Hi all, starting from somwhere

Mp4

Mp4

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Morning all,

Well I've been going to college for 50 weeks now and have learn't a lot about my camera (Canon 400D)

I know that everyone starts from somewhere.

I want to make this my goal to do it day in day out and gradually fade out my current job in retail.

I've started advertising for myself and said to friends/colleagues about taking photos of babies or modelling work etc.

But i have no idea how much to charge or if i should charge at the moment due to me just being an amateur.

Any advice would be good.

Gareth
 
At what point do you stop being an amateur once you start charging for your work?
Unless you are a very good photographer, can you justify charging anything?
I am playing devils advocate here but from what you have said so far, it doesn't appear that you have done much in the case of research.
I appreciate that we must all start from somewhere but why not take your time, do some unpaid work and build up a decent portfolio?
Just something for you to perhaps consider before you venture into an extremely competitive market.

Andy
 
Thanks for post Keebsuk

At what point do you stop being an amateur once you start charging for your work?


I keep asking myself that a lot! We all have to make a living and i do plan on charging in the future but if people want to pay then i want something set in stone and say (this much)

Unless you are a very good photographer, can you justify charging anything?

Depends what work it is i guess but if its a stunning shot then maybe!?


I am playing devils advocate here but from what you have said so far, it doesn't appear that you have done much in the case of research.

^ Correct its mostly wedding photographers in my area a few of em have studios etc.

I appreciate that we must all start from somewhere but why not take your time, do some unpaid work and build up a decent portfolio?

I do plan on doing this for a while but also their is only so much you can take of the same person (gf/wife/pets) etc and wont gain any experiences with other people and their qwerks.

Just something for you to perhaps consider before you venture into an extremely competitive market.
 
i can see where you are coming from gareth, i'm in a similar position with wanting to move into a semi-pro capacity with my photography.

i've recently set up a facebook page for my photography to keep it seperate from my personal page to differentiate between me as a person and me as a photographer if that makes sense? it's very much in it's infancy and has no details of me being available for hire at the minute because i have neither the experience or kit to do this yet.

for the next few months i'm planning to gather together some decent quality kit and offer free sessions to friends and facebook contacts to begin building a portfolio, because like you say you can only shoot the same people so many times.

regarding kit i don't know what you are using at the minute, but personally i'm using a canon 30d with grip and a canon 50mm 1.8(i ditched my sony set up because i wasn't happy with the range and direction they were going in with future cameras bodies). i'll be looking to add a fast standard zoom (probably the tamron 17-50mm 2.8) and a 70-200mm (possibly sigma 2.8 or canon f4) add in at least one flashgun and maybe another fast prime (30mm or 85mm) and then another body and i'd be closer to considering charging for my services.

remember that if you are going to charge for your services you will have to have a backup in case the worst happens.

insurance will be another consideration - kit insurance, public liability insurance, professional indemnity cover.

untill you can get everything in place i would stick to free shoots, or provide images at more or less cost price. the way i see it the practise at organising the logistics of a shoot, interacting with clients(even if they aren't paying) and learning how to use your kit in different situations will be invaluable in the long run. if you jump in too soon with only half an idea of what you are doing and don't produce the goods to paying customers it will be hard to recover your reputation than if you had taken more time to prepare.

sorry if this is a bit of an essay bit it's a subject that i've been dwelling on for a while now lol
 
I would suggest doing some unpaid work for friends first. Or maybe you could just charge for any prints they may want? That way you make a small bit of money but are not charging for your time? Just be careful who you do free work for as sometimes word of mouth is the best advertising and if thats the case then people may also expect a freebie, so once you charge that person/couple/group etc may feel hard done by and the positive word of mouth could stop. Just be aware that a lot of people will always want something for nothing. Good luck my mate.
 
Thats people who have heard about your services who would also want a freebie. Possibly. If you feel your good then you charge what you think your worth. Just keep your feet on the ground haha :D
 
Thanks for comments all!

Sorry for late reply been busy today & just did a shoot for a friends sister :)

ill spam some photos up in the next few days in Portraits section of the forum


I'm getting CRB checked anyway regardless of not being at a school just for the parents piece of mind. (sending it off this week)



My aim is to do free shots until the end of the year & get experiences and portfolio going and generally make a following i hope!


Gear

400D
Kit Lens
Sigma 70-300
Nifty 50
190xprob and an 804 RC
Flash gun & Umbrella & wireless triggers.
 
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Oh yeah forgot Tripod :D

lol Fantastic bit of kit for the money imo! Hasn't let me down atm even working in the sea with it at some stages :P
 
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Hi all,

I had a thought as i'm not charging for my photos only for prints.

Would it be a good idea to charge Travel? My aim was just to stay in local area but if I ventured 20miles id be out of more pocket.
 
Hi MP4, good luck but it all reads a little like running too fast before you can walk. For example you speak of modelling work- is this an area you are competent in eg posing, backgrounds, lighting etc etc?

Lots of practice is the main key for all of this I guess

I hope it all works out really well for you
 
I'm not really one for studio lighting yet :P nor have i any experience with lighting (studio) i like to use natural light and find natural backdrops etc.

I have a few posing idea's etc but have yet to find ones I can use without being saucy..lol

Yeah its all practice!

Atm have some interest 2x projects on the go and also learning photoshop as i go along :o
 
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