assignments are determined: Through negotiation and agreement between the photographer and the local business. Get copyright and ownership in writing in advance.
Google Trusted Photographer: What Else You Need to Know
So, once you’ve gone through all of the above, can you make money as a Google Trusted Photographer? It seems like you can. As with any business venture, it takes hard work, consistency, and connections.
