# How'd THIS Happen?



## Steve5D (Dec 12, 2013)

You ever seem to fall into a gig?

About a month and a half ago, I was cruising Craig's List looking for a part-time  gig. Most, of course, were those offering next to nothing in the way of monetary compensation or, worse yet, "you can expand your portfolio".

I replied to one, though, which was seeking someone to shoot football in central Florida. It seemed unlikely, but I recall thinking it might be for University of Florida, which is in Gainesville. Instead, it ended up being for shooting a youth football league.

Well, it would appear as though I may have found a semi-regular gig. I shot that football tournament about a month ago. I'm shooting again all this week, and will shoot for this company again in the future. The money's not _great_, but it _is _pretty good. It's _far _better than anything else I've been finding in any other gig where I'd be shooting for another photographer. All I do is shoot. I don't edit, I don't upload, I don't sell. I shoot. That's it.

The money's not the point of the thread, though.

The point of the gig is that I feel like I kinda' fell into the gig. I've always concentrated, primarily, on music and concerts. Other than racing, sports (specifically youth sports) is something completely new to me. The owner of the company is very happy with my work, though, and will continue to hire me.

I just never thought that, at 51 years old, I would _start _shooting youth sports.

Ever end up shooting something that you'd never thought you would?


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## runnah (Dec 12, 2013)

Forrest Gumping your way through life?


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## Steve5D (Dec 12, 2013)

runnah said:


> Forrest Gumping your way through life?



Hehehehehe... I suppose that's one way to look at it. My never ending quest to avoid a "9-5", though, is is good shape!

This is just something on the side, though, but it's something I never would've imagined a year ago.

Ever find yourself in a position like that, photographically speaking?


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## EIngerson (Dec 12, 2013)

That's cool.


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## mishele (Dec 12, 2013)

Never too old to start doing something new!! Good for you for branching out. =)


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## cmhbob (Dec 12, 2013)

Pretty cool. Congrats on the gig.


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## Steve5D (Dec 13, 2013)

Thanks!

So, no one else has ended up shooting something, even semi-regularly, that you never expected?


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## manny212 (Dec 13, 2013)

Steve5D said:


> Thanks!
> 
> So, no one else has ended up shooting something, even semi-regularly, that you never expected?




My foot .


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## 12sndsgood (Dec 13, 2013)

I haven't gone to much into the semi-permanent gigs from thin air, but I have had instances where going out to shoot something for fun turns into paid work, Have had an instance where I went down to shoot a friends modern dance group during there practice and as i'm there I wound up talking with the women running the event and got hired to work the event later that night. And have found a craigslist ad (i'll go thru them just to see if there is anything interesting.) and picked up a small job shooting some cars in the area for a auction house, bit of a drive so I just offered to shoot it for what they were asking plus another $50 for travel and they agreed. that will possibly be some more work down the line when they have cars in the area but I don't expect it to be a lot of work.   I have gotten a lot more selective in who I will work with shooting for free, I photo models a lot for practice and it has turned into work for me.  One girl I shot I did her brothers senior photos a couple weeks later and then the moms sister called me about family photos. I am still surprised by where my work comes from.


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## robbins.photo (Dec 13, 2013)

Steve5D said:


> Thanks!
> 
> So, no one else has ended up shooting something, even semi-regularly, that you never expected?



Part of the benefits of being strictly amateur.  I shoot whatever I feel like on my own schedule.. lol.  Disadvantage of course, no tax right off for gear.. sigh.. sometimes it reallys stinks being Uncle Sam's favorite nephew.


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## skieur (Dec 13, 2013)

Steve5D said:


> Thanks!
> 
> So, no one else has ended up shooting something, even semi-regularly, that you never expected?



Yes, event photography and television production which at the time included Mother Theresa, the Pope, John Candy, etc.


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## GerryDavid (Dec 25, 2013)

Im always trying to keep an eye open for possible work, im not outgoing so approaching people about work is the  hard part for me.  I did a gymnastics school for 3 years when I took pics of them in their parade and dropped by the gym and gave them to the teacher.  The hours were long, the editing was endless but the money was descent considering the price break I gave them.


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## HitenNainaney (Dec 25, 2013)

At some point or the other, it does happen. Where you find yourself into a gig which you never looked out for or expected. 

I haven't been a freelance photographer for long to be honest. I've always been a hobbyist photographer and all the equipment mentioned in my signature was bought just for fulfilling my hobby. but not long ago ( a friend asked if i was interested in doing a shoot for local fashion brand for free. I don't really have anything to lose as i have my job as a financial advisor and that pays for all my expenses including photography so i said why not.

 The owner of the label work for an agency in dubai and through her out of the blue i found myself shooting a campaign for one of the world's largest beauty brands:  Dove. This gave me the much needed reassurance and ecgo boost to pursue photography as a freelance career.

Sometimes you just never know how one tiny thing could lead to a much larger opportunity and which is why, grab ever little opportunity you get.

 



Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk


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## GerryDavid (Dec 29, 2013)

What category did you find the job in, in craigslist?  I just thought I would take a look around but didnt see anything.


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## wyogirl (Dec 29, 2013)

I met the school superintendent at a farmers market, did his head shots and now regularly shoot awards ceremonies and school board meetings... I was looking for family photography gigs at the time. Go figure.


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## rexbobcat (Dec 29, 2013)

Congrats. 

I answered an ad for a Halloween party three years ago and now I've done it for the past two as well lol.

And then I shot a girl's senior portraits because she was the teller at the bank and we were waiting for...something...I don't remember. She asked what I did and it wet from there lol. 

Most random photo thing that has ever happened to me.


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## imagemaker46 (Dec 31, 2013)

I answered an ad on kijji just over a year ago and ended up shooting kids hockey for $13 an hour, they said I was good enough to pay me that. After shooting in the National Hockey League for 10 years I thought I was worth at least $13.50.  I only lasted a couple of months, they kept saying I wasn't shooting the style they wanted.  Seems that sharp, perfectly exposed good action wasn't what they wanted. I made a few bucks, they sold a lot of what I was shooting, but when the guy that only shoots weddings started to give me tips, I felt it was time to leave.


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## flightless_beaker (Dec 31, 2013)

Steve5D said:


> Thanks!
> 
> So, no one else has ended up shooting something, even semi-regularly, that you never expected?



A couple of times. An old boss of mine ended up getting me hooked up with a youth sports company that I ended up shooting regularly. It was nice because I was unemployed at the time and it helped out with my unemployment checks coming in. I ended up working a fulltime photography job and now they still email and text me asking when I can work for them.

My favorite though is I met up with a couple of friends of mine at a coffee shop to discuss some business that ended up never getting off the ground. While I was in the parking lot paying, I cracked a joke about being a photographer to my friend. This woman over heard me and asked if I was really a professional photographer. I said yes. She was a crafter who needed photos of her handbags that she made and said whenever she did them, they came out bad. I said I could do it (meanwhile in the back of my head, I've never shot product and was saying to myself 'how the hell am I gonna do this'), exchanged info and set up the job. I made a shooting tent out of PVC pipe and an old bedsheet. I only had one strobe at the time (was waiting on my other one to ship) so I lit the tent with two shop lights I bought for 5 bucks at Home Depot, put in daylight balanced light bulbs and shot it. They came out really good I think. She liked them and my client's satisfaction is what really counts.


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## yioties (Jan 6, 2014)

I did all the graphic design work for a Local BIA here in Toronto and the woman in charge saw some images I had taken with my D5100 on the wall of my office and hired me to take pictures at their annual street festival! I am by no means anywhere close to being a photographer and I explained that to her but she actually didn't care and paid me for my services. I have covered the event 2 years in a row.


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## GerryDavid (Jan 6, 2014)

yioties, how did you make money covering the street festival?  did she pay you by the hour for you to hand over the images or did you use some other method?  Im still trying to figure this area out.


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## yioties (Jan 6, 2014)

I actually got paid by the hour and did a general edit on all the photos. I gave all the photos in jpg and didn't give up any raw files. Come up with a decent hourly wage and go from there. ( raw files are a extra charge and in depth editing is an extra charge) 
It was a nice sunny day so the images that I provided them were great.


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## yioties (Jan 6, 2014)

I borrowed a buddies 17-50mm 2.8 Tamron and shot away!


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## ronlane (Jan 6, 2014)

Sports? Now you're gonna have to run out and buy new gear. A 1D, a 400mm, maybe a TC. You may be able to use the current body with a 24-70 as a backup or when the action gets close to you.

Better stop by Lowe's and get you some of those gel insert knee pads too.

Oh wait, youth, they won't be going that fast. Nice score on the gig thought.


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## GerryDavid (Jan 6, 2014)

ronlane said:


> Sports? Now you're gonna have to run out and buy new gear. A 1D, a 400mm, maybe a TC. You may be able to use the current body with a 24-70 as a backup or when the action gets close to you.
> 
> Better stop by Lowe's and get you some of those gel insert knee pads too.
> 
> Oh wait, youth, they won't be going that fast. Nice score on the gig thought.



if I get into sports I think I will buy a Pentax K-3 *better specs than a canon 1d mark III except for frames per second and its just slightly slower* and a sigma 70-200.  My only concern is the focusing speeds of a sigma compared to a canon.  but the specs of the pentax blows away the canon rivals and the iso performance is comparable to a full frame body but you still get a 1.5x crop for sports.  Ive been drooling over it since I heard about it.  I wont switch over from canon for portrait work, it would be a 2nd setup.


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