Ways to make money

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Watersedge

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Ian
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Im interested to know how many ways you can make money in photography not including the usual weddings portraits.
 
Sell your services and/or sell your product.

Now if you want to know where or how to do so then that is a whole other question and requires a lot more information from you.
 
Portraits
Pets
schools
sports teams
estate agents
greeting cards
postcards
 
Add to the above.
Commercial
Travel
Newspapers
Magazines
Industrial
Medical
SOCO
Teaching


It's a bit like asking what jobs there are in the motor industry. Or any other industry tbh. It's a little naive to expect someone else to know which one of these might be interesting to you or which fit your knowledge/experience.
 
One that is part of newspaper/magazine is become a pap!
 
I did think of estate agents but they do there own photos....
 
Watersedge said:
I did think of estate agents but they do there own photos....
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Certainly true of your high street estate agents but those specialising in the sale of high value properties or commercial properties often use photographers. To be successful at this you are going to need some seriously good wide angle lenses and portable lighting ... and know how to use it :)
 
Bristolian said:
Certainly true of your high street estate agents but those specialising in the sale of high value properties or commercial properties often use photographers. To be successful at this you are going to need some seriously good wide angle lenses and portable lighting ... and know how to use it :)
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One Estate Agents my friend worked for often commissioned an artist to draw and paint a picture of expensive properties too!
 
Watersedge said:
Ok so how amd where could you sell my services
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I would not try and try and sell your services without knowing a heck of a lot more than two one line quesitons tells me.

Think about it for just a moment though.
How many companies in the UK/Europe/World.
How many of them use photographs in their own internal materials or for advertising.
Or how many papers and magazines are there in the world, how many photographs are used in them?
Or
How many people are getting married, christened or having parties or events etc and want photographs.

or
how many shops sell postcards, posters, prints etc


How you approach the hundreds/thousands of different markets depends on what you have to sell and what your skills are both in photography and business.
 
Im learning to use my gear effectively before i approach anything like weddings etc. Maybe cards or selling pics to see if i get some inteeest and my qork is of good quality
 
Watersedge said:
Im learning to use my gear effectively before i approach anything like weddings etc.
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O rly

so why does it say this on your website

I will cover wedding's, partie's, christening's, property portfolio's and fayre's
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I have an enourmous sense of de ja vu (and incidentally none of those words should have apostrophes)
 
Watersedge said:
Im learning to use my gear effectively before i approach anything like weddings etc. Maybe cards or selling pics to see if i get some inteeest and my qork is of good quality
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So you think selling to greetings cards mfrs will mean you can sell wedding pictures?:wacky:

It doesn't work like that, seriously stop looking at the end game and concentrate on the basics, we've been here before. Just enjoy learning to use the gear - when you've done that, if you still really want to; learn about running a business - then you're good to go.

Honestly in the time since the last episode - you could have learned everything you needed to know and got some bookings under your belt. I've seen wedding photographers go from nothing to a dozen booked weddings in the same amount of time (all better businessmen than me). But they all acted upon the advice they were given. Rather than going away and licking their wounds before coming back for round two.

Post photo's on here for critique if you want to know if your work is any good.
 
Watersedge said:
Im interested to know how many ways you can make money in photography not including the usual weddings portraits.
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Have you learnt to use your camera yet?

If not, refer to the several threads that you started four months ago.
 
a few weeks ago he was asking what the AF button does, so my suspicion is that he may not be 'quite' ready for any type of proffesional photography.
 
I no *** you mean but it isnt as if you can learn this stuff from a book I have a friend who is a wedding photographer who i can shadow when he has bookings. Besides that im just generally learning to get good compositions and to get sharp photos. I havnt used the web site for a while and it isnt with any search engines either. I just need to imorove on my photos then learn photoshop and lightroom for processing the photos. Im not mad enough to take on weddings before im confident in these areas first.
 
Im unceetain if weddings are the best way forward.....thats why im looking at other areas in photography first to i think i have gained enough experience
 
but until you can shoot and post process confidenty and competently , you arent ready for any kind of proffesional photography, and you can learn this stuff from books (ans magazines, and forums and practice) - you can't however learn it by making a random selection of one line posts and not listening to anything you are told

you really need to start taking some of the advice you are given on board ,and stop trying to run before you can walk.

(and incidentally if you really want to do weddings and portraits , why the **** are you trying to buy a 55-200 ? )
 
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Watersedge said:
.... i think i have gained enough experience
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From the stage that you were at a few weeks ago, if you ate, drank, slept and breathed photography every day then you might, just might, be ready to charge people legitimately to produce results in 18-24 months.
 
first step - post some photos for critque and listen to what you are toldabout them (I'm assuming you actually have some photos other than the solitary shot on your site)
 
I do have some photos. Ill post one up here and see what u think. Jow do i post photos on this forum
 
I know we've all got to start somewhere, but I get the sense that you're trying to sell pictures before you've mastered taking them. Spend some time learning the art and the technique - forget about gear for now. Learn how light works, about composition, colours etc - as well as some theory.

On a separate point, I see from his website that Ian a member of the SWPP - this goes to show what a shallow organisation the SWPP is and how meaningless their logo is. IMHO, of course.
 
Watersedge said:
Im unceetain if weddings are the best way forward.....thats why im looking at other areas in photography first to i think i have gained enough experience
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Then I suggest taking down your web page which indicates you can provide 'excellent images' for weddings? :thinking:

Running before you can crawl is bad enough, but doing it at a wedding? dangerous IMHO.

There is promise in some of your portrait work but clearly there is a need to build on composition and understanding of lighting and shadows....
 
I think most people know that simply paying £99 to join SWPP is not an indication of anything. It merely shows you paid £99 to join a Society. What you get out of it is very much down to you.

My dad paid for me to join the RSPB when I was a kid. I didn't do anything with it, and I am therefore not an ornatholagist.
 
Is there any recommendation reading on understanding lighting.
 
Ian, I would really recommend a course - possibly a nightschool course at your local college - which would teach you the basics in the way a book probably couldn't. 'A' Levels, BTECs, vocational courses etc would all help in training you in the art of 'seeing', as well as how light works and so on.

Most weeks I get half a dozen CVs from people who want to be photographers - and a surprising number don't have a decent portfolio. Not only will a course teach you the essential basics, it will help you develop a style and ultimately a portfolio that shows what you can do. If you're selling, say, wedding photography, you need to prove that you've done it before and that you've done it well. This industry is awash with people who are going into this profession (and yes, it is a profession) half-heartedly with little skill but a big bag full of shiny new kit. A quick Google search of portrait & wedding photographers in my home town makes my heart sink - not just the sheer number of them but also the quality of their work.

Now, I'm not saying a course is the 'be all and end all', but it will at least start you off on the right path.

Good luck
 
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Thats full time aimed at youngsters so how do i attend that whilst working. I need practicle advice. The course would have to be part time city and guilds or btec of which i cant find any locally so less of me wanting it on a plate please. I need serious practicle advise please afrer all you are a professional
 
You didnt mention needing it to be part time

Come to that if you really want to do it , get an evening job - you can do anything if you want it badly enough ... however its far easier to make excuses and wait for someone to do it for you.

that aside it took less than 2 minuites with google to find this - short course , 5 weeks of wednesday evenings, city of bristol college

http://bristol.floodlight.co.uk/bri...termediate/16180339/53085012/course-info.html

I now predict that watersedge will come up with a reason why he can't do wednesdays. :bang:

If you want serious practical advice - get out and take some pictures , post them for critique, and try not to throw all your toys on the floor if people don't like them
 
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Watersedge said:
Thats full time aimed at youngsters so how do i attend that whilst working. I need practicle advice. The course would have to be part time city and guilds or btec of which i cant find any locally so less of me wanting it on a plate please. I need serious practicle advise please afrer all you are a professional
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The thing is, you're aiming your attacks a little oddly here. Not only have all the people offering advice actually done what it is you claim to want to do (so know what they're talking about), but they're all willing to help others too(y).

What we see is a complete lack of drive. I consider myself a lazy sod, but I have managed 3 jobs on occasion to get what I want, I've studied full time and part time, worked for free, and I still sit up all hours reading and learning whatever I can (25 years beyond where you are;)).

We can all sit and ask how? or complain that there's no opportunities, but as I said in a previous post I know photographers who've gone from zero to a dozen weddings booked in a similar amount of time.

It's never been easier - there are distance learning courses, the web is full of tutorials and forums, sites like Flickr, Deviant Art etc are full of great images and guides and people to crib notes from Not to mention here:love:.

The only difficulty with where you're starting from is to structure your learning - you should be like a sponge at this stage soaking up knowledge - instead of being like a lobster putting up your defences and letting nothing past.
 
Daryl said:
Thought the thread was about ways to make money from togging....???? It's more like where to study!!!
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thats cos we've established that the only way ian is likely to make money from togging any time soon is to sell his camera.

we've now moved on to fruitlessly trying to help him learn to use his camera before he tries to make money from photography
 
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