enquiry

jnr180

i recently lost my job and am considering giving wildlife photography a go,i have always wanted to do it as i see some amazing things that i could capture on a camera when i go fishing in the local rivers.now that i have time i would like to know how to go about it and if i do get some good pics how do i make money from it.

magicbastarder

if you want to do it to make money from it, you're in for a long wait while you build your experience and kit; the guys who are good at it (e.g. http://www.akellyphoto.com/) have been doing it for *years* and have had time to amass the kit which makes life easier; most important of all, they have the dedication to do things most normal humans think are insane.

do it because you think you'll enjoy it; don't get into it simply to make money, you won't last the course.

bernard0368

It is not a easy as it looks. It will take a lot of dedication and time. I am also an angler and yes you see some fantastic wildlife on our rivers but photographing them is a different game altogether. You can be sure that they will never be where and when you want them to be.
I had a kingfisher that was quite brave and landed on my shoulder or rod numerous times and was rarely no more than 3m's away from me for weeks in a row when I was fishing.
I got permission of the land owner to enter on to his land to try and photograph the bird (remember that your fishing permit does not give permission to be on someones land for any other reason, so best to ask). After setting up a perch where i would normally fish and waiting 56hrs in a makeshift hide. The bugger never showed up once.

City-Exile

jnr180 wrote: »

i recently lost my job and am considering giving wildlife photography a go,i have always wanted to do it as i see some amazing things that i could capture on a camera when i go fishing in the local rivers.now that i have time i would like to know how to go about it and if i do get some good pics how do i make money from it.

Are you already a proficient photographer?
That would be a starting point at least.

Paulw

Even professional photographers can find it very hard to make money from wildlife images.

You need to be able to take exceptional photos of wildlife.

You also need to have good contacts with those who will use/publish your images, so contacts with wildlife magazines, books, TV editors, etc. Of course, if you make it big and can work for National Geographic, then you're made - just a lot of hard work and an average salary. :cool:

Best of luck.

jnr180

thanks everyone ,i do know that it wont be easy but i think i will start by just bringing my camera along with me fishing and on road trips and hopefully i might get lucky,does anyone think it would be a good idea to frame the good ones and try to sell themon ebay,is it a good way to go?

Paulw

Try selling them any which way you can - ebay, adverts, in shops, etc. Anything to make a few Euro.

daycent

jnr180 wrote: »

thanks everyone ,i do know that it wont be easy but i think i will start by just bringing my camera along with me fishing and on road trips and hopefully i might get lucky,does anyone think it would be a good idea to frame the good ones and try to sell themon ebay,is it a good way to go?

I don't want to be negative, but I think you're totally underestimating how difficult it is to make money from photography, never mind wildlife photography.

To get photos that people will be willing to buy, on Ebay or elsewhere, would take years of experience, many thousands of euro worth of equipment, talent and most of all persistence.

There is a misconception amongst non photographers that a "big" camera is all that's needed to get great photos or make a living from photography, which it's not. Aside from ability, equipment, and time, you also have to be a savvy businessperson.

Eirebear

Dude, i have a feeling if you are expecting to make money out of Wildlife photography you might need to take a different approach from just "Bringing your camera along".

Before you even attempt taking photographs of wildlife, you need to study the species their habitat, their feeding & breeding habits etc. And thats before you even start of the particular animal you have "targeted". Study, study, study - preparation is essential in wildlife photography, you cant just go barging around and hope that you'll spot something.

How are your tracking techniques? Do you know the laws surrounding rights to photograph on peoples land etc or conservation laws surrounding animals which may be protected? How close are you allowed to go to their habitat etc?

Are you willing to spend long hours cramped up in a hide, in the middle of nowhere, wet and cold waiting for a mere glimpse of the animal you want to shoot? If you dont get the shot within that split second as the animal passes, youve just wasted a lot of your time.

Are you willing to invest in extremely expensive equipment?

if you can answer yes...then good luck!

jnr180

i am aware of the effort involved and the expense.at the moment i just want to see if i am good enough at photography with inexpensive gear,if i or anyone can see potential i will proceed further.i am not expecting it to be easy or to make a quick buck out of it but doing it at the moment to build up a good collection of what i can do and proceed from there.i have a good knowledge of nature and animals, insects,flys etc.i have also run my own business before, but nothing like photography.the suggestion to put my pics on ebay was just a suggestion.if i can make fast money out of it why not do it but all the time i will be getting myself out there slowly.it will be a long time coming but who knows,who dares wins.sometimes anyway.

Eirebear

jnr180 wrote: »

i am aware of the effort involved and the expense.at the moment i just want to see if i am good enough at photography with inexpensive gear,if i or anyone can see potential i will proceed further.i am not expecting it to be easy or to make a quick buck out of it but doing it at the moment to build up a good collection of what i can do and proceed from there.i have a good knowledge of nature and animals, insects,flys etc.i have also run my own business before, but nothing like photography.the suggestion to put my pics on ebay was just a suggestion.if i can make fast money out of it why not do it but all the time i will be getting myself out there slowly.it will be a long time coming but who knows,who dares wins.sometimes anyway.

Good luck to you dude, if you can pull it off then more power to ya and all that.

What i'd suggest though, rather than simply hoping for something to happen when out on a trip for other reasons, is to set aside the time for that trip and focus on the photography.

Come up with a project that is "do-able" and within your own area of expertise, be that certain birds or insects or whatever and use that project to study the creature in question.

This way you'll have a body of work to look over and decide wether its for you, treat it as a kind of self interview if you will, youll find out wether it's something you enjoy doing and something you can concievably make work for you.

have fun!

jnr180

thanks

Ballyman

Just out of curiosity, what equipment do you currently have?

jnr180

at the moment i dont have any,just a half decent digital everyday cam,i have a budget of 500 or 600 to get gear.i know that isnt a lot but it is what i have to start with,i have taken some nice pics before on an everyday cam so i am hoping with a good cam i can improve,i have been researching equipment and know i need a lot, thats much more expensive but for now i can only use what i can afford and do my best.

Paulw

Just FYI - The salary of a photographer at National Geographic Magazine is about $7-9,000 a year. They do get paid extra depending on how many images are printed, location of the shoot, etc. But, the bottom line is that you won't get rich (far from it), and you will have to work very very hard to make an even basic living from wildlife photography.

There was a documentary online from a wildlife photographer for National Geographic, about how many tens of thousands of shots were taken to produce just 23 images in the magazine, for a specific edition. I can't seem to find it now.

There are very few Irish wildlife photographers that can afford to rely on wildlife photography for a living. In fact, the last one I met could only afford to do wildlife shoots one day every second week, or else he wouldn't be able to cope financially.

You may sell a few prints a year, you may get printed in a few magazines, but in the end, if you're brilliant, you may make a few hundred a year from all this hard work, and your gear alone is going to cost you tens of thousands (pro bodies, large lenses, etc).

While I'm not saying to give up, I'm saying that you need to be totally realistic in what you might be able to earn from all of this.

daycent

jnr180 wrote: »

at the moment i dont have any,just a half decent digital everyday cam,i have a budget of 500 or 600 to get gear.i know that isnt a lot but it is what i have to start with,i have taken some nice pics before on an everyday cam so i am hoping with a good cam i can improve,i have been researching equipment and know i need a lot, thats much more expensive but for now i can only use what i can afford and do my best.

You also need an absolute passion for photography, an obsession really. And if working with digital, you need to be an expert at post processing to get the best out of your images. My point is that it's more than a full time job, it's a 12 hour day for a couple of years to get to the level you need to be at. You need to be very focused, both technically and creatively minded, and be free from too many financial pressures to give you the time to achieve all this.

Now that's the end of the negativity I swear

On a positive note, get yourself a secondhand camera body, something like a Sigma 70-300 lens to start with (this will give you reasonable "reach" for wildlife photos). Then just start snapping away and see if you actually enjoy it (you have to enjoy it, especially for something like wildlife). After a while, you can have a go at post processing your images, with something like Photoshop Elements or a trial of Lightroom, then you will have a much better idea of what's involved/if it's for you.

Best of luck

jnr180

im not going to give but thanks for the advice.

CabanSail

Why not post up some of the images you have already taken here?

jnr180

how do i do that and why?

5uspect

Make some resized copies of a couple of examples of your images (~800 pixels on the longest side) and attach them to a post in this thread. Click "Go Advanced" when writing your post and scroll down to manage attachments. Don't worry about editing BBcode for now. Alternatively set up a Flickr or Pix.ie account and post up a link to the album.
(If you want to get into photography this is something you'll need to do anyway)

You believe that you've taken some good shots that suggest you have potential as a wildlife photographer. There are plenty of excellent and experienced photographers here who can give you critical feedback on the actual images and tell you if you do indeed have potential.

You have to understand that a some people get a "decent" camera and suddenly think they'll make a quick buck doing weddings. That's why you're getting a somewhat incredulous response. You don't seem to know much about photography but seem confident in your success.

You're going to have a steep learning curve. You'll have to get to grips with more than just the basics of photography. You're going to need understand the complexities of digital imaging and learn to edit your images for web and printing. You'll also have to manage a website to promote your work. How much do you like computers?

magicbastarder

worth pointing out that the link i posted earlier is of a guy whose images are published in a magazine of a not-for-profit organisation (which is how i came to hear of him - he has other outlets), and thinks nothing of spending hours photographing horny ducks. so he spends a lot of time getting images for little financial gain. he does is - and is damn good at it - because it's a vocation, not a career.

i've been taking photos for maybe 15-20 years, and i know i'll never match his output because i simply can't match his dedication; and it's not his primary career.

i know you're getting a lot of negative info in this thread, but it does boil down to - only do it if you think you'll enjoy it.

CabanSail

jnr180 wrote: »

how do i do that and why?

The easiest way is, as suggested above, to set up an account on an image sharing site (Like Pix.ie or Flickr) then copying the BBCode here using the "Insert Image" button when you post.

The why is so you can get some feedback on your good shots now which could help to guide you. This will help you to improve your photography.

There is a fair bit of scepticism as you have come here with a very naive attitude. It is the equivalent of someone who has not yet got a Learner's Permit announcing that they are going to earn a living as a Racing Driver but without having much knowledge of mechanics, tyre technology or track dynamics. As pointed out before to become a Wildlife Photographer usually takes many years of dedication and most who pursue it do so as a hobby. There are just a handful of elites that make money from it.

pete4130

Sorry to be blunt as hell.....

1) You don't have any/any good kit

2) Not having good kit means you don't really know how to shoot a good photo

3) Not knowing how to shoot a good photo comes down to a lack of experience and with experience you build your kit up

4) Photography is a lot more than seeing something and pushing a button

5) Your budget is €500-600. Consider a decent telephoto lens (say a 300mm 2.8?) costs about €3500 2nd hand.

6) You don't even have a body for that lens to go onto.....wait, you can't afford the lens yet so you can't afford the body yet.

I could go on with more valid points but you get where I'm going.

You can't suddenly one day decide to spend €600 on a camera (which will barely get you an entry level consumer camera with a crap lens at best) and expect to make a career from it right away.

Some users on here have close to €40,000 worth of kit and are just about making a living shooting sports......