Janice said:
Is there any way forward for me with the type of photography I do?
No-one seems to want landscapes, flowers etc.
Is there only money to be made if I take up "people" shots, ie weddings and portraits etc.?
Of course not, but few jobs offer the susbstantial profit that weddings do for the relatively short time invested.
If you really want to make money from photography, then forget specialising in any particular area initially, including flowers or landscapes. Of course retain those passions as your special interest, but you have to become known as a photographer locally, and one who can and will tackle anything. I ran a web site for my weddings and photo restoration stuff, but it brought in very little work compared to word of mouth and getting known in the community. Once you're known and recommended it's surprising how the work can start to pour in.
Stuff you should certainly be doing if you want to make money...
1 Weddings.
2 Christenings etc. I actually did one funeral. No kidding, there's a demand.
3 Portraits including pet prtraits. If you don't have the studio kit for this you can do an excellent job out of doors in most back gardens with fill flash.
4. School photographs. Not easy to break into this, but you have to get along there and ask. BIG money to be made there, but don't forget the school sec will be putting it throught he books.
5. Theatre restaurants and anywhere where people gather together for a night out and might like a shot of the occasion.
6. Kids parties and christmas parties.
7. Any sort of specialised sports or recreational meet where people would love a well taken shot or two.
8. Florists. I had an arrangement with a couple of florists. They often get asked for unusual wreaths in the shape of guitars, yadda yadaa, which involve a lot of work, so they like to have an example shot to show people who enquire about them.
9. Pub menus, rest home brochures, you name it.
I've done all of the above, and other stuff I'm struggling to recall, but if you're serious, then if it involves a camera and making money... just 'kin do it!
Finally don't forget the editing skills you're acquiring. Everyone has dog eared old photos which are slowly disintegrating and which can now mostly be rescued with Photoshop et al. It's tedious and labour intensive work, but there's money to be made there too. The people who the best labs employ have had very basic training in the work, are paid an hourly rate, and are often limited in what they can really tackle. I've done lots of work which labs have turned away.
I seem to pick my camera up these days and think " what the hell am I bothering to go and take photos for.....I just put them on the forum and thats that".
Despondant of Essex. :shake:
" Dear Despondent of Essex"
Actually this is quite interesting. Money apart, if we weren't sharing our pics with someone... no-one was looking at them, what would be the point in taking them? :shrug:
The whole point of this forum is that you're showing the shots to a critical jury of your peers, so if you ask for a critique, then be prepared to listen to the not so welcome bits too. Often we can't see the wood for the trees when we look at our own work. The minute you start asking for money for your stuff, the client will have absolutely no qualms in telling you what's wrong with it!
The short answer is get off your bum Janice and put yourself about, you're more than capable of doing it, but never lose sight of the fact that no matter how much money you make out of photography, the shots you'll treasure are the ones you can take when you slide away to take the ones where you only have to please yourself.
