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r u making $ with your camera?

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Darrel said:
Interesting points. I guess my opinions are mainly derived form the
event photography business which is a bit different than say
wedding, portrait or commercial photography. You are dealing in a
very fast paced environment especially when you are providing
prints on-site while they wait. You have to be the photographer,
Click to expand...
Yes, i agree with this. One trick that I found worked was to negotiate an honourarium fee with the event organizers - today I would expect something in the order of $200 to $500 to guarantee a reasonable base. This would include only a small number of print of their choice - however I would cover the event fully. Event organizers and participants could purchase pictures at a reasonabale price (depending on the event nature).

Since the even organizers contracted you for this work, you usually would have the upper hand to choose the best photographic vantage points, best customer visible location, etc.

You can almost rely on the fact that your normally superior photography will result in your continued use by the organizers. They will even refer you to other similar event organizers. I was successful with this approach for theatre, dance and model portfolio photography (however that was in the days of "overnight darkroom work" and not "instant prints at the event").

tony
 
I'd love to see some samples of your work done with the 5700!
Andrew McGregor said:
Hi Zen000,

I'm only shooting with a CP5700 at the minute, but I am making some
money with it.

I shoot Melbourne cityscapes and images of around town which I sell
at work and through friends of friends etc. I also shoot for an
annual rock festival here- giving them images of the event for
their website, sponsor reports, media info pack etc.

All in all, I make enough dollars to be able to claim my
photography spending back on tax each year, which comes in very
handy.

Even with only buying a CP5700 and Epson 1280/1290, if I couldn't
do this, I would have seriously questioned the expediture. I can't
believe the people who buy D1x's and 1D's, plus a selection of pro
lenses, just for a hobby. But its definately their money :))

I am currently looking at ways to open up other income streams with
postcards/calender/sovenir companies etc as I am looking to buy a
DSLR set-up this year at some stage.

If I can't get them interested, I probably won't buy the DSLR.
--
Regards

Andrew McGregor
Click to expand...
--
Erika Lemberger
 
You would hate me then. I take photos of my son's sports games (soccer, baseball) and at the end of the season, GIVE each parent a CD with a couple hundred photos on it. The photos have been adjusted in photoshop and are ready for printing. I also include on the CD 800x600 size photos for them to use as a screen saver if they want and instructions on how to go about getting the other photos printed.

I am doing this with my D100 and did it with my Oly C2100 ($499). The parents love it and I will do it for every team my son plays on.

Doing this has opened up some opportunities for me to make some money. Some parents have asked me to take photos at another one of their kid's games. Before I do this, I ask them to talk to the coach and other parents to make sure they are ok with it. I also tell them that it would only be worth my time if some of the other parents were going to buy some photos also. If more than $100 in purchase are made, I sell the parent who invited me the photos at cost or give them the original file to get printed on their own.

I know this may cut into someone's earnings who is doing it for a living, but I think you are missing something. It's not really the price of the camera that matters, it is the photographer. I have no delusion that my photos are "pro" quality, they are not. I tell this to the parents and if a "pro" were to offer them a good photo of their kid, I am sure they would buy it. However, I have seen many times when the "pro's" photos were not that good. In this case, he has only himself to blame if he losses sales.

One more thing. You don't hear H&R Block complain when I do my friends tax return. I am sure they lose LOTS of sales to armatures like myself.

Mike H
Darrel said:
I'm all for people who have the passion for getting into
photography full time, or even part time. My problem is with the
armatures that are merely trying to pay for their toys and have no
real commitment to the profession or business.

We were doing an equestrian event a while back, shooting for
clients, handing out cards, etc. Some $#$% with a point-n-shoot
trying to recoup his $500 walked around behind us offering prints
for almost nothing knowing that we were there trying to do
business. Guess he was trying to raise money for a new neck strap
or something. We spend a lot of time at events networking, making
our name known, forming relationships for other events, etc.
Armatures trying to make their $500 back on their new toy in some
cases really mess it up for those that are trying to make a living
at it.
Click to expand...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photosig gallery - http://www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=10477
 
Just my 2 cents.

Photography is not my full time day job, but I work for a local Law Enforcement/Public Safety Organization (Sarasota County, West coast of Florida) and do work related special events photography as well as the publications and promotional material. I enjoyed this so much that when they weren't using me I would still go to the event to get my own reference material for drawings and paintings. (my original interest in photography was to take pictures for reference material) I contacted a local professional in a photography association in my area. I have been working as an assistant to do weddings. I just started my own part time business as a protographic assistant and doing the photoshop work that the local pros do not have the time to do. I will be purchasing a D100 (an upgrade from an Olympus C2500L) and all the necessary accessories in a month or so. I had to justify to the wife that the 3K in new camera equipment would pay for itself.

I may never quit may day job since the benefits are to good to be true and a local Professional photographer will have a very hard time working a Law Enforcement/Public Safety Event because the identities on undercover personell need to remain confidential and the media is kept out.

I have been told by local pros that even as a amateur you need to keep your prices on a even playing field so you don't mess up the market for those that have to put food on the table with the camera. I have not tried to sell photos from events that I have worked but I may in the future.
If your work is superior you will be recognized and sought after.

I have had the pleasure of being published internationally, ;ocally and winning awards but that doesn't compare to seeing a mothers crying face after seeing a beautiful picture of their kids. I'd work for free if I could do that all day long.

A message to the hobbyist's out there (I will include myself), find a local pro to mentor you, they have more contacts and can help you out tremendously. this is how I started. They may even throw you work that isn't profitable to them but an amateur would love to do.

Just the ramblings of a DSLR wanna be.( but not for long)
 
"I have been told by local pros that even as a amateur you need to keep your prices on a even playing field so you don't mess up the market for those that have to put food on the table with the camera. I have not tried to sell photos from events that I have worked but I may in the future."

Brett,

I commend you and congratulations on your publications. I think you're going about it the right way and with the right attitude. You should seriously consider selling your images. I wish you all the success.
Brett Thomas said:
Just my 2 cents.

Photography is not my full time day job, but I work for a local Law
Enforcement/Public Safety Organization (Sarasota County, West coast
of Florida) and do work related special events photography as well
as the publications and promotional material. I enjoyed this so
much that when they weren't using me I would still go to the event
to get my own reference material for drawings and paintings. (my
original interest in photography was to take pictures for reference
material) I contacted a local professional in a photography
association in my area. I have been working as an assistant to do
weddings. I just started my own part time business as a
protographic assistant and doing the photoshop work that the local
pros do not have the time to do. I will be purchasing a D100 (an
upgrade from an Olympus C2500L) and all the necessary accessories
in a month or so. I had to justify to the wife that the 3K in new
camera equipment would pay for itself.

I may never quit may day job since the benefits are to good to be
true and a local Professional photographer will have a very hard
time working a Law Enforcement/Public Safety Event because the
identities on undercover personell need to remain confidential and
the media is kept out.

I have been told by local pros that even as a amateur you need to
keep your prices on a even playing field so you don't mess up the
market for those that have to put food on the table with the
camera. I have not tried to sell photos from events that I have
worked but I may in the future.
If your work is superior you will be recognized and sought after.

I have had the pleasure of being published internationally, ;ocally
and winning awards but that doesn't compare to seeing a mothers
crying face after seeing a beautiful picture of their kids. I'd
work for free if I could do that all day long.

A message to the hobbyist's out there (I will include myself), find
a local pro to mentor you, they have more contacts and can help you
out tremendously. this is how I started. They may even throw you
work that isn't profitable to them but an amateur would love to do.

Just the ramblings of a DSLR wanna be.( but not for long)
Click to expand...
 
Why would someone now pay you for something you've been giving away free all this time? Yes, you probably are cutting into someone's earnings.
Mike said:
I am doing this with my D100 and did it with my Oly C2100 ($499).
The parents love it and I will do it for every team my son plays on.

Doing this has opened up some opportunities for me to make some
money. Some parents have asked me to take photos at another one of
their kid's games. Before I do this, I ask them to talk to the
coach and other parents to make sure they are ok with it. I also
tell them that it would only be worth my time if some of the other
parents were going to buy some photos also. If more than $100 in
purchase are made, I sell the parent who invited me the photos at
cost or give them the original file to get printed on their own.

I know this may cut into someone's earnings who is doing it for a
living, but I think you are missing something. It's not really the
price of the camera that matters, it is the photographer. I have
no delusion that my photos are "pro" quality, they are not. I tell
this to the parents and if a "pro" were to offer them a good photo
of their kid, I am sure they would buy it. However, I have seen
many times when the "pro's" photos were not that good. In this
case, he has only himself to blame if he losses sales.

One more thing. You don't hear H&R Block complain when I do my
friends tax return. I am sure they lose LOTS of sales to armatures
like myself.

Mike H
Darrel said:
I'm all for people who have the passion for getting into
photography full time, or even part time. My problem is with the
armatures that are merely trying to pay for their toys and have no
real commitment to the profession or business.

We were doing an equestrian event a while back, shooting for
clients, handing out cards, etc. Some $#$% with a point-n-shoot
trying to recoup his $500 walked around behind us offering prints
for almost nothing knowing that we were there trying to do
business. Guess he was trying to raise money for a new neck strap
or something. We spend a lot of time at events networking, making
our name known, forming relationships for other events, etc.
Armatures trying to make their $500 back on their new toy in some
cases really mess it up for those that are trying to make a living
at it.
Click to expand...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photosig gallery - http://www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=10477
Click to expand...
 
Hi James and Erika

for a look at what I shoot with the CP5700 have a look at the cityscape page at

http://www.englishclubonline.net/melbournegallery.htm

I shoot JPEG because its easier to work with on my rather modest PC setup.

I have shot some NEFs and the quality seems fine. The CP5700 has noise in the blue channel problem that all CP's have though.

--
Regards

Andrew McGregor
 
To the amateur photographers: This post is not to blast anyone but rather to enlighten those that pretend to be a photo hobbiest at events.

I've been doing event photography for over a year now. This is not my full time profession and yet it is not a hobby. I've worked nearly every weekend which begins an hour after I've gotten off my regular job on Friday till midnite or so on Sunday night as well as every vacation and personal day off from my regular job. I spend most evenings either doing planning, phone calls and equipment maintenance/cleaning. Then there's then endless amounts of paper work involved with "being in business" that the typical hobbiest chooses not to do because he illegally calls it a hobby.

I don't just show up at some random event at some convenient time with $500 worth of equipment under arm ready to save the customer from the "official event photographer" that charges real prices, take a few shots and off I go with a pocket full change to cover the cost of my hobby and the cost of gas for the family car. All my events involve careful planning and coordination with the organizers of the event and in most cases a 1 to 3 hour drive to get to the event. Then there's setting up and preparing once on site. I must also have two of nearly every piece of equipment just in case of a failure.

Once at the event my days run 10 to 16 hours long because unlike the hobbiest I have commited to the organizers that I will cover the entire event and every participant of the event. I have yet to see the hobbiest stay for the duration of the event. Again, he's usually there just long enough to sell a few of his $5 4x6's and then he's off to wonderland with a pocket full of change, never thinking or caring what effect he might have on the photographer covering the event.

Some refer to the hobbiest as just taking food off the Pro's table. I assure you when you look at the expense of being in this business you will realize you are effecting much more than the food on the table. Some of the hidden cost of being in this business are obviously never realized nor are a concern by the hobbiest. For starters I have invested nearly $80K in the last year in my business to get set up and legally operating and none of this cost was for real estate of office space. This doesn't include the ongoing cost of keeping somewhere near $3000 in inks, papers, folios and other assorted items constantly in stock. I often ask myself why I would do this to regularly compete with "Joe Smuck" that hopes to make $50 this weekend so he can justify the $500 cost of his new camera to his wife.

I'd bet most of the so-called hobbiest "hustling" the events never give one thought to liability insurance ($1000 a year). Then again most of the hustlers never think that their actions as a photographer could have any effects that would require them to have this insurance. Most major event facilities require the pro to show proof of this insurance which is usually a one million dollar minimum! Keep this in mind; when you take photos at an event for personal use is one thing, once you have sold an image you're considered "in business" whether you sold it for $1 or $50, and you become liable and get to share in the liability for any incident aimed at the photographer that might occur while you were operating there (my insurance company would see to this).

Don't get me wrong, I love photography and the event work I do or I wouldn't be doing this to start with, but it becomes more difficult competing with those of you that show no responsibility to the business you are in that you call a hobby.

John
 
John Branam said:
see the hobbiest stay for the duration of the event. Again, he's
usually there just long enough to sell a few of his $5 4x6's and
then he's off to wonderland with a pocket full of change, never
Click to expand...
This is a serious question. How much do you charge if not $5 for a 4x6? For example, in kids' sports, I don't see selling a 4x6 beyond $5. If say $10, then there might be 75% fewer customers than $5, even if the photos were of high quality.

--
JR
 
James

I do understand we are serving different markets where pricing might be more sensitive. The smallest image we currently offer is 5x7. We sell 2 5x7's printed on a single 8x10 sheet (no singles) of the same image for $35. I do know where some photographers are getting much more than this.

You might consider offering a 5x7 for slightly more instead of the 4x6 just to see what responses you get. Your cost will be only slightly more (ink/paper). Keep in mind that the cost of actually getting that image all the way up to the printing stage will cost you the same amount when you consider all cost involved (your time, equipment, wear and tear etc.), and if you're doing the editing and printing yourself, it will take the same prep time and expertise whether your printing it out as an 8x10, 5x7 or a 4x6.

1. A lot of people will always go with the cheapest product available regardless of what it is. I remember reading about a very successful wedding photographer several years ago that offered 8x10's as his smallest print.

2. Your customers may only be willing to spend according to "their perceived value" for a print, not what they may actually be able to afford, with a 4x6 considered an ordinary snapshot. You might also show a 4x6 and a 5x7 framed so the customer can make a comparison.

John
James Riley said:
John Branam said:
see the hobbiest stay for the duration of the event. Again, he's
usually there just long enough to sell a few of his $5 4x6's and
then he's off to wonderland with a pocket full of change, never
Click to expand...
This is a serious question. How much do you charge if not $5 for a
4x6? For example, in kids' sports, I don't see selling a 4x6
beyond $5. If say $10, then there might be 75% fewer customers
than $5, even if the photos were of high quality.

--
JR
Click to expand...
--
John
 
Beautiful John! I concur 100% BTY, been to your site and love your work.
John Branam said:
To the amateur photographers: This post is not to blast anyone but
rather to enlighten those that pretend to be a photo hobbiest at
events.

I've been doing event photography for over a year now. This is not
my full time profession and yet it is not a hobby. I've worked
nearly every weekend which begins an hour after I've gotten off my
regular job on Friday till midnite or so on Sunday night as well as
every vacation and personal day off from my regular job. I spend
most evenings either doing planning, phone calls and equipment
maintenance/cleaning. Then there's then endless amounts of paper
work involved with "being in business" that the typical hobbiest
chooses not to do because he illegally calls it a hobby.

I don't just show up at some random event at some convenient time
with $500 worth of equipment under arm ready to save the customer
from the "official event photographer" that charges real prices,
take a few shots and off I go with a pocket full change to cover
the cost of my hobby and the cost of gas for the family car. All
my events involve careful planning and coordination with the
organizers of the event and in most cases a 1 to 3 hour drive to
get to the event. Then there's setting up and preparing once on
site. I must also have two of nearly every piece of equipment just
in case of a failure.

Once at the event my days run 10 to 16 hours long because unlike
the hobbiest I have commited to the organizers that I will cover
the entire event and every participant of the event. I have yet to
see the hobbiest stay for the duration of the event. Again, he's
usually there just long enough to sell a few of his $5 4x6's and
then he's off to wonderland with a pocket full of change, never
thinking or caring what effect he might have on the photographer
covering the event.

Some refer to the hobbiest as just taking food off the Pro's table.
I assure you when you look at the expense of being in this business
you will realize you are effecting much more than the food on the
table. Some of the hidden cost of being in this business are
obviously never realized nor are a concern by the hobbiest. For
starters I have invested nearly $80K in the last year in my
business to get set up and legally operating and none of this cost
was for real estate of office space. This doesn't include the
ongoing cost of keeping somewhere near $3000 in inks, papers,
folios and other assorted items constantly in stock. I often ask
myself why I would do this to regularly compete with "Joe Smuck"
that hopes to make $50 this weekend so he can justify the $500 cost
of his new camera to his wife.

I'd bet most of the so-called hobbiest "hustling" the events never
give one thought to liability insurance ($1000 a year). Then again
most of the hustlers never think that their actions as a
photographer could have any effects that would require them to have
this insurance. Most major event facilities require the pro to
show proof of this insurance which is usually a one million dollar
minimum! Keep this in mind; when you take photos at an event for
personal use is one thing, once you have sold an image you're
considered "in business" whether you sold it for $1 or $50, and you
become liable and get to share in the liability for any incident
aimed at the photographer that might occur while you were operating
there (my insurance company would see to this).

Don't get me wrong, I love photography and the event work I do or I
wouldn't be doing this to start with, but it becomes more difficult
competing with those of you that show no responsibility to the
business you are in that you call a hobby.

John
Click to expand...
 
I freelance for a couple newspapers, sell prints from vacation and take family portraits. I've made about $1000 since Sept.

happy shooting!
rich
Zen000 said:
Is anyone making $ with there hobby.
Note: this is not intended for the pro's! Just the ametures who
make some $ on the side. I would like to know how u do it.
Do you:
Sell prints?
Soot occasional wed?
Photo friends events?
Sell on internet?......
Also what type of photos have you made money in?
portraits?
Landscape?
Wildlife?
Sports?....

Im trying to justify the money i spend on photography. So im
looking to make some $ in order to, no not recoop but to buy more
photo equipment.
Thanks,
Nick
Click to expand...
 
Rich P. said:
I freelance for a couple newspapers, sell prints from vacation and
take family portraits. I've made about $1000 since Sept.
Click to expand...
How much does your papers pay per photo, front page and inside? What's their circulation? Just curious.

--
JR
 
But I have taken jobs to go shoot games for a group of people though. We don't have any so called pros doing this type of stuff in our area. I was trying to recoup money for my purchased.....they seen what I did for myself and hired me. It was fun!
ken
 
that price for a event photo sounds way too high to me. I realize there are expenses......but that is a very good profit margin it sounds like to me! I would say the parents need some competition there....lol. Sorry but you sound like your whining to me. Studio work I would pay that....but not events.

ken
 
Ken Seal said:
that price for a event photo sounds way too high to me. I realize
there are expenses......but that is a very good profit margin it
sounds like to me! I would say the parents need some competition
there....lol. Sorry but you sound like your whining to me. Studio
work I would pay that....but not events.

ken
Click to expand...
But seriously, I think for kids event, $5 for 4x6 may be low, but that is also the way to get the parents to buy on the spot (print using one of those 4x6 dye-sub printer), with no editing (maybe brightness/contrast adjustment). And then the make money when the parent want a larger print, like 8x10 or 11x14, that is when you spend the time editing. However I still cannot see charging more than $20 for a 8x10 or $30 for a 11x14.

The 4x6 will be like "ad", and you never know years later, the parent may still come back and order a reprint or enlargement.

--
JR
 
It's really not that high, pretty standard pricing for the event business. We charge $18 for an 8x10 and $10 each for 5x7's. It all depends on the event too. If we are shooting a World Championship Hunter/Jumper Grand Prix we charge more. If we are shooting a local kids Hunter/Jumper event we charge a bit less. You generally charge what the market will bear just like anything else. A Grand Prix winning dressage horse my cost upwards of $70,000 For mom and dad watching their baby bringing home the blue ribbon, $35 for a couple of prints is nothing. Everything has a value, it all depends on how bad the client wants to have that one special moment on print. When everything is said and done, the profit margin on these prints are not that high if you are running a LEGAL business, paying your taxes and insurance.
Ken Seal said:
that price for a event photo sounds way too high to me. I realize
there are expenses......but that is a very good profit margin it
sounds like to me! I would say the parents need some competition
there....lol. Sorry but you sound like your whining to me. Studio
work I would pay that....but not events.

ken
Click to expand...
 
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