# My future in your hands...



## GeorgiaOwl (May 23, 2008)

I once had dreams of being an artist. Before I dropped out of college I completed almost all the classes required for my art degree( it was those math, biology and science classes that kicked my butt!). 

Now, out of my job in the housing industry and facing a tough job market in construction management, I'm thinking about totally changing career paths and spending my days crawling around the mountains scrounging out a living as a photographer. At 38 and again - very unemployed, I'm very serious about this - not because I have some aspiration of being the next Warhol, but because I need to find a way to make money doing something I enjoy, and my wife likes to eat. Well, so do I. Electricity is nice, too.  

You only live once right? 

Here are some examples of my first foray into photography for more than just fun. ( Although it was still alot of fun!)

These were taken with a 5 MP P&S Nikon. My decision to jump in with both feet will hinge on feedback from this site, my family's input and alot of prayer. I don't think these shots are anywhere near the quality that alot of pictures posted here are - and those really really good ones get eaten alive!  

But, I won't know how bad they are until I post them. So here they are....
















































So, do I buy a better camera and go ahead with plans to start trying to sell pics locally at small art shows, craft shows and festivals....or stick to the snapshots and get a job flippin' burgers? (Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it won't quite pay my bills  Come to think of it, neither will art shows and festivals....but I gotta think there's alot less potential for more $ in the future at *B*urgers-*R-*us!)


Thanks in advance. And don't hold back. What you guys here think is very important to me....so don't be nice....be honest. 

owl


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## JIP (May 23, 2008)

You do all of the above and then some.  If you are going to just start out with no experience training gear or anything you just need to start out slow and go from there.  For me even though I went to school for photography while I was shooting weddings I worked 2 other jobs.  Your photos are nice and I would imagine probably sell but I would also not quit your day job (oh sorry I guess you already did) and I would not expect to just run right out and buy a camera and make photography my main souce of income.  One suggestion if "flipping burgers" is your other option would be to go out and get a job at a place like Ritz Camera or the like.  That way you can learn alot more about photography and get great discounts on your gear to boot.


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## GeorgiaOwl (May 23, 2008)

Thanks JIP. I didn't "quit", I was laid off. When the housing slump hit, the concrete company I was working for made 3 cuts in the last quarter, 40-45 people each time. I was in the last cut, and normally would not be looking to my hobby for income....but eventually the unemployment insurance runs out( it's not really enough to live on anyway) and I'd rather try selling some photos as a part time thing than taking a second job at blockbuster or whatever. Right now though, other than looking for a job I've got plenty of time to spare for shooting - and I'm out looking for a job alot anyway so I'm taking the camera along for the ride. 

Thanks for the input!


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## Mike_E (May 23, 2008)

Hi Georgiaowl,  Be thinking about the frames that you put your prints in as well.  Often the frame sells the print, sad to say.

Start looking for styles that you can build yourself and are selling in the shops around where you live.

Good luck, that particular bug is going around.


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## PhilGarber (May 23, 2008)

Ok, I was goona be nice..but you want honesty.

  If someone is going to be depending on you, you'd better make some money fast...Even if you hate the job. Your photos are good-better then mine. But photogs that make a lot of money, start out part time salesmen, I'd say most have a side job.  If you work your @#% off, you can  accomplish anything. That's my philosophy.

Choice your own path, just my opinion,

Philip


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## GeorgiaOwl (May 23, 2008)

Thanks all. Phil, keep the honesty coming - I'm fine with it. If they're crap, then please someone say so and keep me from wasting my time and money on it. I, more than anyone else - have a firm grasp on reality and know I am no professional photographer, nor a Van Gogh, or a Monet. 
  I've got too much to learn still, and a long way to go before I probably even sell the first small print. In case I gave the wrong impression, I'm still looking for a "real job"  - I'm just taking a worst-case scenario and assuming I'll need something to supplement a $6 an hour income. Sounds dire doesn't it? Well, in reality, ....it is.

Mike E. I'll need some luck....if no one will hire me, luck will be all I have.....well, luck and my camera.


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## JIP (May 23, 2008)

I am not sure what you are trying to do as a primary gig but if it is the $6 an hour positions you are talking about I sitll say you ought to try Ritz.  I am noy getting a clear direction from you (not that it is any of my business) but this is a good way to go for any budding photographer looing for this type of job.


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## GeorgiaOwl (May 23, 2008)

JIP, yeah, I gotcha. Thanks. I'm not in a big city, and we don't have camera shops out where i live. Still, there are some larger towns near me, and I'll def. put in some applications, etc. My primary goal is to make enough money doing anything I can( within reason  LOL ) to keep our home, cars and internet connection. heh. 

I'm not sure anyone wants to hear me whine about it, but maybe this will make more sense....

I was making around $980/wk at my job. I make $300/wk on unemployment. What I am "_trying to do as a primary gig_" is *not lose my house and everything else.* 

     In reality, I was just trying to add some levity to the post by saying I might have to flip burgers. Flipping burgers won't cut it, unless they want to pay me $45000/yr. So, you see I have to do _something_. Time is running out and I'm running out of options. Now, if I COULD manage a job at a photo store, I wouldn't have to make as much to justify my being there. Of course, we'd probably still have to sell the house and move into an apartment and maybe sell the truck, but if it was helping me work towards getting out on my own with my photos then it'd be worth it. Obviously, a career at Burgermart wouldn't afford me the same opportunities as something in the photography field, and living below the poverty line( _although I've done it_, is not fun) isn't really in my plans, if I can do something about it. 


So here's the deal as simple as I can put it. 

I've been trying to get another job paying what I was making for three months. I have only had one interview. I have sent out a hundred resumes( probably more). I have had some positive responses from people about my photos. I almost have nothing to lose. If you're going to lose everthing anyway, what's another $1500 to start a small photography business? 


I'm sorry if that all comes off kinda harsh. I don't mean it that way, but you seem to not understand where I'm coming from and maybe that will help you see my situation. Frankly, my situation doesn't matter as far as whether or not I should try to sell some photos. Whether I get another job or not, I'm going to try and sell them probably....the real question will be this: 


Will my photography have to provide me with a means to live? 


I'll let you know in three more months when I either have a job, or have sold everything I can to finance this photography idea. 
Sorry, now i'm just really doing a nose-dive. It's been a rough year so far. . .


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## Smith2688 (May 23, 2008)

I found a few of the images you had quite good.  In particular, that one with the rays of light and the 
moose (it's a moose, right?) is fantastic.  I wish I had something like that in my portfolio.

I don't have experience with any of this, but I just want to wish you and your family the best of luck in whichever direction you choose to go.


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## Renair (May 24, 2008)

Well you do have an eye for a photo-especially like 3,5,8.  Firstly you will have to think of a market within  photography that you want to sell to.  Find out pricing and also how competitive it is.  Wedding photography makes a lot of money, paparazzi can do also but is super competitive and hard work.  Landscapes can sell well in market stalls and possibly for tourist boards and for people who want nice pictures for their home, this will probably  work out best for income quick.  Last of all, best of luck and at least you can say you tried rather then thinking, 'what if.....'

Oh, promotional cards, go to Vista Print on the web.  Cheap and quality.  Dont be tempted by the free cards, only paying for postage, because they come with advertising on the back, looks tacky.  You can normally get 250 premium cards for about $19.99


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## craig (May 24, 2008)

For photography to work as a business you need a serious game plan. Liking to take "pictures" is not enough. Start reading books. Start going to school. Start assisting. Generally speaking you need to slowly, but surely ease your way into the field. Keep us posted on your findings and we will be able to help along the way.

)'(


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## PhilGarber (May 24, 2008)

GeorgiaOwl said:


> Thanks all. Phil, keep the honesty coming - I'm fine with it. If they're crap, then please someone say so and keep me from wasting my time and money on it. I, more than anyone else - have a firm grasp on reality and know I am no professional photographer, nor a Van Gogh, or a Monet.
> I've got too much to learn still, and a long way to go before I probably even sell the first small print. In case I gave the wrong impression, I'm still looking for a "real job"  - I'm just taking a worst-case scenario and assuming I'll need something to supplement a $6 an hour income. Sounds dire doesn't it? Well, in reality, ....it is.
> 
> Mike E. I'll need some luck....if no one will hire me, luck will be all I have.....well, luck and my camera.



We all need luck in these times.. Oils running out..thats a fact and we in america are suffering for the worlds dependence on it.


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## PhilGarber (May 24, 2008)

craig said:


> For photography to work as a business you need a serious game plan. Liking to take "pictures" is not enough. Start reading books. Start going to school. Start assisting. Generally speaking you need to slowly, but surely ease your way into the field. Keep us posted on your findings and we will be able to help along the way.
> 
> )'(




I would suggest this but by the way Georgiaowl puts it, he's pretty low on cash.


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## JIP (May 24, 2008)

So what kind of photography Business to you intend on starting.  And what exactly do you think you are going to get for "$1500 to start a small photography business".  If you really plan to start something you will be lucky to buy a decent body with no lens for $1500.  You really need to define where you want to go with this (not to us of couse but some of us here can help you with a little direction if you better define your goals).


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## GeorgiaOwl (May 24, 2008)

Jip, you seem to be that bucket of cold water I've been looking for...


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## JIP (May 24, 2008)

Well I don't mean to be I just think if you are wanting to do something, especially if you financial well-being may depend on it, you need to go into it with your eyes vey wide open and know what you are getting into.


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## GeorgiaOwl (May 24, 2008)

No,no don't take me wrong....I don't mind.


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## henkelphoto (May 25, 2008)

Okay, let me jump in here with another bucket of cold water

As has been said before, it takes more than just some nice looking photos to make a business. You may or may not be able to take great photos. The ones you show are nice, but I really don't think you'd get many sales with the ones you've shown. 

Remember, for someone to want to buy your photos, they have to be unique or something that the people in general can't do themselves. To be able to sell at art fairs, festivals and the like, you will need a large body of work. People like to look through dozens of prints looking for the one that they think is special. I've talked with a couple of photographers who show at the Cowboy Christmas Gift Show here in Las Vegas. They both market ranch/cowboy type photos, some in b/w, some in browntone and some in color. Both have literally hundreds of photos that they have made prints and matted for the show. They have invested several thousands of dollars in printing, matting and show fees in order to make sales. Even they don't do all that good on any given photo, it's the volume that makes them viable. One fellow told me he is on the road about 5 months of the year and spends the rest of the time working at getting better, more unique photos to market. 

In short, selling prints at art shows is fun, and you could possible make your investment back after a while, but I doubt you could make a living at it with your experience level. 

My advice would be to get out from under your house, selling it before you lose it to foreclosure, unless you find employment soon. Think about what you want out of life. You're 38, still young enough to make a major career change/location move. Personally, if I was that young again, I'd use the money I got selling the house to go back to school to get a job in the health care field and keep my photography as a great hobby. I've made a good career in photography, but the field is not what it used to be. 

If you are determined to become a pro photographer, get yourself a dslr and learn how to do everything on manual settings--manual focus and manual exposure. Learn how to look at light and use it for your photos. Do not let the camera think for you. Learn to create the right photo in your camera, not "fix" a photo in photoshop. 

Good luck in your life. Photography is not an easy field to enter and is even harder to stay in once you have started. 

Jerry


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## Mike_E (May 25, 2008)

Owl, once again, look into which frames are selling.  If you can make 4 frames of a comparable quality to those going for $150 in shops around you in a day, put a photo in and then sell for $75 each, that is at least a good start.

If you also put in those -frames with photo- a business card then you have the beginnings of a photography business.

It's not likely that you can sell 4 a day but an extra $300-$400 a week would help wouldn't it?  Even if you have to sit on the side of the road near the mall on Saturdays, you'd still be going home to your house.


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## Antithesis (May 25, 2008)

Taking pictures is the easy part of being a photographer, or so I'm told. The market for fine-art and landscape shots is pretty minute, and with the flood of stock photography hitting the internet, it's near impossible to sell a print. 

Plan on selling yourself as a photographer, offering a service, rather than offering prints. It can be done, but you have to "be the next Warhol" as you put it. If you need to make your mortgage, do what JIP is telling you and get a second job and start small with photography. Get your feet wet, understand the market and the requirements. 

The people just starting out are going to be facing the most difficult market. They need to establish clientell and chances are, most of them won't make it. It'll be far from easy, and your going to have to lower your standards of living until you get a good reputation, a good portfolio and likely, a miracle.


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## GeorgiaOwl (May 25, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate you guys giving me the advice. 

If I had the luxury of time or thousands of dollars to do something, I would. If I had a first job, I'd consider a second. If I had a situation that would let me slowly get into photography, I surely would rather do it that way. 

 But I don't have any of that, unfortunatly. 


All I have is that need for that miracle and a desire to provide for my family whether I am "hired" by someone or not. I don't expect to get rich....I just expect to keep my head above water to start - or stay afloat long enough to find a "real job."  

I'm not as crazy as I sound, ....
hopefully.  I just may be more desperate than you guys have ever had to be. And sometimes desperation drives people to try things that everyone else says can't be done. And sometimes it drives them to attack windmills.  LOL 

Anyway, thanks again. And the fact that no one said my photos were total crap is, at the very least, a bit encouraging. 

To me, the best thing about basing a career around photography is that there are so many avenues to try to exploit. So there are 6 portrait studios in town, and maybe there are a two dozen people in my part of the state selling prints at festivals and art shows...

I'm not planning on putting all my eggs in one basket, and I'm hoping to attack every market I can think of and hit it with everthing I've got. 

Again, thanks for all the advice, and even the cold water comments. I dont' mind at all and I know there are people out there that have been down this road before me. I hope, in the future I can learn enough to give advice to people like myself that are just starting out - for fun or otherwise!

See ya in the field!  
owl


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## itsanaddiction (May 26, 2008)

Just an FYI..im in the housing business and an art major but the maths, sciences, gen eds are kicking my ass! Just thought I should throw that in! hahah


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## GeorgiaOwl (May 26, 2008)

itsan', that's what did me in! The actual classes in the major were easy for me, but calcul..cal..c...i can't even spell it.


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