Want to make $$$$! Educate yourself first

[Jim Bryant]

Originally Posted by maxharvard

Could you point me in the direction of a few of those people?

(btw, check the latest issue of GM High-Tech Performance, you might find someone you know )

Eric, I've given you so many free advice to get you in the position where you presently are.
Ya gonna owe me a big time dinner one of these days.

I'll check it out when i go to Barnes & Nobles tomorrow.....congrats.......I'm proud of ya!

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

Eric, I've given you so many free advice to get you in the position where you presently are.
Ya gonna owe me a big time dinner one of these days.

I'll check it out when i go to Barnes & Nobles tomorrow.....congrats.......I'm proud of ya!

anytime you're in MN I'll treat you to a great local steak joint.

[Krusty79]

Of course, someone who aspires to be a professional should be well-versed in their craft, but as private and BCampbell have mentioned, people skills are very important too. People are not as likely to hire someone they view as "weird" or "arrogant," even if their work is good. I know this is a completely different business, but my sister is an optometrist. She said the ones with the most successful practices are not the ones who finished at the top of their class, but the ones with the best people skills. The more people you know who like you, the more opportunities you will have.

As that saying goes, luck is opportunity meeting preparation.

[sumo67]

im retired military. i live comfortable, not rich but not poor either...the only reason im actually starting a buisness is because if you make over 500 you have to pay taxes.

because i dont consider myself good enough to be a professional yet i do believe i should be payed for my time. i am one of those people that learn by doing. that is why i will shoot 1 person, like 4 outfits, 3 or 4 locations..i also try to take the best photo i can without using lightroom or photoshop for the pic other than cropping.

dont forget that just because one dosent have a studio, or a expensive camera that they cant get a good shot. its the driver not the car..i have no intetion of ever having an actual studio, i like to shoot outside that makes every persons photo original.

rember a person that shoots at a high school year book shooting couple hundread kids a day in front of blurred background is considered a professional and yet you look and kids arent smiling not looking in right direction. would you be proud of that and their packages are expensive for what you get

[Jonbar18]

i am new to photography. for the past two months or so i've been staying up till 3am reading about photography-especially dps. Jim, i totally agree with the original post-what passes as profesional is just sad. but i disagree with your stance in the argument with ryder. photography-especially to ryder- isnt just about the money. sure its good to have money, but as long as you can survive, and love what you do, your doing great. if i wanted to get rich, (granted im to young to do anything professionally) i would want to be a lawyer, or docter, but i enjoy photography.

dont take this the wrong way though-still a big fan!

[Jim Bryant]

Not a problem, I'm not rich either and when photography stops being fun, I guess I'll do something else.

[Cypher]

I thought I may stop and contribute to this great post by mentioning something im not sure anyone has mentioned yet: Networking. I am not referring to a router and a wireless connection, but networking with people. In my opinion this skill is essential for any freelancer you have to be an opportunist and seize the moment. By networking and always letting it be known that I take photos ive scored alot of jobs that may have otherwise passed me by. Advertising is also important, what I did was for 1 week I made a A4 size poster and paid some money to have it advertised in a busy bus line in Amsterdam for a week. Ok it cost me abit but it also gained me alot of clients.


Best of luck to everyone getting into this crazy business,

[MStadnik]

I've read this entire thread, which is something I rarely take the time to do LOL (being extremely short on time these days). But I wanted to say thank you for all the great information and advice. As I get ready to transition my hobby/passion into something more this will be a thread (& site) I will re-visit often. While so many of the photography sites I have visited seem to be more about tearing each other down or showing each other up, I have found this one to be a place where I know that when I'm ready, I can get honest feedback and help learning all that I can. Thanks so much DPS and all of the great posters here!!

[Jim Bryant]

That's why they call this the Digital Photography School! Come back and visit often, we have fun here. Most of the time I'm not trying to be mean, but try to wake folks up to before you take that leap, really educate yourself.

Originally Posted by Jonbar18

i am new to photography. for the past two months or so i've been staying up till 3am reading about photography-especially dps. Jim, i totally agree with the original post-what passes as profesional is just sad. but i disagree with your stance in the argument with ryder. photography-especially to ryder- isnt just about the money. sure its good to have money, but as long as you can survive, and love what you do, your doing great. if i wanted to get rich, (granted im to young to do anything professionally) i would want to be a lawyer, or docter, but i enjoy photography.

dont take this the wrong way though-still a big fan!

LOL yea... rich.

That's a good one.

I've been doing this a little under 2 years now, (working professionally under a year) and will finally make a profit this year after all my cameras, lenses, lights...etc.. are paid for.

Look at the prices of the things I've purchased and you'll see how long it takes to recoup all your loses.

~Eric