Switching career fields to photographer
- Thread starter ram_man
- Start date
- Status
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
I wouldn't pay a dollar for that image but YMMV.
OP, read what tgrudzin wrote, 3 times. He's right, it's not all artistic, you also have to have the technical knowledge to get the shot someone will pay good money for in any lighting condition. It's better to get the shot right in the camera than spend time fixing it on the computer.
Our specialty was team photography, Little League, Soccer League, etc. We (wife and I) were good at it, put in long hours, made a living. When we quit we were the top dog in our area, it took years of hard work to get there. I miss the kids but not the hard work, or the parents.
OP, read what tgrudzin wrote, 3 times. He's right, it's not all artistic, you also have to have the technical knowledge to get the shot someone will pay good money for in any lighting condition. It's better to get the shot right in the camera than spend time fixing it on the computer.
Our specialty was team photography, Little League, Soccer League, etc. We (wife and I) were good at it, put in long hours, made a living. When we quit we were the top dog in our area, it took years of hard work to get there. I miss the kids but not the hard work, or the parents.
Originally Posted By: Alfred_B
The money is in the wedding/event photography. But you need to find a niche for unique and highly sought after work like this...
Nothing unique about this. It just requires "Adobe Photoshop" or software like it.
I bet there are plenty of ten year olds that could recreate that picture on their computer.
The money is in the wedding/event photography. But you need to find a niche for unique and highly sought after work like this...
Nothing unique about this. It just requires "Adobe Photoshop" or software like it.
I bet there are plenty of ten year olds that could recreate that picture on their computer.
Ten yr old would add naughty appendage in lieu of swan's neck.
And that boys and girls is photography in a nutshell circa 2017. Digital came, clients dumbed down business. Pro gear is within every mouthbreather's reach with credit card. They will undercut you every time.
Major cities are where higher pay is. Make sure u move there. Gigs pay a tenth of what they used to on higher end. The business has always been about cultivating relationships with paying clients. The photos are secondary to the job. Give them good work and never compete on price. U will go bankrupt.
Lower end always paid nothing. Wedding photogs are a dime/dozen. A surprising amount deliver shoddy work and never on time. They're learning on the job. If u can work quality word of mouth will pay the bills. U work every weekend though if u get lucky.
Everybody takes good pictures. Did you take good pictures in the days of film? If not you are automaton, not craftsman. Even today schools teach film.
And that boys and girls is photography in a nutshell circa 2017. Digital came, clients dumbed down business. Pro gear is within every mouthbreather's reach with credit card. They will undercut you every time.
Major cities are where higher pay is. Make sure u move there. Gigs pay a tenth of what they used to on higher end. The business has always been about cultivating relationships with paying clients. The photos are secondary to the job. Give them good work and never compete on price. U will go bankrupt.
Lower end always paid nothing. Wedding photogs are a dime/dozen. A surprising amount deliver shoddy work and never on time. They're learning on the job. If u can work quality word of mouth will pay the bills. U work every weekend though if u get lucky.
Everybody takes good pictures. Did you take good pictures in the days of film? If not you are automaton, not craftsman. Even today schools teach film.
I majored in art/ photography and am now a marine mechanic after almost two decades stagnating in TV, a dying industry, like newspapers. TV even now has "backpack reporters" who do their own videography/ editing, which used to be done by a 2nd person. (A third person used to do sound and lug 3/4-inch U-matic tape decks in the 70s.) Microwave live trucks are being replaced with gizmos that grab four or six 4G cell phone data lines. It's a trope but success in TV is measured by the size of your U-haul; you have to start in a market in timbuktu (market #150) then work your way through cities #80 and 40, etc.
It was a pretty stupid degree to get but I ran into it straight out of high school and didn't know any better.
"Picture people" at the mall is hiring. If you're 20-something your friends will know you're a "photographer" (of sorts) and pay you $100 to do their weddings. If you're really cunning you can moonlight for the customers that come into "Picture People" but they'll can you if they catch you.
They pay attention to the venue, caterer, honeymoon, and dress, then cheap out on the DJ, photographer, and tuxedo. And when you're the photographer they'll ask you at the last second to do video, too. You'll shoot a telephoto video of the ceremony from the other end of the church, with the built-in mike on the camera, won't hear the priest, will hear people coughing in the audience.
Cameras are so automated now the technical skill is gone. You have to be REALLY good at people skills, herding 20 family members for the big shots. Pro tip, start with everyone, and dismiss the distant relatives until you're left with the bride & her parents, and same with the groom.
It was a pretty stupid degree to get but I ran into it straight out of high school and didn't know any better.
"Picture people" at the mall is hiring. If you're 20-something your friends will know you're a "photographer" (of sorts) and pay you $100 to do their weddings. If you're really cunning you can moonlight for the customers that come into "Picture People" but they'll can you if they catch you.
They pay attention to the venue, caterer, honeymoon, and dress, then cheap out on the DJ, photographer, and tuxedo. And when you're the photographer they'll ask you at the last second to do video, too. You'll shoot a telephoto video of the ceremony from the other end of the church, with the built-in mike on the camera, won't hear the priest, will hear people coughing in the audience.
Cameras are so automated now the technical skill is gone. You have to be REALLY good at people skills, herding 20 family members for the big shots. Pro tip, start with everyone, and dismiss the distant relatives until you're left with the bride & her parents, and same with the groom.
Stay at your current job and do photography as a hobby until you get good at it and can start freelancing on the side for extra money.
I was a studio photographer for major educational publisher at one time. Unfortunately, just about every photographer and photographers assistant I knew had to change careers or retire. The work just wasn't there anymore once digital photography and the internet took over.
One of them became a newspaper photographer for a while, they worked her to death and she had to leave after two years, shortly afterward they laid off all the photographers except one.
The only guy I know still in the field is a wedding photographer and business is pretty much flat although his prices are up.
His wife was also a photographer and went back to school to become an RN. So her job covers their health insurance which would be a huge expense otherwise
One of them became a newspaper photographer for a while, they worked her to death and she had to leave after two years, shortly afterward they laid off all the photographers except one.
The only guy I know still in the field is a wedding photographer and business is pretty much flat although his prices are up.
His wife was also a photographer and went back to school to become an RN. So her job covers their health insurance which would be a huge expense otherwise
agree photography isnt about the technical skill as much as the business skill.
You need to know how to run a small entrepreneurial business. How to be a salesman and how to get clients
if you just want to be a photographer then this is a hobby and not a business, you get your name out to as many real studios as you can and help work the gigs.
You need to know how to run a small entrepreneurial business. How to be a salesman and how to get clients
if you just want to be a photographer then this is a hobby and not a business, you get your name out to as many real studios as you can and help work the gigs.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
OP, hopefully it's obvious to you from those who know something about the business and those who have opinions about it that you just don't buy a fancy camera and make a living as a photographer. Because you've "always enjoyed taking pictures" isn't much to build a business on...
I have a cousin who use to have his own photography shop. I remember when it was a big deal for him to purchase a 10 megapixel camera and a computer with enough memory to store those photos. Now days you can walk into Wall-Mart and buy an 11 megapixel or more camera for a couple of hundred dollars.
My cousins photography shop folded. Not enough customers anymore and way too many amateur photographers now days with cameras with enough resolution to do a nice job.
Professional photography is a dying business, and not something one should consider as a means to make a living.
My cousins photography shop folded. Not enough customers anymore and way too many amateur photographers now days with cameras with enough resolution to do a nice job.
Professional photography is a dying business, and not something one should consider as a means to make a living.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Megapixels don't equal good photos. 15 years ago hobbyist photographers were on equal footing with pros film-wise. When digital was just spooling up decent quality sophisticated film cameras could be bought very reasonably. Digital changed the image business from top to bottom with the big loser being print photographs. Looking at an image on someone's phone just isn't the same as looking at a wet process paper print, but they're extinct. Simply put, digital taught people to accept low quality images.
Jim, we were in the photo biz for almost 20 years to your northeast, in DuBois, before we came out here. It was good until it went bad. Go Pens!
Jim, we were in the photo biz for almost 20 years to your northeast, in DuBois, before we came out here. It was good until it went bad. Go Pens!
Lots of good advice here. Photography as a hobby has been in my family for several decades now. We all have the bug. I have boxes & boxes of slides the old man & a great Aunt took. Also had lots of Super8 home movies.
I made an intensive study of it due to my nature. Read everything I could get my hands on then studied lots of books on composition, exposure, framing, tricky light...all on film. I enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Back in the mid-80's I did get a sunset shot of mine displayed on a local weather cast + the photo credit. That was a kick! I'd always wanted to get a least ONE photo published. That was the first.
I did get paid for many more by writing articles & taking my own pictures. This meant quality darkroom work developing & printing for reproduction my own B&W film. But the way my photos were published is because I wrote text. The editor needed both. So I set up a portable studio indoors, bought umbrellas and borrowed prof. flashes. Learned to bounce/fill light very evenly.
I did succeed in getting an entire cover in color once. The editor said it would take an outstanding photo to get this. So I challenged myself and pulled it off.
So I got lucky several times and had a good run. But I wasn't putting food on the table. Other income did that. I was "paying my dues". But I found a technical niche, and wound up getting paid to both write & photograph.
So you have to find a niche. Never fish on the crowded end of a public pier..or the same pier. Go get a boat instead and fish where they can't. And use different bait....
I also did some video work, mostly documentaries way back when, when Hi8 first became rentable. Edited it on an analog deck. Took hours and hours. Crude but effective. Eventually bought a Sony Hi8 camcorder, a fluid head and practiced. But I didn't depend on it to eat AND I didn't have a family to take care of either!
I made an intensive study of it due to my nature. Read everything I could get my hands on then studied lots of books on composition, exposure, framing, tricky light...all on film. I enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Back in the mid-80's I did get a sunset shot of mine displayed on a local weather cast + the photo credit. That was a kick! I'd always wanted to get a least ONE photo published. That was the first.
I did get paid for many more by writing articles & taking my own pictures. This meant quality darkroom work developing & printing for reproduction my own B&W film. But the way my photos were published is because I wrote text. The editor needed both. So I set up a portable studio indoors, bought umbrellas and borrowed prof. flashes. Learned to bounce/fill light very evenly.
I did succeed in getting an entire cover in color once. The editor said it would take an outstanding photo to get this. So I challenged myself and pulled it off.
So I got lucky several times and had a good run. But I wasn't putting food on the table. Other income did that. I was "paying my dues". But I found a technical niche, and wound up getting paid to both write & photograph.
So you have to find a niche. Never fish on the crowded end of a public pier..or the same pier. Go get a boat instead and fish where they can't. And use different bait....
I also did some video work, mostly documentaries way back when, when Hi8 first became rentable. Edited it on an analog deck. Took hours and hours. Crude but effective. Eventually bought a Sony Hi8 camcorder, a fluid head and practiced. But I didn't depend on it to eat AND I didn't have a family to take care of either!
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Good story sleddriver. I (was) a 2nd gen photographer, my mom was a photographer/writer for a newspaper. In our blood I guess. The paying your dues part is what's missing from the equation today it seems.
OP seems very quiet...
OP seems very quiet...
Originally Posted By: AZjeff
OP seems very quiet...
That's because he's going through that phase again.
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4186162/1
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3459988/1
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4383791/1
OP seems very quiet...
That's because he's going through that phase again.
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4186162/1
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3459988/1
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4383791/1
KrisZ,
Lots of people like him are in a similar situation looking for a career like actually enjoy doing.
Lots of people like him are in a similar situation looking for a career like actually enjoy doing.
Many community colleges offer a free service that helps you match your characteristics (i.e.- academic/social/emotional intelligence) to careers fields that would be a good fit for you. I have no idea how effective they are, but at least it is a place to start.
Google "Career Aptitude Test" and there seems to be online resources too.
I wish you the best RamMan with your search.
Google "Career Aptitude Test" and there seems to be online resources too.
I wish you the best RamMan with your search.
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
KrisZ,
Lots of people like him are in a similar situation looking for a career like actually enjoy doing.
Nothing wrong with that, but for a man that also has to support his family, a more focused, skill/education level oriented approach has to be taken. Keeping his head in the clouds and dreaming up all these great careers is not going to cut it.
KrisZ,
Lots of people like him are in a similar situation looking for a career like actually enjoy doing.
Nothing wrong with that, but for a man that also has to support his family, a more focused, skill/education level oriented approach has to be taken. Keeping his head in the clouds and dreaming up all these great careers is not going to cut it.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
KrisZ,
Lots of people like him are in a similar situation looking for a career like actually enjoy doing.
Nothing wrong with that, but for a man that also has to support his family, a more focused, skill/education level oriented approach has to be taken. Keeping his head in the clouds and dreaming up all these great careers is not going to cut it.
I concur. Photography (professional or otherwise) is a very competitive field and one does not simply decide to be succesful.
You'll need a firm technical understanding of various equipment, processes, and software. You will also need several tens of thousands of dollars in equipment, a studio, and a steady stream of clients.
Even with all of the above, you will still fail without talent. If you don't currently have anything but an iPhone and an "I like to take photos" attitude, you are YEARS away from being a successful photographer.
You can start a small side business to determine your skill level and slowly gather your equipment.
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
KrisZ,
Lots of people like him are in a similar situation looking for a career like actually enjoy doing.
Nothing wrong with that, but for a man that also has to support his family, a more focused, skill/education level oriented approach has to be taken. Keeping his head in the clouds and dreaming up all these great careers is not going to cut it.
I concur. Photography (professional or otherwise) is a very competitive field and one does not simply decide to be succesful.
You'll need a firm technical understanding of various equipment, processes, and software. You will also need several tens of thousands of dollars in equipment, a studio, and a steady stream of clients.
Even with all of the above, you will still fail without talent. If you don't currently have anything but an iPhone and an "I like to take photos" attitude, you are YEARS away from being a successful photographer.
You can start a small side business to determine your skill level and slowly gather your equipment.
The OP was so poorly written that if I were considering hiring a PROFESSIONAL photographer, and received a correspondence that bad, that person would be immediately eliminated from consideration. Ram-man, I feel for you but you really need to find a direction and focus. This field isn't for you. What happened to the great job at the auto parts place(s)? All the promises of promotion and opportunity?
- Status
Similar threads
