~How to Make Money Out of Photography~

Fajitas! · 03-09-2007 5:38pm #1

There was a thread a couple of days back, talking about weddings and whatnot... and what's needed to earn your cut out of a wedding... But lets have a more general thread about making money - What works, what dosn't, how to sell yourself, business tips and advice. This summer I've been pretty much 'thrown in at the deep end', but was great experience, and have some great jobs lined up in the UK and a lot of weddings lined up for next summer.

Fenster · 03-09-2007 6:41pm

Advertise yourself: Use business cards, flyers, online advertising, word of mouth and anything else you can think of to whore yourself.

Having a marketable ability like being able to retouch photos is a plus.

Fajitas! · 03-09-2007 6:51pm

Yep, having someplace to sell yourself, and a lead for people to find that place is a must. I've been asked countless times when working if I had a website, or if I had a business card.

Flickr dosn't cut it as a way of showing off your photos unless its to friends or family. 99% of my work dosn't go near flickr. My site is being rebuilt (AGAIN) but I still have my email there, and have more than a few galleries on it, that I can hotlink to people interested.

I don't want this to turn into 'Fajitas Guide', come on, there's plenty of others out there that make money out of this - And plenty wanting to get in on the action

elven · 03-09-2007 7:24pm

Does anyone use stock sites? I tried to sign up to shutterstock and they didn't like my ID

Think it could be because I'm from the UK but living in Dublin. Not sure if there's anywhere else worth trying?

I may have to just stick to making cards

shepthedog · 03-09-2007 8:30pm

This could be an excellent thread.. was just thinking about this last wkend..
Would love to hear how some of the quality photographers on here make some cash..

Valentia · 03-09-2007 8:39pm

Julie, shutterstock is what they call a "micro payment" site. In other words they pay you a pittance and sell your image lock stock and barrel to their clients to use as they wish. There are other sites around that pay you a decent percentage on a deal by deal basis. I have done a bit of research recently with a view to getting the gannet shot out there. Have a look at this site. You have to sign up, though it is just the normal sign up procedure. When you do sign up you will get access to this thread and the stock agency forum.

The good agencies have very stringent acceptance procedures and it may take a while but you will make as much on one sale with them as you would with the micro vultures in three years.

Fajitas! · 03-09-2007 8:42pm

Just back from showing the shots of a Debs last week (Family shots, etc). Shots turned out grand, were quite good. Burnt them to CD as normal, CD will print sizes up to 6 x 4's without difficulty, any larger they come back to me and I'll print them. All this is explained, not a problem. However, I'd usually bring my laptop to show the photos on - I know the screen on it, and it shows the photographs to their best.

Rang the mother today, and she said not to bring the laptop, there wouldn't really be enough room. In future, I won't be asking about bringing my laptop - Their CRT had been sitting in direct sunlight for the last 4 years... Photos looked terribly grey.

Still, got my payment, and they're ordering 2 or 3 larger photos in a single mount and were very happy with photographs, though were suprised that modern photographers were still using B&W...

Spyral · 03-09-2007 8:50pm

en ce moment Im getting some cash for photographing samples of cloth and clothing for a schoolwear company.. yay

ThOnda · 03-09-2007 8:51pm

I don't want to sound rude, but Ireland is not very big country, so what about personalized e-mail/snail-mail/visit into advertisement agencies?

Fajitas! · 03-09-2007 8:52pm

Heh, I've done that before - no matter what ANYONE says, make sure you put the clothes on mannequins that can be cloned out, or have models there to wear the clothes.

Clothing cannot be shown off without being worn.

Oh, and either use a studio, or set something up...

rymus · 03-09-2007 9:15pm

best/easiest thing to do is buy a big, heavy L prime lens, then creep up behind people, beat them over the head with it and steal their wallets. Easiest way to make money from photography tbh

Borderfox · 03-09-2007 9:26pm

rymus wrote:

best/easiest thing to do is buy a big, heavy L prime lens, then creep up behind people, beat them over the head with it and steal their wallets. Easiest way to make money from photography tbh

If your handy shoot for someone else doing events or organise your own events. Ones that come to mind are football comps, karate comps and horse comps. At the end of the day nearly 70% of your work is marketing and the better you do this the more paying jobs you get, check out the american photog sites for the ideas they have to promote their services.

Keith

rymus · 03-09-2007 9:32pm

yes.. must get marketing. Pity I've got a history of being a completely crap salesman

Borderfox · 03-09-2007 9:37pm

You dont have to be a great salesman, I sent a load of pictures into Irelands Equestrian magazine in return for a press pass for the Northern Ireland horse show in October. IE is my portfolio at the moment with about 15 of my pictures in it. Its about exposure and even if they get them for zero euro you still get something in return (I have Nick Carroll to thank for that advice)

thebaz · 03-09-2007 9:44pm

not sure about making money, but i sure could tell you ways to loose money in photography -- everytime you buy something , you need something else -- more and more -- now i need a 18 - 300 IS lens

Borderfox · 03-09-2007 9:50pm

Aint that the truth Barry....

Fajitas! · 03-09-2007 9:59pm

Borderfox wrote:

You dont have to be a great salesman

Indeed.

Borderfox · 03-09-2007 10:07pm

I have seen some photgraphers work and it really wasnt what I was expecting in terms of their reputation and it was because they were excellent at marketing themselves...Look at what interests you in photography and see if you can become more involved in it and see it from different angles, ask as many people as you can whats their viewpoint. I learn something every single day I have a camera in my hand (even if its only to check the ISO every five minutes)

ThOnda · 03-09-2007 10:37pm

That reminds me to check ISO on my camera.
400 as the roll, good... :-)
And I have to agree. The easiest way is to contact people you know from some area. People know people so you can end up selling picutres to clubs and magazines. And after that...
If I weren't so lazy

melekalikimaka · 04-09-2007 12:32am

for me its about who you know. i've shot at festivals that can't be mentioned, doing school debs also, and get tons of other work...all through friends basically, well initially...i'm not horrendously bad at photographing so it helps.:p

gandalf · 04-09-2007 8:33am

How to make money from Photography........easy.......Blackmail

Fajitas! · 04-09-2007 5:34pm

I tried that at the last beers.

I was lucky to come home with my balls.

Fajitas! · 04-09-2007 6:10pm

For what it's worth, I'd advise people to buy a lightscribe DVD/CD rewriter if you can find one cheap enough...

Gimmicks ftw!!!

Borderfox · 05-09-2007 12:45am

I like the printable dvds and my trusty old epson r200.

Canonfan · 05-09-2007 9:49am

I started by doing charity events, weddings and family shots for friends and friends friends. All free of charge as long as they feed me. I always give people business cards.
I have no pressure when I'm doing this, I can see my photography skills improved over the years.

Many people got to know me and ask me for camera/lens/electronics questions.

Now I smuggle cameras etc from China and Germany.:eek:

Spyral · 05-09-2007 4:23pm

smuggle me an 18-200 vr nikkor will ya !

Muineach · 05-09-2007 4:35pm

Canonfan wrote:

Now I smuggle cameras etc from China and Germany.:eek:

A lens, maybe, but how do you smuggle a camera on your body

must be a tight fit :eek:

Roen · 05-09-2007 6:37pm

Probably the best way is to actually start charging people. Obvious really.

Once you get known as a person who'll do jobs for free it's going to be very awkward to start charging. You'll be amazed at how unpopular you can make yourself once you bring money into the equation.

And how exactly do you justify to one mate that the exact same job you did for another mate for free is now going to cost €600? Or €1600? It's not going to be easy.

If on the other hand you get known for doing good work at a moderately less expensive rate than 'the pr0 down the road' you get people used to paying for your work.
And you as you mature into your work, and start outputting better results you can then 'mature' your clients into paying you the full rate.

We've all done free jobs no doubt. I try to shy away from doing any photographic work at all I have to admit but I've ended up doing up far more free jobs than paid for.

In this past month I've done half a wedding (long story, don't ask), a kiddie portrait shoot, and been on the way down to a christening when the job was cancelled via text message. If I was a professional anything I would have fully been in my rights to charge them for wasting my time. But it was a free job, never mind I was giving up a Sunday for it!

All for free, no talk of money changing hands. Are my mates greedy gits? Nope, they're good people. I am, after all, the guy who takes photos for free, so why on earth would they offer me cash and insult me?

Don't be the Guy Who Takes Photos For Free!

ThOnda · 05-09-2007 6:48pm

I am glad to hear that, Roen. I have shown some photos on my computer and I am going to print few of them.
So previews 6x4 per Euro shouldn't be very offensive, I hope...
If I sell all of them (about 90), it could almost pay for films, development and scanning. But not my time. I'll try to offer them to print posters for some good money!

~How to Make Money Out of Photography~

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