Any non-driving photographers?

FallOutBoy

FallOutBoy

Messages
115
Name
James
Edit My Images
No
I am very interested in turning semi-pro with my photography and have done a few portrait sessions, family, newborn sessions to build up my portfolio.

However, I don't drive and do not have a car. I have no desire to learn to drive, as I hated it when I tried around 15 years ago.

So far I've walked and used taxis to get to places, which I don't really mind doing, but for example if I wanted to get into wedding photography, I have a feeling that me not driving would be a massive hindrance and asp probably make me look unprofessional? Am I going to have to learn to drive or do you think it's possible to be a non-driving photographer?

Do any other non-driving photographers even exist?!
 
Weddings specifically the only way I could see it working would be too partner up with another photographer or maybe videographer who does drive to create a team to shoot the weddings and of course provide transport, all the other scenarios you mention I see no reason that not driving would be an issue other than adding the cost of taxis into your price could potentially price you above the rest of the market...that said for most other types of photography it could be done from a studio and in that case the client is coming to you so it would matter not if you drove or not
 
Thanks, I was thinking the same thing - I'm not even sure if I want to shoot weddings yet, so I guess I'll second shoot a couple of local ones and do whatever I can to work out if it's something I really want to do or not.. If I happen to love them and want to be a wedding photographer, then maybe I can reconsider learning to drive and get a car..
 
It depends where you are - if you are in london or a similiar metropolis and intend to only work within that city then a car isnt essential ... that said if you start covering weddings in smaller towns or the country it absolutely is as its common for church and reception to be miles apart and both to be inaccesible by public transportn (catching a lift with the brides brother doesnt look proffesional )
 
FallOutBoy said:
I am very interested in turning semi-pro with my photography and have done a few portrait sessions, family, newborn sessions to build up my portfolio.

However, I don't drive and do not have a car. I have no desire to learn to drive, as I hated it when I tried around 15 years ago.

So far I've walked and used taxis to get to places, which I don't really mind doing, but for example if I wanted to get into wedding photography, I have a feeling that me not driving would be a massive hindrance and asp probably make me look unprofessional? Am I going to have to learn to drive or do you think it's possible to be a non-driving photographer?

Do any other non-driving photographers even exist?!
Click to expand...
All depends where, for instance, central London is stupid to try to drive, whereas rural N Yorkshire is impossible without.
 
Your profile says you're in Kent (I'm in SE London, so I know Kent reasonably well), so I would think it might be tricky to cover weddings if the ceremony and reception are in different places without a car. Not to say it's not possible. But to rely on a taxi might not be great, imagine if your taxi doesn't show up or is late and you miss the bridal prep or the ceremony itself because you're relying on someone else.

As you said, it might be a good idea to second shoot a couple of times to see if you really want to go into wedding photography first, then see about the transport issue at that point.
As for the costs, it's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. If you drive, your on-the-day cost will be less, but you'll have to factor in the cost of owning and running the car in the price you charge clients. If you don't drive, your on-the-day cost will be higher than just petrol, but you'll have no car running costs.
Either way you do it, travel costs have to go into your expenses as a 'cost of doing business'.

If you do decide to do weddings, but don't learn to drive, getting a regular shooting partner who can drive is one way around it, or you could find a friend who has a car and pay them to be your taxi.
As it happens, I like second shooting and have a car ;)
 
Of course if you hate driving a car the other optionis a motorbike or scooter - you can ride on L plates once you've passed your initial test if you keep it to 125

on the down side turning up at a wedding in leathers can create a problem , but times i did it i wore smartish black jeans and a leather jacket over my smart shirt which made quick change an option - you have to thin your gear down and not take everything you own but thats not bad practice anyway , parking is easier and you can cut through trafficwhich makes delays less likely - though you do have to be sensible about not turnig up at the church with your tail pipes throbbing (which was more of an issue on my 750cc harley than it will be on a put put )
 
Last edited:
A colleague of mine couldn't get a driving licence because of his sight, which didn't stop him being very successful. His solution was to partner with the wedding car companies and they were very happy to have their drivers ferry him around in return for the extra work he brought in. In fact, one of his specialities were his in-car pictures, during the drive from the bride's house to the church and from the church to the reception.
 
thats certainly an option - travelling with the happy couple from church to reception is also viable, especially if you can arrange to stop off at a beauty spot for some couple shots ... still leaves you needing to get home at the end of the day though (and travelling from the prep to the church with the bride deprives you of the chance to get set up for arival shots etc)
 
When we got married-back in the day- had a horse drawn carriage from church to reception, not much room for a tog.
 
nog said:
When we got married-back in the day- had a horse drawn carriage from church to reception, not much room for a tog.
Click to expand...

stick him on top where the postillion would have sat in the old days
 
FallOutBoy said:
Am I going to have to learn to drive or do you think it's possible to be a non-driving photographer?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's possible to be a non-driving photographer, in the same way that it's possible to be an alcoholic photographer who stinks like an ashtray and looks like a kiddie-fiddler.

Your problem is that you would be entering an already-overcrowded arena with one hand tied behind your back.
 
Being able to drive would mean the ability to carry more/extra gear and cover more remote venues.
You may hate driving but it may become a necessity.
Perhaps it was a bad experience with the instructor?
 
I live in London and if I was limited to just public transport, I'd be a bit stuck.
My last shoot at a family's home is about 4 miles away (west from my home) and even in London, that's a long way by public transport. It would have involved either 2 buses taking over an hour or bus/train/DLR for a 45min journey. Compared to 15-20min in my car.
Public transport rarely goes exactly where you want to go, especially if you have a wedding/shoot in a village church, country club or park.

Have you tried a moped/bike? It might be worth it to see if you prefer that over driving.
It might also be worth have a few trial driving lessons, you might, with the benefit of age and a motivating reason, find it better this time. Also if you were struggling with keeping everything under control before, it might be worth trying lessons in an automatic car so that you're not having to worry about clutch and gear changes.
 
I don't drive, don't know how to turn a car on. To date, I've had to turn down one single job because of it, a relatively low budget event affair in rural wales.

I do however, live in central london, and a large part of my work (advertising and commercial photography and some events) is with larger teams than myself, lots of equipment etc, and in many cases my clients can't or don't drive either. I'm *rather* good at public transport, with taxis or client at the other end - or (and probably the simplest solution for a wedding photographer) - get an assistant who drives.
 
ABTog said:
If you do decide to do weddings, but don't learn to drive, getting a regular shooting partner who can drive is one way around it, or you could find a friend who has a car and pay them to be your taxi.
As it happens, I like second shooting and have a car ;)
Click to expand...

A shooting partner would be good I think - I love using prime lenses and my style of wedding photography would be very photojournalistic/documentary I think, so would be nice to have another shooter who maybe worked with zoom lenses or shot more traditional in style, for example, to give a balance of styles and maybe allow me to concentrate on my own style and using two camera bodies with a couple of nice primes.. Maybe something to think about.
 
FallOutBoy said:
A shooting partner would be good I think - I love using prime lenses and my style of wedding photography would be very photojournalistic/documentary I think, so would be nice to have another shooter who maybe worked with zoom lenses or shot more traditional in style, for example, to give a balance of styles and maybe allow me to concentrate on my own style and using two camera bodies with a couple of nice primes.. Maybe something to think about.
Click to expand...
Reality check.

That's not really how markets work, people book photographers for their style (and personality), they don't book a traditional photographer in the hope he will get a documentary photographer along to help. They book what they want, why would they do otherwise.

And having made that deal, with their photographer, why would the photographer who sealed that deal want to give some of his profits away for something his customers don't want.

That said, to step back a little, it's not 2005 any more, there really isn't a vast number of wedding togs who don't shoot any 'documentary' images. It's the 'norm', I'm not suggesting you haven't got talent that others are missing. But your view of the industry is naive.

You might find someone who needs a 2nd, and that might be enough work for you. The reality is that working as a 2nd is easy money, but the hours don't add up for enough money to live on.
 
Cheers Phil, I agree I am nieve and of course I'm only at the beginning of a huge learning journey, so who probably isn't, at this stage? All I know is I love photography, I love making pictures of people and giving them something beautiful to treasure, in photographic form.

I pretty much know nothing about wedding photography at this moment in time, and I'm looking for ways to change that and to decide if it could be an option for me in the future.

I agree that it's a bit silly to say I could shoot my style and a second shooter could capture something more traditional. I don't really want to be hired for my style and then bring someone else along who shoots very differently to me! Not really sure why I said that, I'm tired lol, I meant more like having two shooters would allow me to concentrate more on what I do, and spend less time swapping lenses haha!
 
itsdavedotnet said:
I don't drive, don't know how to turn a car on. To date, I've had to turn down one single job because of it, a relatively low budget event affair in rural wales.

I do however, live in central london, and a large part of my work (advertising and commercial photography and some events) is with larger teams than myself, lots of equipment etc, and in many cases my clients can't or don't drive either. I'm *rather* good at public transport, with taxis or client at the other end - or (and probably the simplest solution for a wedding photographer) - get an assistant who drives.
Click to expand...
So you are the one with the giant gear-bag knocking over all those tourists on the tube! :D
 
FallOutBoy said:
All I know is I love photography, I love making pictures of people and giving them something beautiful to treasure, in photographic form.
Click to expand...

Which is in itself admirable. However, the next step in your "journey" is to begin to grasp the simple fact that there is a huge gaping chasm between that and a viable business doing what you love. The successful snappers cross it. Most fall down it.

FallOutBoy said:
... having two shooters would allow me to concentrate more on what I do, and spend less time swapping lenses haha!
Click to expand...

Haha indeed. If you're swapping lenses a lot, either you need to get another body or you need to learn to see pictures that will work with the lens you're currently pointing at them. Perhaps both.
 
FallOutBoy said:
Am I going to have to learn to drive or do you think it's possible to be a non-driving photographer?
Click to expand...


Its quite, infact if you're somewhere like London its not even a hindrance. Through use of public transport and uber I drive to about 1 wedding in 3 nowadays
 
its easy enough to get an 'assistant' for free in return for experience (though how much use they are varies dramatically) and many of those people will drive ... however to be able to offer them experience honestly you need to know what you are doing yourself so its no good starting out
 
Serendipitous Sid said:
Which is in itself admirable. However, the next step in your "journey" is to begin to grasp the simple fact that there is a huge gaping chasm between that and a viable business doing what you love. The successful snappers cross it. Most fall down it.



Haha indeed. If you're swapping lenses a lot, either you need to get another body or you need to learn to see pictures that will work with the lens you're currently pointing at them. Perhaps both.
Click to expand...

Wise words, thank you. I realise a lot of photographers give up easily or fail to get the through the difficult times in order to 'make it' as a full time photographer. It is my dream and I am extremely determined, but I'm sure lots of people say that when they first start out haha ;)

I am going to get a second camera body so I can always have 2 primes loaded and ready for the moment, probably 35mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.8 but the new Nikon 105mm 1.4 looks incredible (although way out of my current budget haha!) and I would like a wider-angle lens of some sort, possibly the Tamron 15-30mm 2.8.. So much choice and so much to think about (and spend money I don't have on!)

Thanks everyone for your input
 
big soft moose said:
thats certainly an option - travelling with the happy couple from church to reception is also viable, especially if you can arrange to stop off at a beauty spot for some couple shots ... still leaves you needing to get home at the end of the day though (and travelling from the prep to the church with the bride deprives you of the chance to get set up for arival shots etc)
Click to expand...

I sometimes travel with B&G from ceremony for photos if not far. Past two days that was a very short distance (would have been 10 mins walking) - yesterday I ended up in a Rolls that used to belong to Simon Cowell and today the main bridal car had no front passenger seat, only driver and back seat so the other car took me and I got an Imperial all to myself.

If I do a city wedding I don't take the car as don't want to lug my gear from car parks so I get a lift/taxi. When you get enquiries just check where their wedding is, public transport options and reply with availability only if it's somewhere you can get to. Or hire an assistant who drives.
 
FallOutBoy said:
Wise words, thank you. I realise a lot of photographers give up easily or fail to get the through the difficult times in order to 'make it' as a full time photographer. It is my dream and I am extremely determined, but I'm sure lots of people say that when they first start out haha ;)
Click to expand...
Most don't fail for lack of trying or artistic skill. I recon they fail for lack of skill in (online and social media) advertising, pricing and networking. So if it is really your dream, I would recommend starting off as a weekend warrior and learning how to advertise.
 
Serendipitous Sid said:
Yes, it's possible to be a non-driving photographer, in the same way that it's possible to be an alcoholic photographer who stinks like an ashtray and looks like a kiddie-fiddler.

Your problem is that you would be entering an already-overcrowded arena with one hand tied behind your back.
Click to expand...

This. It is possible to do anything but why make things harder than they need to
 
Get a vintage vespa or lambretta could come in handy as a prop too.

Am I right in thinking you can drive one with a provisional?
 
rjbell said:
Get a vintage vespa or lambretta could come in handy as a prop too.

Am I right in thinking you can drive one with a provisional?
Click to expand...

Funnily enough my other half and I were discussing getting a little retro Vespa or something and sharing it, as she doesn't drive either! Like you say, it might be a nice prop too!

No I don't have a provisional, I haven't had one since I took lessons years ago, it expired and I had no interest in getting another haha!
 
FallOutBoy said:
Funnily enough my other half and I were discussing getting a little retro Vespa or something and sharing it, as she doesn't drive either! Like you say, it might be a nice prop too!

No I don't have a provisional, I haven't had one since I took lessons years ago, it expired and I had no interest in getting another haha!
Click to expand...
Pass your CBT and slap some L plates on it. But don't buy a scooter. Kit wise you're going to be restricted as to what you take as you wouldn't want anything bigger than a medium sized camera rucksack on one of those spluttering contraptions, and scooters have the worst reliability. I'd steer well clear of a Vespa or any kind of scooter personally. You need reliable transport, that's key. You cant miss key parts of the day, your reputation would be in the sh**ter from the get go and you could find yourself in an unsavoury legal situation!
 
Last edited:
Personally I couldnt work without a car. For London shoots yes I try and keep to public transport but its a hassle to try carrying kit around on tubes etc and for jobs anywhere else I wouldn't even consider them if I don't have transport. I do probably around 25-30k miles a year just travelling to jobs!

That said, you don't necessarily need to have your own car - you can just hire a car for shoot days where you need it. I think therefore its definately worth at least getting your license.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top