Photography Advice

VonLuck

I've been interested in photography for a while now, but never thought of doing anything about it until I saw some photos from a Canon EOS 1D Mark II camera. I was simply blown away.

So I have a few questions that I hope you can answer and I hope haven't been posted already:

1. I presume most of you do photography because you like it, but do you do it professionally or just as a hobby?

2. Those of you who do some professional work, what sort of exposure do you get? Local Newspapers? Magazines? National Newspapers?

3. What sort of pay do you get for photos? I know it all depends on quality and who you're selling it to but what sort of price range should be expected?

4. Do any of you have full time jobs, but also do some professional photography on the side. I was thinking of doing it as a hobby but also make money from it.

5. Are qualifications from colleges necessary to become regarded as professional or just a bonus?

Any other input would be greatly appreciated.

Fajitas!

The photos from a 1D are not just good because it's a 1D to be honest, it's because of the person using it...

1. I presume most of you do photography because you like it, but do you do it professionally or just as a hobby?

Both.

2. Those of you who do some professional work, what sort of exposure do you get? Local Newspapers? Magazines? National Newspapers?

Local rags, few national rags, few magazines.

3. What sort of pay do you get for photos? I know it all depends on quality and who you're selling it to but what sort of price range should be expected?

Anything from a freebie to quite a lot of money.

4. Do any of you have full time jobs, but also do some professional photography on the side. I was thinking of doing it as a hobby but also make money from it.

I have a part time job, and am a student, aswell as taking photos.

5. Are qualifications from colleges necessary to become regarded as professional or just a bonus?

Nope, just handy to have.

DotOrg

1. I presume most of you do photography because you like it, but do you do it professionally or just as a hobby?
i take pictures for money and for myself


2. Those of you who do some professional work, what sort of exposure do you get? Local Newspapers? Magazines? National Newspapers?
national newspapers, international magazines, cd covers etc


3. What sort of pay do you get for photos? I know it all depends on quality and who you're selling it to but what sort of price range should be expected?
from free to several thousand


4. Do any of you have full time jobs, but also do some professional photography on the side. I was thinking of doing it as a hobby but also make money from it.
i have a full time job and do photography about 20-30 hours per week. if you want to make money seriously you have to register as a business, register for tax, pay insurance etc etc


5. Are qualifications from colleges necessary to become regarded as professional or just a bonus?

not necessary at all. a business degree would serve you better in most cases. unless you want to be a photojournalist in which case a journalism degree would be useful but not essential

Fionn

yeah I'd echo what Fajitas! said, a 1 series camera wont necessarily improve your photography skills, on the contrary you probably have to work harder to achieve acceptable shots. The thing about a 1 series camera thats marketed is that they are supposed to be more robust and longer lasting than the prosumer type - i'm not sure if this is true tho!!

on a lighter note!!

one way to make money from your interest in photography would be to sell all your equipment!!!

ThOnda

Good point, to be honest...

RCNPhotos

I'd have to disagree somewhat with the not needing any qualifications business. Any photographer I've talked to in the press side of things and that has said that they go a long way. It's not like the old days when you just worked your ass to the bone hoping to get it, if you don't have a piece of paper to show them it's going to be very, very tough. Plus if you do get a BA say in photography, you get to work with like minded people all the time, doing what you love, you get to learn more about the history of photography and in most cases you'l end up with an honurs in photogrpahy and journalisim

VonLuck

Well ,currently I don't have a decent camera, and I had a quick look at some of the cameras suggested in the pin topic, but the question is how much should I spend. I know it depends on how much spare cash you have, but I still wouldn't like to buy an expensive camera, then a few months down the line find out I don't have a talent for photography.

If you were like me, a student, without a job, what sort of advice would you give? I have no idea where to start, what exactley something like this entails, how you sell photographs etc.

And do many of you use PhotoShop or do you prefer to leave photos as you take it?

SOL

It doesn't matter what kind of camera you have, any DSLR from a D50 is capable of taking decent photos, it is just a matter of putting yourself in the right place to do it and making sure you know how to use your camera. Which again comes from putting in the time.

The take home message here: it's about putting in time, not money. :P

unreggd

Find out what kind of photos you like taking, and can take the best pics of

then try find someone who needs them kind of photos

With me, I always take photos of me and my mates when we go out to clubs

So showed some of the better ones to a website like Afterdark who needed photos of the people at their nights they organize in clubs

Now I work for them 2/3 times a week for great money, and through that I get offered loads of other jobs, its great

DotOrg

RCNPhotos wrote:

I'd have to disagree somewhat with the not needing any qualifications business. Any photographer I've talked to in the press side of things and that has said that they go a long way.

that's for press photographers. for anyone working in the more artistic side of photography, a photography degree isn't all that useful.

i was talking to jill furmanovsky at the weekend, never studied photography, but one of the most successful and best music photographers in the world

for things like journalism studying is brilliant, for studio lighting it can help but it is by no means necessary. i did analytical chemistry in college but i still manage to get my pictures out there and earn a decent amount from what i've learnt all on my own about photography

unreggd

For me, doin a degree isnt about the piece of paper, its about bein around like-minded people, mon to fri for the good part of 3 years

And personally, I learn better from structured work ethics, and theres lots of marketing skills in the degree too

You can also make great contacts, and get picked up/offered jobs by doing college exhibitions

All this would be extra to workin as a photographer during the week anyways

RCNPhotos

That's what I liked about doin my portfolio course, bein around thosek inds ofp eople 5 days a week, so lookin forward to college now. And I'm the same, I need structure lol

VonLuck

Well I was browsing through the pinned topic and at a glance I thought the Pentax K100D or the Nikon D40 seemed like good choices, but seeing as I am a complete novice, I don't have a clue.

Whats slightly irritating is that you can't start the hobby without a camera, and that means forking out some cash.

Have you guys ever looked at a newspaper/magazine etc. and thought to yourselves that you could do better? Thats what I think when looking at some of the photos I see.

Fajitas!

VonLuck wrote:

Have you guys ever looked at a newspaper/magazine etc. and thought to yourselves that you could do better?

All the time tbh.

jaqian

VonLuck wrote:

Well I was browsing through the pinned topic and at a glance I thought the Pentax K100D or the Nikon D40 seemed like good choices, but seeing as I am a complete novice, I don't have a clue.

Whats slightly irritating is that you can't start the hobby without a camera, and that means forking out some cash.

Have you guys ever looked at a newspaper/magazine etc. and thought to yourselves that you could do better? Thats what I think when looking at some of the photos I see.

You don't have to have the latest and greatest. Look around for older dSLR cameras like the D70, you can cut your teeth on them for around €500. Put an ad on www.adverts.ie say what your budget is. Don't restrict your ad by saying "X amonunt of megapixels" etc I once saw an Olympus dSLR with two lens' going for €550 there.

You can check whatever is offered against www.dpreview.com

Good luck,
Rob

Spyral

1. I presume most of you do photography because you like it, but do you do it professionally or just as a hobby?

Hobby first but if I can make some £$Y or E from taking pics why not ?

2. Those of you who do some professional work, what sort of exposure do you get? Local Newspapers? Magazines? National Newspapers?

not profession but I got local newspaper worthy one once!

3. What sort of pay do you get for photos? I know it all depends on quality and who you're selling it to but what sort of price range should be expected?

negative pay if you are a hobbyist as you pay to develop them and give them to your family & friends!

4. Do any of you have full time jobs, but also do some professional photography on the side. I was thinking of doing it as a hobby but also make money from it.

No Im a student tho I got some cash for helping a fashion company organise its stock by taking pictures of fabric swatches... ::woot::

5. Are qualifications from colleges necessary to become regarded as professional or just a bonus?

getting most of your income from it I guess would make you a professional.
(er that said condidering that 66% of my pay has been from it this year.. lol what's 100% of E2 :P)


Any other input would be greatly appreciated.

ThOnda

Are you koking? My pictures would be almost everytime better than those in newspapers and magazines!
And the best thing about my personality is humbleness :-)

Echelle

I do some photography and was recently asked by an aquantaince to take a picture of her daughterfor her 21st birthday. I had'nt met the girl before but she was attractive enough in that hairdressery, too much make up,dyed blond hair look. She also had "beauty spot" that she recently got tattooed just under her left eye. Anyway the photograph was taken and it looked good. However when she saw it she said the tatoo was under the wrong eye, and her hair was parted on nthe wrong side. She had been so used to seeing herself in the mirror, which reverses everything, and could'nt accept that the photograph represents what everyone sees and not what she sees in the mirror. So I completety reversed the image, which is easily done with digital images, and showed it to her. She was delighted and got the picture framed. Now all her friends, on seeing the photo, say the tattoo is on the wrog side and her hair is parted strangely....AND SHE STILL DOES,NT UNDERSTAND.But then again it is amazing the amount of people who think that the image they see of themselves in a mirror is the reverse of what others see in reality.For the majority of people whose faces are fairly symmetrical this does not make a huge amount of difference, but for the others who ar not so symmetrical the difference can be substantial, hense their insistance that they are not photogenic as the real image is not what they see in the mirror every day.How do you go about explaining this to people?

Echelle

SORRY, THE ABOVE POST SHOULD HAVE READ AS FOLLOWS:

I do some photography and was recently asked by an aquantaince to take a picture of her daughterfor her 21st birthday. I had'nt met the girl before but she was attractive enough in that hairdressery, too much make up,dyed blond hair look. She also had "beauty spot" that she recently got tattooed just under her left eye. Anyway the photograph was taken and it looked good. However when she saw it she said the tatoo was under the wrong eye, and her hair was parted on nthe wrong side. She had been so used to seeing herself in the mirror, which reverses everything, and could'nt accept that the photograph represents what everyone sees and not what she sees in the mirror. So I completety reversed the image, which is easily done with digital images, and showed it to her. She was delighted and got the picture framed. Now all her friends, on seeing the photo, say the tattoo is on the wrog side and her hair is parted strangely....AND SHE STILL DOES,NT UNDERSTAND.But then again it is amazing the amount of people who think that the image they see of themselves in a mirror is what others see in reality.For the majority of people whose faces are fairly symmetrical this does not make a huge amount of difference, but for the others who ar not so symmetrical the difference can be substantial, hense their insistance that they are not photogenic as the real image is not what they see in the mirror every day.How do you go about explaining this to people?

rahtkennades

Echelle wrote:

.... was attractive enough ..... too much make up,dyed blond hair look. She also had "beauty spot" that she recently got tattooed just under her left eye. .... she said the tatoo was under the wrong eye, and her hair was parted on nthe wrong side. ..... could'nt accept that the photograph represents what everyone sees and not what she sees in the mirror. So I completety reversed the image, which is easily done with digital images, and showed it to her. ....AND SHE STILL DOES,NT UNDERSTAND.
.... it is amazing the amount of people who think that the image they see of themselves in a mirror is the reverse of what others see in reality.....
How do you go about explaining this to people?

LMFAO!!!
Seriously though, eh, I think that if anybody can't figure out what a mirror image is, then trying to explain it is completely pointless.