Have you Ever Made Money From Your Photography?
One of the areas of our forum that is increasingly popular is our Earning with Photography section. It seems like quite a few of our forum members have the dream of making money with their photography.
Some area exploring wedding and portrait photography, others are playing with stock photography and others are exploring the world of corporate photography.
Reading through some of the threads in that section of our forum got me wondering – how many of our members are trying to make money from photography, how many are succeeding and how many ways of monetizing photography are they trying?
I’d love to hear your answers – are you making money from your photography?
90 Responses to “Have you Ever Made Money From Your Photography?” - Add Yours
September 29th, 2008 at 12:37 am
While I’ve done a few weddings here and there…finally got a successful actor headshot business going.
That led into a staff photog position at a Broadway website. So they send me around doing event photography for either celebs, show openings, or parties.
Pretty grateful for that.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:15 am
I began shooting weddings and events 2 years ago to offsite my “expensive hobby” and justify my equipment purchases. It has been fun. I rely on Craigslist and Google adwords for advertising and it brings in just the right amount of work.
For my fine art photography I am fortunate enough to live among a collection of artisans in the northern New Mexico area and we hold a large (50+ galleries) art tour for the last two weekends of September every year. (www.highroadnewmexico.com) The two front rooms of my house get cleared of furniture and become a gallery for visitors to see my pieces up close. Perhaps 200 or so people come through on a weekend visit. For the two weekends combined I might do about $500 in sales with a pickup in online sales via email following the tour for a few weeks. I am working on making sales through my website an option.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:24 am
I haven’t made any cash. I have recently taken engagement photos and have gotten a free dinner for the work. My wife and I had so much fun we are working on a website to do weddings part time.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bedpanjohn/
September 29th, 2008 at 1:31 am
I don’t want to do it as a career, but would love to eventually make a trickle of money from nature photography.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Are you kidding me, I’ve spent more money than I’ve ever made off of taking pictures of my squirrels. I guess that just makes me a little squirrely too.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:11 am
I really shouldn’t be answering this question because I’ve been a professional for 20 years. But, yes, over six figures. But, it has taken many of those years to get there.
My early years involved wondering who will eat me or the cat. It is not an easy profession and there is a lot of competition.
The best advice is to follow the best business practices ASMP, APA, PPA among others offer. Your images do have value and you should not undervalue your work just to get a job or sell an image.
The next bit of advice is to never stop learning. I may sometimes sound like a know-it-all, but I don’t and I find forums and blogs like DPS very important and informative.
Rosh
http://www.newmediaphotographer.com
September 29th, 2008 at 2:19 am
I recently talked with a “pro” photographer who turned his hobby into work. I guess that’s what most hobby photographers dream of, making money with something you like.
Although he makes a living now, it’s not much. It’s very hard work. And, because he’s a paid photographer, he’s supposed to be producive and creative *all* the time.
So now he makes a living doing something he doens’t really like any more. And in his free time? He can’t see his camera no more!
So, although it may sound attractive to be a photographer, think it through before you dive into it too deep.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:26 am
I think that if you aren’t a professionist, it’s really hard to make money! It isn’t so?
I made money only with some weddings (as second photographer) and some pictures for catalogues.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:37 am
If based on profit/loss, I’ve certainly made a lost.
But I have been paid for several photographs I’ve taken. A set for a Mastercard web site, one Wimbledon 2007 photo appears on a home page of an outside broadcasting company. I’ve had a 2/3 publishers interested, one design company re-created some of my London photography using the tilt-shift effect and produced a booklet (he wants to publish it but we’ve been in contact for over a year now). Unfortunately I lost out on being choosne to have one of my photos used for a UK stamp. That would have been amazing!
In total it’s not a great deal but anything is better than nothing.
September 29th, 2008 at 3:29 am
I’ve only been doing photography for 8 months or so, so I’m not professional by any means but I’ve made money shooting weddings and portraits. I’ve paid my equipment off plus some and I shoot with a Canon 30D, XSi, 50 1.4, 28-135 3.5-5.6 and a 580ex. From my experience you have to get your pictures out there where everyone can see. If I don’t have a paid shoot on a weekend I’ll do one or two for free so that my portfolio keeps on expanding. To get myself out there I tell all my friends that if they get me a paid shoot they get a little referal bonus. I am also friends with a bunch of pastors who really like my work so they refer me to whoever they marry. This is the weird part about my advertising, I post my work on facebook, myspace, flickr, and deviantart but I get the most hits on facebook. I just take my Rebel and a 50 1.4 with me where ever I go and shoot pictures of friends and everyone sees really nice pictures of them and asks me if I could shoot this or that. Another bonus being in college is that there are alot of people that are about to graduate and get married. I’d like to think of myself as a high quality “inexpensive” wedding photographer. Not everyone can afford a 3000 dollar photographer or even a 1500 dollar one so that is where I come in, with a sub $1k price. Yeah, thats my take on making money with my camera. One thing to note is that weddings can be stressful, but I love the rush, weird but very helpful.
JP Lumansoc
guydownthestret4.deviantart.com
September 29th, 2008 at 4:41 am
I, while still fairly new at the professional photography game(I had no experience with photography before 2006 – although I have a degree in fine art), have surprised myself with making quite a bit of money off of my photos recently.
I made enough money on prints last year to finance all of my Christmas shopping without actively trying to sell anything(I had several people find my website randomly and purchase images to use as stock or gifts – if anything, my website has been one of the best photography investments I’ve made).
I’ve also been lucky enough to be paid for a dozen or so portrait sessions since I started doing them at the beginning of the year…. and this summer I’ve done two weddings as well.
All in all I’ve made close to $3000 in the last 18 months, doing this mainly as a hobby.
Now, compare that to the over $5000 that I’ve put into my budding collection of gear(cameras, lenses, accessories, studio lights & set up, website hosting, etc), and it’s still a bit of a loss, but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, particularly since like I said before, I haven’t been actively trying to market myself and I’m still extremely new to the photography scene.
I think the biggest thing that’s made me money is offering things for free… I do it just for fun because I’m still building my portfolio and I love taking pictures & constantly need inspiration/new subjects… every so often I make a “free print contest” post on my blog, I have free weekend portrait sessions, I offer to take pictures of people out in public and then email them the high res copies for free… and then they come back for more. It’s so simple, and so effective.
September 29th, 2008 at 6:19 am
I’ve been on Flickr for about a year and I’ve sold about $1500.00 worth of photos from people coming to me to purchase them. (I retain all rights to my photos!!!)
September 29th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Jim, how do you post on flickr and retain all rights?
September 29th, 2008 at 10:28 am
I’ve sold a few photos via my website, including one for inclusion in a college text book. I’ve also done a wedding.
However, I’ve certainly spent far more on my photography hobby than what I’ve made
September 29th, 2008 at 11:34 am
My wife and I just started our business a few months ago and so far have been successful in finding gigs. We’ve done engagements here and there but have a wedding coming up next month and two next year. I can’t believe how fast it’s growing.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I got a my first paid gig this summer. That was pretty cool. I’m not looking to make a career out of photography, but I’m trying to make sure that I’m not missing any value in my work.
I am actively looking for ways to monetize what I’ve done. Why? Photography is expensive and it’s easier to get purchases past the Mrs when they money comes from the habit itself.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
You always have your rights unless you give them away. Usually in writing. You don’t transfer your copyright by posting images on Flickr
Rosh
http://www.newmediaphotographer.com
September 29th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
About 8 months ago, a friend who is a photographer approached me and said he loved my eye and like to help me take my photography to another level. I never considered myself to be good at it, but I began to explore it. I would read about it, take like 100 shots of the same thing changing my settings to learn what I like and what works, then I read more and took more and more and more photos … next thing you know I got hired to help a friend shoot a birthday party at a fancy hotel, used that money to buy a 50 mm lens. With the standard lens my Nikon D70 came with (6 years ago) I have made about $2000 over the past 4 months shooting portraits. I love it. I still have a TON to learn. I love feeling like an artist and have a I have a HUGE desire to continue to grow and develop my skills even more.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Yup, a little. It’s more of a fun hobby. I recently was blessed by a family for a phootshoot I did for them.
I also have an Etsy.com store to sell little photos here and there, but I prefer to do events a photoshoots. I will start my little biz in Mid Jan. Can’t wait!! Gotta make some money to pay for the hobby!
September 29th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I’ve been a photographer for the Colorado School of Mines newspaper for about a year now, I get a small trickle for those pictures. I love it, it keeps me busy, learning, and involved on campus.
September 29th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I’ve made some money through stock photography, but not enough to cover investments on a gear. However, I am finally starting to find my style and as a result, I can load off unnecessary lenses and keep on using remaining lenses.
This way, I eventually have chance to start generating profit, but I still have long way to go before I would be in position to count this in as real source of additional income.
September 29th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
I make my living from my photography. I shot fashion, products, portrait and concerts.
September 29th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Photography is kind of a hobby for the others but on my part I enjoy it but also I earned money from photography ..It is one of the best business venture nowadays…
September 29th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
As you can see their are a lot of people making a little money. This makes it difficult for a photographer to make a living with so many people dipping into the same pie.
I’m not complaining, just making the point that it takes a lot more than understanding how to create an in focus and well exposed photo to make a living. Everyone starts off as a beginner!
But, every photographer making a living brings something special to the table. Style, technique, photoshop skill, personality, business skills, marketing skills. One or all.
Rosh
http://www.newmediaphotographer.com
September 29th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
I have made money by selling my prints to well known collectors. Thankfully I didnt have to do anything for that, they contacted me on their own after seeing my work on facebook. I am also interacting with some curators to hold an exhibition. Apart from that, I did earn some money after a major publication in India stole one of my flickr pictures and published it without my consent
.
Incident here : http://blog.twilightfairy.in/2008/09/01/toi-believes-flickr-is-for-flicking/
I have to update my blog with how I finally got around getting my dues here. Though an unfortunate way of making moey through ones pictures, it still is one of the ways!
September 29th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I’ve made some money, but not enough to replace my day job. I love taking pictures of what “I” like to take pictures of. If those pictures sell on my website GREAT. If not no big deal.
Some of my pictures are hanging in corporate offices. I have tons of prints that I’ve made as well which are at my house and friends/relatives houses.
I know I will never replace my current income with a photography business. I’d have to work 7 days a week doing shoots. I pick up the camera when I have time and enjoy shooting.
Pete
http://www.petelanglois.net
September 29th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
I just finished my first paid assignment. It was a wedding shoot. I was nervous accepting this type of engagement since I mainly do landscape shots but I looked at it as a challenge. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by my shots!
September 29th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
I’ve been a pro photographer for 7 years now but only full time for 4. My main source of income comes from stock photography and the rest is icing on the cake. My other contracts are mostly with publishing houses and commercial projects.
I fell so lucky to live from my passion that i wanted to give back so I started Yanik’s Photo School. Just like this site, I want to share my experience with other aspiring photographers.
The life of a photographer is a great one indeed.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
I’ve been doing microstock photography for a couple of years now & this helps to justify a few of my purchases – I know of a lot of people who are doing this full time though!
Lots of fun & the thing I like most about it is that you can just do it when you feel like it. Some of the sites are quite strict though these days, so not everyone can ‘get in’ so to speak…
Anyway, I’d certainly recommend it to any enthusiast of photography, it might just pay for that next camera..!
Daniel
http://www.shotwithlove.com
September 29th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I am not a professional and still learning a lot so I don’t feel like I could earn money with my attempts.
Photography is for me a kind of art – and earning money with art is complex, because it depends on so many factors…and in the end it’s juged by subjective opinions; so in this direction (and that’s where I want to improve my photographic skills) it seems to be very hard to make money out of photos.
The whole discussion makes me wonder about the influence of the internet: is it getting harder to earn money now where just everybody can present his pictures online? Where are the borders between a professional and a “hobby” photograph? And when is a picture worth money?
Frauke
September 29th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
I would love to make money from just taking photos but its like anything else you have to have a very strong pasion for it and if you don’t it will never succeed. That goes with anything.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
I started my own business as a second profession. I couldn’t pay the mortgage with what I have made, but people are buying my photos. I do craft shows and I have pictures in some of the local stores. You do have to put out a lot of money to get started. Pretty cool, that people love your work enough to buy it !!!! I Hope I can continue. I would love to have a website, but I don’t how to put them on without them being able to get copied. Anybody know how to do that?
September 29th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
I sold a framed landscape for decent money but I’ve made no effort to promote my art. I feel so very lazy.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:07 am
I have made a bit of money, however it seems that most of the people interested in my photography want to trade for the images. So far the trades have made me happy, in dollar amounts they seem to equal what I could charge for my images. I have earned a pair of rock climbing shoes here, a bouldering mat there, and one year membership at the local climbing gym. Unfortunately I have chosen to pursue photography of rock climbing, which in the begining does not pay very well at all. Currently the rate for a magazine full page image is 100 bucks. I recently provided the images for a six page article, and that paid the same rate as six single images, and I have to split that with the writer. I do this because I love it, and not to make a living. Unfortunately I think that is hurting my ability to ask for better compensation. If I needed to rely on this for income I think I would be more agressive and less willing to take trades in leu of payment. For now my real profession will have to pay the bills.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:08 am
hmmm, I thought it would include my url, but the post didn’t.
http://www.nilepoc.com
September 30th, 2008 at 12:26 am
My first experience making money off my work was definitely a memorable one – a sold out exhibit of my smoke work in Atlanta, GA! That was a proud day!!
Since then my portrait work is starting to pick up. Babies, families and even some weddings on the books for the coming months! Here’s hoping…!
September 30th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Reading these comments drives home the point I’ve heard from working pros that it’s harder and harder for them to make a living with so many of us amateur/semipros picking off their work and under pricing them. I’ve been guilty of picking off some of their commercial work in the past myself.
One company I did lowball work for also brought in their “old pro” one day when I was shooting something as well, and I noticed he was shooting with a $25,000 camera and digital back, had multi-thousand-dollar lights, tripods, etc. I felt guilty after seeing the investment this guy had in his equipment, and knowing that he was making a living at this and there I was stealing some of his prime business. I stopped and never did that type of thing again.
I took up the art festival circuit where working pros don’t venture and I’ve concentrated on selling my work there. That business is labor intensive and a little pricey to get into with booth fees and material costs, and the return is pretty low for the investment, but at least I’m selling in an enviornment where I’m not stealing some working pro’s livlihood. I’ll never venture again into ares like weddings and commercial work where the pros belong.
I’m not faulting those of you who do it and make a few bucks to offset your equipment costs, I just can’t bring myself to do it any more.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:37 am
I’m really just getting started. I don’t know much about the manual settings, I play with them a lot. I got started by taking pictures of my daughter’s play (I co-directed so was able to move around). I got some good pictures. That was with an old smaller digital. I got a Nikon D60 after that and still have to practice more. I LOVE IT though. I’m finding that I love photography as much as music! It’s moving, full of emotion and expression.
I would LOVE and appreciate any hints or tips! Thanks guys!
September 30th, 2008 at 12:52 am
I’ve done a senior portrait shot and since have been trying to get some other things going. So my answer is yes i have. I love photography and will jump at any chance to do pictures even is the pay is minumal to $0. I figure since most people know I’m trying to start a business that if i start building my clients then they’ll tell there friends and so on and on, hopefully! There are so many photographers out there and some people don’t understand the difference between “portrait photography” and Sears/Walmart shots. they are the ones standing in the way of my business!!!
September 30th, 2008 at 12:59 am
paid for my lenses as a hobby.. would love to do more…
September 30th, 2008 at 1:35 am
Time and Determination
I’ve been working for 8 years and have loved everyone of them. My suggestion is to never work for $0 if you want to better your portfolio or work on a new technique then hire a model to work with you. Just like any other business, it takes money to make money. And just Rosh.. never stop learning. I put my stuff on flickr for my NON professional stuff. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericzeffery/
September 30th, 2008 at 2:18 am
Although offering an incentive can be good for business. Photographers will offer free sittings in hope of recouping on reprints.
But, I will have to warn that if you are building your business on free and cheap, those are the types of clients you will receive.
And they will pass the word along to more people that want free and cheap. They will get mad when you want start charging a rate or reasonable rate. The chain of new clients will often break because you are not offering the same opportunity anymore.
It is better to start your business reputation on your style and quality that can’t be found anywhere else.
Rosh
http://www.newmediaphotographer.com
September 30th, 2008 at 2:49 am
It doesn’t happens.. YET!
I’m starting to take things more seriously and i hope to earn money for that.
This week I’ll start with stock photo (on a known website) and see what happens.
Thanks a lot for the comments, very helpful.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:27 am
I Agree with Rosh, if you give away your work, what is it worth? If you have to give it away, maybe you need to hone your skills to a higher level. Clients that want a “deal†are usually harder to please because they want something for nothing. Clients who like your work are willing to pay what it takes.
Don’t try to be everything either. Some photogs will advertise that they can do it all, commercial, portrait, weddings, product, etc. and while they might be able to, they usually are not that good in all the areas and then the word gets out that they are not good at anything.
Pick a field and make yourself an expert at it, then add fields as you go.
Turn down jobs you are not ready for, clients will respect you for that. Mess up a shoot for a client will cause you fatal blows to your reputation.
Honesty is the best policy
JM
September 30th, 2008 at 3:36 am
I have solid 3 images off Flickr. After the first one, I started thinking about how ‘great’ it would be to be able to sell a lot of images and using the money to upgrade my equipment. Then I realized something…
I have turned every “passion” I have ever had into a business. And, in the process, made myself miserable. If I ‘tried’ to sell images, I would have to stop shooting what I like and start shooting what is “marketable,” which I have no interest in doing. I like the creative outlet that I get from photography too much to turn it in on itself.
I have a question, though – Why would anyone have to “justify” your purchases? I don’t understand that, but I am not married. Even when I was married, I never looked at things that way. Isn’t buying it because you want it, justification enough???
September 30th, 2008 at 4:06 am
Where to start in response to this thread?
I have always loved photography, and a few years ago I started doing some freelance work along side my usual day job. This worked ok, and i got some relatively well paid work shooting some events/weddings/products here in Barcelona. After a while I became very uninspired shooting thousands of photos on digital and decided to change things.
I experimented selling my shots on line using sites such as shutterstock etc, but I soon realised that I didnt have enough time to really shoot and upload a sufficient quantity of photos to make it pay.
Earlier this year I again remodeled my photography activities and I now teach photography, as well as take photographs. This is all promoted under the http://www.barcelonaphotographer.com banner. Its been a long and hard slog, and I am slowly getting to a place where I can work full time in photography.
Like doc holiday says, I have sometimes regretted turning what was a pleasant hobby into a business. Be careful folks!
September 30th, 2008 at 4:16 am
I just started charging for my photography 4 months ago and haven’t done any real marketing aside from passing out cards here and there. Because I wanted to retain the fun aspect of it, I specialize in what I love – portraits of babies, kids and families.
I think I have fallen into the “free and cheap” trap Rosh is talking about, though… I am charging a low session fee and giving away the pictures on CD since I haven’t picked a printer (and don’t know what to charge for the prints). I somehow think that if I had better equipment I would feel comfortable charging more. I am using an XTi and 50mm 1.4 for the most part. I also do LOTS of Photoshop work (head swaps, blemish removals, etc.) for no extra charge. I do it because I’m a perfectionist and no other reason. Right now I’m trying to figure out the best way to market myself.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:19 am
Everytime I take a great shot I feel a millionaire.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:55 am
I actually make money taking pictures of vehicles for a car dealership. But other than that – I really don’t make money from my pictures.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:16 am
For somebody who would like to start on the making money from photography journey this has been very encouraging and also a realistic glimpse at what to expect…
Thanks
September 30th, 2008 at 6:19 am
I have made some money from my sports photos I’ve taken. I recently moved to a different state so I’m moving out of sports and into other areas of photography. I’m trying to find myself as a photographer. I seem to like some of everything but I feel to make money I need to find one area and specialize in that. Since food is a passion, besides photography, of course, I’m going to try doing some food stock shots and see how that works out.
September 30th, 2008 at 8:43 am
I have made some little money out of my photography, but not much so far. I am planing now to change from amateur to pro (whatever this really means), but I do it full time now, which means that I spend all my time now to study and study and study and shoot. It’s really fun when you see the progress in your own pictures.
For anybody interested in making money with photography, this is an incredibly useful site: http://blogs.photopreneur.com/.
Rosa
http://www.rosafrei.com
September 30th, 2008 at 10:04 am
My wife and I do wedding photography on the side. We’ve done four paid weddings since last year and I recently shot an event that paid quite well on top of enjoying what I was doing. We hope to build up our wedding photography as a business and set up a studio if things go well. Also looking at stock photography.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I was once offered $10 to burn all my images and delete my hard drive.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I’ve been in love with photography since I was 10 when my mom handed me the camera, and at 43 I am still in love with photography! I’ve never had the opportunity to get training on it, just learn as I go along. A friend suggested about 6 years ago that I charge for my photos…well…13 weddings,numerous senior portraits,assorted portraits: pets,kids,babies,families later I am doing just fine!
I am a divorced mom, one son an adult and another son just about, I work 2 jobs with developmental disabled and then do portraits and weddings on the side. I am satisfied with what I am doing, but, of course it would be a dream to do more with my photography but I don’t want it to become a “job”, I do enough to pay for the equipment and a few extras I can’t afford on my income. I don’t advertize, it’s mostly by word of mouth. My charges are pretty minimal, because people are taking a gamble with me and I repay them with lower prices. dmflower Minnesota
October 1st, 2008 at 2:40 am
I am making some money on Photrade, but I am still trying to figure out whether more will come from licensing, selling prints or via the advertising supported sharing of the images.
http://www.photrade.com/dcpatton
October 1st, 2008 at 4:47 am
yup.
family portrait photography, primarily. some event photography. a very small amount with stock photography.
a photography business is 10% photography, 90% business. be prepared to spend the majority of your time marketing and doing admin stuff.
but it sure beats the alternative!
October 1st, 2008 at 10:29 pm
I had played with the idea for quite a while and I had friends that kept seeing what I had done and kept telling me that I needed to at least try to sell my photography. It is more of my hobby so I really don’t ever want it to feel like my “job” and rely solely on it but I ususally do have several shoots per month. I work in a school system as my main source of income and I have been doing a lot of senior environmental photos. I do not like doing indoor pics. I will but much rather prefer to do outdoor shots.
http://www.picasaweb.google.com/FullLifePhotography/FullLifePhotography
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:55 am
I’ve sold an HDR Picture to the air macao board magazine. They’ve found it on flickr and contacted me. First they wanted to give me just a copy but I’ve bargained them to a nice lowrange 3-digit EUR sum
It was featured double paged. Feels good to see it printed!
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:12 am
I have earned four times the money i spent on my compact… a Nikon 5600 by doing food shots for an inflight magazine. You can see a lot of those photos and many more nature, people and travel pictures on my flickr website here…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zhj
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:24 am
A year ago I did some food photos. I had to photograph the entire portfolio of a cake house. It was delicious. Beside that I did some weddings
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:41 am
Have taken a few assignments since July…earned enuf to pay off some debts…yay…with the
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:47 am
Back in the early 90′s, I made $400.00 for shooting a wedding. I told them I would do it for free since I knew nothing about what I was doing but the couple was satisfied with the results. I missed a lot of shots that I know today I should have taken but again, they loved the pictures. I used a Canon EOS Rebel with Fuji film.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:49 am
I just started a small studio this past August and once my senior portrait sessions are done in October I will have made close to $3000. I am still at a loss with the purchase of additional equipment and minor build out costs but I only do this part-time. Eventually my husband and I would like to open a trophy store and will offer team photography through that business.
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:25 am
I am a full time photographer.
I do weddings, events, portraiture, calendars and various publications. I keep it simple and charge $50 – 75 an hour, that includes the pictures, the best of which I run through photoshop. Then I provide the client with a picture CD or DVD (their choice) and give them the rights to make as many copies as they like for personal distribution only (I reserve the rights for all profit).
If I have to travel, we negotiate a fair travel allowance for my time and fuel.
I do a lot of free work for various groups and that really gets my name out there and I have made many contacts this way. I also carry around my portfolio and business cards if anyone shows interest in my work. So far, word of mouth is my only advertisement and I keep very busy.
I recently started shooting models, first it was just for fun and trade, but word gets round. Now I am getting offers for pay to create their entire portfolios.
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:27 am
I made my first dollars by winning a contest…$250…after that, several of my neighbors wanted to buy pictures that I took locally. They showed their freinds and make a few more dollars. I have given away many photos especially to doctors that I know and they place in their offices. I am just getting started but I hope to make more money one day and hopefully it will pay for the equipment..it is a really expensive hobby!
October 3rd, 2008 at 5:54 am
If making money with my photography became the focus, I’d be concerned about the fun going out of it.
I did negotiate a position as paid columnist for a local newspaper to qualify for a pair of $6,000 hearing aids supplied by Vocational Rehabilitation. So I’ve been largely amortizing that value as real payment in addition to receiving a pittance per assigned article and even less per accompanying photos.
My subjects are primarily travelogues, so I don’t break even on gasoline costs, let alone slip into the next tax bracket. And spending 8-12 hours researching and writing each story, plus whatever time it took to visit the subject location, makes calculations of my hourly wages ridiculous.
But I consider myself fortunate enough to have “saleable” photography skills, a loving wife who puts up with this non-profit vocation; enough income to support this habit; enjoy entrée to locations and activities otherwise off limits to “civilians” and also to have a helluva a nice guy as my editor who encourages me to pick my own assignments.
No, I don’t make much money, but am having a wonderful time.
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:00 am
PS: Perhaps I should have included mention that my editor actually publishes my writing and photos three or four times each month.
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:52 am
I have sold rights for publishing for 5 images total to my small home-town newspaper for a total of $55. Not much but it is a start. I only started seriously taking photos/learning photography in March and these gigs were mostly luck but I hope to become a valued freelance photographer in my area. Hoping to learn other areas of photography and expand my skills to offer a wider range of services as well.
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:51 am
I wonder if all this money that is being made by free lancers is tax free. It should’ent be. If you are making bucks on your photography, what are the laws of the state you are in, concerning paying taxes on your photography income, no mater how large or small amout you charge/receive……
October 4th, 2008 at 3:02 am
If you have a photography business, you need to keep books and pay taxes, just like any other company.
Rosh
http://www.newmediaphotographer.com
October 4th, 2008 at 11:00 am
“I wonder if all this money that is being made by free lancers is tax free.”
Before you got taxed on the income, you would have to write off all your equipment, et cetera.
I would have to continue selling at the rate I sell into the 22nd Century before I would turn a profit. If gas goes up any more, I might make it into the 23rd century without a profit…
October 5th, 2008 at 2:30 am
My best advice is to get made redundant from a very well paid job in the residential property development business!! This happend to me a few months ago.
So I decided to completly grab the bull by the horns and start up a photography business.
I invested a bit of my redundancy money on a new Canon 450, 10-20 3.5 lens and a 200-700 as well as tripod, backgrounds, lighting and reflector (about £2000 in total).
The scary thing is that before this happend the last time I held an SLR in my hands was around 15 years ago.
The rest as they say is history…
I now make around £2,000 per month on a mixture of portrait and commercial work. It doesn’t set the world on fire but it pays the mortgage and the business is growing!
How did I do all this? Well lets just say you have to really hit the ground running and hustle BIG time! Get your foot in as many doors as you can and ask for the business! Also, get other people and business’ to sell your appointments for you by giving them a cut of your profits!
The main advice I would give to anyone is to price correctly from the start. No cheap deals, no free sessions to build a portfolio. BE EXPENSIVE – this give the customer confidence in your ability (hardly anyone goes for the cheapest product do they?) and also it puts the pressure ON YOU to deliver!
So, there you have it! IT CAN BE DONE. You just need to grab the bull by the horns!
GOOD LUCK!
p.s. Give your clients the photos THEY want. Not the photos that you want to take!
October 5th, 2008 at 5:06 am
I have made a couple dollars on portraits and events, not enough to pay for my film, AND I SHOOT DIGITAL. Some events I only get releases for my time, some I make enough to pay for my trip, room, and board, and a couple bucks besides, but I am not quitting my day job.
October 5th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Oh, my website is:
http://www.PBJae.US
October 5th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Yes, definitely. I am making money with my photographs. I am currently living aboard my 41′ sailboat in the Marshall Islands and am an avid underwater photographer. I have sold framed prints of my underwater photos, I have sold 1 page calendars with my photos on them, I have made note cards and post cards with my photos and I have done school customized Christmas cards. I love it!
October 6th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
In Jan. 2008, I retired after 33 years with the Fed. Gov. I have always enjoyed photography as a hobby, so I thought I would try to make a little money with it. For the most part, my pictures are landscape photography—some pretty good and some not so good. I have been able to sell 6 images through the website—not as many as I would like, but at least some. Although I should, I don’t do anything to advertise the website—so I guess you could say I’m not trying real hard to sell. Any comments or advice on my website, my photos, or selling photos would be appreciated.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I got my Canon EOS 400D a year ago and started my learning curve. I joined a Stock photo site in March and have made $400 so far (still a good $1100 to go to make back the purchase of the camera, but honestly, that is not the aim). I absolutely love it and it fits well with my writing pursuits.
I am blessed to have a supportive husband and 5 days a week to play with photography. Saturday is often a day when hubby drives me all manner of places and we spend a great day together, exploring and shooting.
Just this weekend we went out and invested in printing and framing. An ‘ouch’ cost I hope to recoup. I have some work to do approaching the local galleries to see if they will take my work. We also aim to get a website up, which will sell my photos and the jewellery hubby and I make also.
October 29th, 2008 at 7:10 am
It has been very difficult up to now. I sold a framed print, but did not make much more than that. Stock photo has been disappointing up to now, probably because my images are of limited quality and/or because they are too markedly artsy for this market.
November 11th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I have made some money selling home made blank (inside) photo note cards and an occasional print. Definitely not enough to purchase a Canon 5D Mark II. However, I consider photography a serious hobby and don’t really want it to become a business.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I’ve sold some prints here and there and it looks like I’ll finally be getting a gig or two in the near future. We’ll see.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:50 pm
I dream of winning the lottery and quitting my job so I can go and enjoy my two most favorite hobbies. Magic and photography.
I have a nicely paying but not as exciting day job, and my magic and photography keeps me from driving nine inch nails in my eyes from boredom. I have made (and still make) money from magic, but photography, I guess my D300 and I have a long way to go.
PS. When a hobby becomes a job, many people say it will lose it’s fun. That’s why I had a manager to discuss the business side of my magic, and that’s probably why I would not be very good if I throw myself into pro photography. I would suck at negotiations.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:53 pm
oh yeah, even though I read the whole thread (and noticed that you have to actually type in your website address) I forgot to include my website address. haha. See? Bad at selling myself.
http://pk.evanescentmoments.com
If anybody wants a subdomain or something to upload photos onto, then let me know! (Or if you have some “constructive” criticism on my photos, please, I would like to hear them.)
February 5th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I have gone from hobby and am beginning to venture into the possibilty of business. My wife also shoots and has considered having us move into weddings, my interests are very broad as you can see from our website and I would like to be able to make more from photography. I have made about $64 so far but believe the economy may be having an impact on the market. Most people are saving their disposable funds for a rainy day and I can’t say I blame them.
April 16th, 2010 at 8:40 am
I have sold a few 8×10′s of flowers, that I have taken at my favorite lake, I only charged 10 bucks a piece on Matte paper. Not looking to get rich or going pro. It’s still a hobby for me, even though a lot of people say I should go pro. I use a Fujifilm S2000HD camera. It is non-SLR. I do not use photoshop on any of my pics. I use Microsoft Picture it express 7.0 for brightness and contrast. I figure it this way. If the picture is not there, strive for it by taking many, many pics with all kinds of manual settings. Then when I upload to my computer, I just weed out those that did not make it. Believe me, it is a lot……….Larry
April 16th, 2010 at 10:03 am
I make around $500 each year selling through a fine arts gallery. Most of the photos bought sell for around $60 each. I’ve sold photos–generally matted, unframed–for up to $150. I also print note cards from some of my images, and they sell fairly well.
April 16th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
@ Dick and Larry, it would be interesting to know where you sold the pictures.
I sold approx. 300 pictures in microstock agencies where I have only a very small portfolio. I sold them in Shutterstock, iStockphoto, Fotolia, Dreamstime 123rf, very little on Crestock, Bigstock, Panther and Canstock. . That sounds like a lot of pictures, but on microstock with the micro-prices its not much, all together around 350 $ within one year.
Good luck to all!
April 16th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
In reply to Sarosa. It came as a big surprise that anyone would approach me and ask to buy my photos. I love taking all kinds of subjects, but mostly landscapes, flowers and bugs. I also like doing Macro. I had always wondered what people would pay for my prints, and I was leery that I would scare potential customers away if I priced them too high. So I figured $10.00 each would be a good starting point and if I sensed any hesitation, we could haggle a good price. But when this person didn’t even flinch, I went for it. He loved the colors and the clarity and said he would frame them for his living room wall. From that encounter, I had an artist approach me, and ask if I could photograph his oils, pastels, and charcoals and burn them on CD’s! He said it would be easier to give a client a CD than it was to hand them his large portfolio. I have not done that as of yet, but will very soon, I will let everyone in here know my results when I do. Btw, both of these people are friends, and private individuals. Larry
April 17th, 2010 at 1:07 am
I have made photos since I was 21, but mostly for fun, for myself, and when married with children, basically only for the family albums. My wife and I together with my eldest daughter started a business since having stopped being employed at management level for a number of companies in Asia. I have made photography a hobby since we started our own business . The introduction and development of digital photography helped tremendously, as I became totally independent from the film development-and printing business. The freedom to shoot almost anything that you can aim your camera at and then work with your images as you like, helped to learn quickly to make interesting photographs. While I am not directly making money from some of my photographs, I make photos of the products we produce and sell. My photos are used to sell our products on the internet or are copied on disks for customers. My real interest is photographing children, a most thankful hobby. I still have so much to learn before I can say that I am any good. But the fun part is the greater portion of the satisfaction; taking photos of small children. I have three grand kids plus one on the way, and they keep me busy. I want to learn, which is why I joined DPS.
April 17th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
I photograph weddings and do portraits – not professional – have that on every “contract” – I am an ambitious amatuer – my fees are considered nominal – just need to cover expenses- I also do a lot at no cost – would love one day to have this hobby become a viable second income….
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