# what are some ways to make money in Photography in January?



## GerryDavid (Nov 19, 2010)

I'm trying to plan ahead for January and February, and I expect business to slow down because most people are broke for a while, until they pay off their Christmas shopping bills.

So what are some alternative ways for photographers to make money in January and possibly February?  Valentines day does help with February.

I mostly do portraits of families, kids, etc.  I do some weddings but I don't expect any of those in those months. : )


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## SLRJoe (Nov 19, 2010)

How about selling photos to stock photography websites?


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## KmH (Nov 19, 2010)

For many businesses, January marks the start of the new fiscal year and budgets get refreshed.

However, commercial photography has a very different business and pricing model from the retail photography you are used to doing.


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## SpeedTrap (Nov 19, 2010)

Sell your gear?


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## GerryDavid (Nov 19, 2010)

selling gear in January and then having to re-buy it in February doesn't make much sense to me, so instead of making no money, your actually loosing money.  great plan!  

I do some stock, but it doesn't bring in that much money, and most stock being sold would be Christmas from now till then, maybe be able to sell some valentines day stuff.

Ive been meaning to look into commercial work, just haven't had the time or know how yet.


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## jack58 (Nov 22, 2010)

SpeedTrap said:


> Sell your gear?



Smart Alec born every minute...


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## c.cloudwalker (Nov 22, 2010)

Shoot for fairs and craft shows. Of course you then have to get to those shows.


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## Tbini87 (Nov 22, 2010)

Offer some really great deals? Give a free print with any session? Not sure what you do already but giving some extra incentive to come on in might work for a month or two, and maybe state that the offer will be ending at the end of the month (or end of Feb or whatever).


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## Moonb007 (Nov 22, 2010)

joeprice said:


> How about selling photos to stock photography websites?



Sock photography is typically down in those months too, at lest that is what I notice.  I would try selling some prints at fairs or craft shows.  Typically you can find at lest one in your area once a month.


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## Paul Ron (Nov 22, 2010)

You can shoot Christmass cards, sitting on Santa, New yers eve parties, engagements, weddings, catalogs, interirors, model portfolios, babies, school pics, build your own portfolio, catch up on some of your wedding orders... just to name a few.


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## pbelarge (Nov 22, 2010)

Paul Ron said:


> You can shoot Christmass cards, sitting on Santa, New yers eve parties, engagements, weddings, catalogs, interirors, model portfolios, babies, school pics, build your own portfolio, catch up on some of your wedding orders... just to name a few.


 

These are some good ideas.

There are times in business when things will be slow. This is the time to sort through your business and maybe develop new plans for the coming year, or revamp your existing plans to the times ahead. Paying attention to your market and existing customers.
Some say this is the time to concentrate on the past/existing customers with specials, because they already know you.
Good luck and keep us posted as to your endeavors.


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## GerryDavid (Nov 22, 2010)

I dont think theres a huge demand of Christmas cards or santa pictures, or new years eve parties in January. 

theres not to many winter weddings here that I hear about, and none that have contacted me so far.

I dont have a school contract for school pics, its sweet money though, but I wouldnt like the assembly line non creativeness of it.

you can put off wedding work till the winter?  figured they wanted a fast turn around in general.

I plan to do some office work in January, work on a new sign/post, do a better website, but I figured it doesnt hurt to figure out some ways to get some paying work ahead of time.


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## Paul Ron (Nov 23, 2010)

I guess in a small town, poorer clientell, there isn't much demand for photographers anyway. Everyone has a digital camera and everyone is a photographer these days. Cards n albums are done online real cheap so competition is pretty hight there. 

When I was shooting for a living, Dec-Feb was engagement season and weddings were being planned for Spring. Most people start shopping for a photographer now. Putting out the feelers and getting your name to the top of the list is what you should be concentrating on. Check on old cutomers just to say hello n see if they need anything, they will spread the word for you as the nice guy. 

Yeah I can see how New Years Eve parties aren't as popular this time of year, I guess August if the best time for that.  

But seriously, New Years Eve and engagement parties are a good way to make some exta change. Hook up with a party hall n see what deals you can make. People enjoy the roaming candid Photog. Your assitant can get your CD finished before the end of the party for a nice presentation slide show as part of the party entertainment, make your sales right there, reorders online. 


.


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## GerryDavid (Nov 23, 2010)

I havent heard of engagement parties before.

Interesting idea for the roaming photog.  I dont usually like to sell digital files unless they pay $$$ for them each, but I havent had a ton of luck selling prints of candid shots in the past, so im considering the cd.

Do you just roam the party, take a ton of pictures, burn them all to a cd/dvd and sell that to who ever wants it?  How much do you normally charge?  I realize thats very subjective but its interesting to see.

I like the idea of making a dvd player disk with the slide show of the pictures because its harder to copy *not to hard but not everyone knows how but most know how to copy a disk of pictures* and sell that.  But it takes a bit longer to get it ready to burn.

Ill have to find out where the party halls are here.  Where are they usually located?  Im guessing at some hotels, and clubs like the legion and such.


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## Paul Ron (Nov 23, 2010)

THere is an entire business of roaming photogs at parties these days. Engaement parties are very popular as well here in NY. It also gives the couples a way to screen their wedding photographer so a good deal is always offered for this event. It takes some advertising and making yourself public. 

The slide show impressed the hellout of me at a friends party and I have been seeing more n more of it at other events as well. The guy spent the night going around to tables for group shots, catchinbg people on the dance floor, couples, people eating, talking, pre event gathering, food layouts, decorations...etc. Then near the end of the night we got a slide show. The photog was offering copies of it at the door for $20 a pop, also taking orders for prints n albums for all the guests as they filed out. His asistant was filling orders as he handed off the memory sticks all night. Smart cookies, he made a nice piece of change and got paid by the host as well. 

At a few clubs in NYC, my friend has a really hot cover band, the bar has a guy taking pics all night of people dancing n having their own little parties with their friends (lots of tourists in Greenwich Village clubs). He offers prints online and CD slide shows of the night. He hands out cards n makes himself obvious to the crowd so they wind up posing for pics n of course they want copies fo their trip albums. Nice way to make money hanging around the club. 

Get yourself listed with night clubs, restaurants n caterers. You advertise locally and be at town events n gatherings making yourself known as the photogrpher. Get involved. 

I don't shoot for a living anymore, I'm retired n just do this as a hobby now, mostly reapir n restore cameras these days. I see enterprising hard working kids like yourself making their own niches. 

Digital has made alot of this possable with instant access to your pics n technology that allows you to catalog n process orders on the spot using lap tops n WIFI. Your imagination is all that's holding you back. I had to wait a week to process that kind of film load, then another month to make prints n albums. your turn around is so much faster with less overhead.


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## Christie Photo (Nov 23, 2010)

I do a copy and restoration promotion in January.  It doesn't set any records, but it's cash flow.

-Pete


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## KmH (Nov 23, 2010)

joeprice said:


> How about selling photos to stock photography websites?


You don't sell your photos to stock web sites.

If they are accepted, the stock web site displays them, and you get a cut when someone licenses one or more of your photos from the stock site, so there is no immediate income, and it's highly speculative.

Great idea Pete!


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## GerryDavid (Nov 24, 2010)

Paul Ron said:


> The slide show impressed the hellout of me at a friends party and I have been seeing more n more of it at other events as well. The guy spent the night going around to tables for group shots, catchinbg people on the dance floor, couples, people eating, talking, pre event gathering, food layouts, decorations...etc. Then near the end of the night we got a slide show. The photog was offering copies of it at the door for $20 a pop, also taking orders for prints n albums for all the guests as they filed out. His asistant was filling orders as he handed off the memory sticks all night. Smart cookies, he made a nice piece of change and got paid by the host as well.
> 
> Get yourself listed with night clubs, restaurants n caterers. You advertise locally and be at town events n gatherings making yourself known as the photogrpher. Get involved.



There isn't to many night clubs in this area.  Plus I try to keep my evenings free to spend with my wife, so I try to be finished with work by 5pm if I can.

I'm not sure if I'm capable of shooting an event, get them ready to be put in a slide show, and get the slide show generated and burned all in the same evening.  I'm never satisfied with the white balance from camera, I find it changes to often to use custom and auto doesn't usually get it close enough for me.  Then once I get the raw files white balance corrected, it takes a while to process them into jpgs, and even longer if I get them resized for something suitable for a slide show, they dont need to be 18mp.  I guess this is where one of the top of the line mac laptops comes in handy.

But this is def something worth considering.  An assistance would be really handy, and perhaps one of those wireless memory cards assuming the range is good enough in a hall the size these are usually in.



Paul Ron said:


> I see enterprising hard working kids like yourself making their own niches.



I'm not as young as I use to be.    I'm almost 32 and just getting this business going.  Wish I had of thought of this career path back in high school and got an earlier start.   But then Id be using film, ew.  



Paul Ron said:


> Digital has made alot of this possable with instant access to your pics n technology that allows you to catalog n process orders on the spot using lap tops n WIFI. Your imagination is all that's holding you back. I had to wait a week to process that kind of film load, then another month to make prints n albums. your turn around is so much faster with less overhead.



Gotta love digital for the most part, I love the savings both financially and environmentally.  But its also to easy to get and everyone thinking they can be a photographer, and to many people loving the results these people are getting.  Ive done film, black and white and developed it, but I've never been satisfied with my scanned images, which is why I said ew before.


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## GerryDavid (Nov 24, 2010)

When does business usually pick back up for you all?

Valentines day is mid February, and im guessing that holiday brings in a lot of couples for pictures.  When do you start to get appointments?  Last week of January?


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## skieur (Nov 24, 2010)

I shoot more for organizations and businesses rather than individuals or the general public and I am diversified into doing presentations and television production as well. So, unless, I am shooting public relations material for ski programs etc. or getting lost out on the ice, I hardly notice winter from a work point of view.

skieur


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## rCOSIO (Nov 30, 2010)

Hey Gerry ... how about contacting your clients that you have done shoots with before and check to see if any of their kids are in any sports. I know baseball for highschools starts, and so do other sports. Also little league sports as well .... I have a partner that recalls on a lot of his old clients offering great deals on going out to one of their kids games .... shoots that, and ends up getting an updated family shoot out of them as well.


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## Lucky Che (Nov 30, 2010)

Real Estate photography. Agents have brand new budgets, the listings need to be shot and 80% of potential home buyers shop online. If the agent is unsure, offer discounts (10% off, etc.) You can cold call (email) agents by driving by a listing, taking a couple front exterior shots and emailing them with a BIG watermark. Check out the fliers if available, they may already have a pro or it may be painfully obvious they need one


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## PetsPhotography (Dec 7, 2010)

A couple quick thoughts...
Valentine's Day promotions should start January 1st. You want to do sittings in January so they can be given as gifts on Valentines Day. A Valentines day gift certificate promotion can always add on income as well.

Make the week after Christmas your "year end" or "New Year" special rates for sittings booked (not shot) before January 1st. This week is an ideal time to offer a special on family portraits as many familes are together for the holiday..kids home from college etc..
Book a January appointment in December and get a free (insert whatever) type of promo.

Unlike some other posts I read, I don't believe that January is time for planning the new year etc.. If a good plan was made in advance, January wouldn't be any slower than most other months during the year. For the best chance of success, plan your promotions at least 3 months in advance. Plan your business...don't react to your business. Drive the bus, don't be a passenger on your own bus.

Good Luck with everything.


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## GerryDavid (Dec 14, 2010)

im doing my best to plan ahead, but I also think of things last minute and forget some other things till its to late.  

Im thinking up my valentines day special and will probably start it in very early January.  were going to Canada after Christmas for a week to spend time with my family, so I wont be able to do any business here during that time.  Just facebook/email work.

For valentines day special, im trying to think of what to offer.  I try not to give away prints or discount them, but I may offer free duplicates, since it doesn't give me much work, just copy and paste the file before it goes to the queue, and since valentines day is for couples, doubles makes sense.  Ill just raise the minimum fee requirement to cover it.


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## GerryDavid (Jan 25, 2011)

welcome to the community.    You could put the link in the body instead of using the (.)


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## KmH (Jan 25, 2011)

Wow, 32! You're old.

Of course that makes me ancient and fossilized at 59 and wishing I was 32 again.

No they can't, because they must have at least 5 posts to post a link, but it's a $400 e-book.


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