# Need to buy a $600 camera and make moeny



## wild4alaska

I am going to spend 1000 on a camera I need to know if i should buy new or used. I also need to know what I can shoot with a cheaper dslr and how I go about this whole freelance thing I want to do landscape photography and sell it eventually. Photograph the Northern Lights when I get a Mark3 But until then I need to create some revenue and fast I live in anchorage Ak and there are alot of business events during the winter, I just need to know some idea. If anyone could be my mentor and help my I would be so thankful for that. My ideal mentor should already be making money with his camera.


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## SCraig

Pardon me if this is a silly question, but do you have any knowledge of photography?


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## ghache

i think you need to smoke a fatty and relax, get a job if you want to make money that quick, not a camera.


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## Braineack

one does not simply make moeny.


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## KmH

Landscape and Nature/Wildlife photography is a tough sell, even for solidly established, well known, professional landscape photographers.

The vast majority of photos that sell have people in them, and are bought by the people in the photos.

Be that as it may, successful business ventures start with a well researched and written business and marketing plan.
Who will you market your landscape images too? How will you market your work? Will you sell digital files? If you sell digital files, how do you control the quality of any prints made from the digital file?
Prints? If prints, on what substrate? Chromogenic paper, fine art inkjet paper, metal, acrylic, Masonite? Framed? 
Starting & Managing a Business | SBA.gov

You mentioned living off the grid in your welcome.
How will you contact potential buyers, be they individuals or businesses?
You will need to edit the images you make to prepare them for sale.


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## Trever1t

$2000


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## ghache

if you pay me to travel to alaska, i will mentor you for a week. PM for rates.


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## tirediron

Why do you feel photography is your ticket to quick wealth?  Why not carpentry, dog-grooming, or dentistry?  As many have come before you have learned, there's a LOT more to photography than picking up a camera and making money.  While it might not appear so to the uninitiated, there is a LOT of skill and knowledge that go into making an image that people will pay money for.  Then of course, there's the whole business side of things which Keith has already mentioned.  How about stopping for a minute, catching your breath, and giving us some detail on your background, skill-level, etc?


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## amolitor

If you spend $1000 on a $600 camera, you've already lost $400.

What you need to do is work out how to buy a $1000 camera for $600, then turn around and sell that same camera for $800.


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## jwbryson1

amolitor said:


> If you spend $1000 on a $600 camera, you've already lost $400.
> 
> What you need to do is work out how to buy a $1000 camera for $600, then turn around and sell that same camera for $800.




And there you have it.


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## nycphotography

amolitor said:


> If you spend $1000 on a $600 camera, you've already lost $400.
> 
> What you need to do is work out how to buy a $1000 camera for $600, then turn around and sell that same camera for $800.



And then figure out how to repeat that feat 5x to 10 x a month.


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## terri

Hi Ben, and welcome to the forum!     You mentioned wanting a mentor, TPF has a mentoring program that you may want to check into.    

Lots of comments here by those who understand that, practically speaking, it takes a lot of work and know-how to make money from photography!   You do live in an exceptionally beautiful part of the world, and I don't doubt that there are lots of events that you could shoot.   But you would do yourself a favor by slowing down, working at any job to pay the bills while you study photography and save up for a camera that will suit your needs.    

It's not an_ impossible_ goal you have set for yourself, but it is one that requires lots of patience, time, know-how and money.             Be willing to given yourself a long learning curve and simply begin at the beginning.    Be patient!


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## jamesbjenkins

I...... I....... Just don't know how to start replying to this. OP, if you don't already love photography, have significant skill in creating technically accurate images that show creativity and artistry... Go somewhere else. You don't pick up a camera with the sole intention of using it to make money. The very idea of that is insulting to me and all the other people who have slaved away, spending thousands of hours on mastering their craft. 

On a more practical level, if you don't put in the work to be fully proficient, or cheat the system by having an X factor like excellent marketing skills (i.e. Jasmine Star), your images will likely be mediocre at best, and more likely just total crap like most of the denizens of Craigslist. 

Save yourself and the people who will cross your path the headache. Go sell cars or cellphones or something.

... Now, if you're buying a camera because you enjoy photography and want to get better. That's obviously a completely different story. There are thousands of helpful threads here if that's your goal. Just know going into this, as Terri and others have said, it will likely take years before any discerning eye will find your work worth paying large sums of money for...


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## Devinhullphoto

When you figure out how to see landscape photos fast and get rich please pass the word on. Haha


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## gsgary

tirediron said:


> Why do you feel photography is your ticket to quick wealth?  Why not carpentry, dog-grooming, or dentistry?  As many have come before you have learned, there's a LOT more to photography than picking up a camera and making money.  While it might not appear so to the uninitiated, there is a LOT of skill and knowledge that go into making an image that people will pay money for.  Then of course, there's the whole business side of things which Keith has already mentioned.  How about stopping for a minute, catching your breath, and giving us some detail on your background, skill-level, etc?



**** that i don't want him doing what i do, Carpentry is not that easy to make big money you need to be fast and precise it will take him years to be half as fast as me


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## o hey tyler

gsgary said:


> **** that i don't want him doing what i do, Carpentry is not that easy to make big money you need to be fast and precise it will take him years to be half as fast as me



I didn't realize you and he would be competing for carpentry clients in Alaska.


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## runnah

o hey tyler said:


> gsgary said:
> 
> 
> 
> **** that i don't want him doing what i do, Carpentry is not that easy to make big money you need to be fast and precise it will take him years to be half as fast as me
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I didn't realize you and he would be competing for carpentry clients in Alaska.
Click to expand...


If I am not mistaken most residents use blocks of ice to build their homes in Alaska.


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## Gavjenks

jamesbjenkins said:


> Save yourself and the people who will cross your path the headache. Go sell cars or cellphones or something.


How is this not insulting to people who have spent thousands of hours mastering car and cellphone sales?

There's nothing magically special about photography that makes it oh so much harder to make money at than anything else.  If you're doing it as a small self employed business from scratch, that's when it's really hard.  But probably mostly because of the "small, self employed business" part.

Starting your own car sales business from scratch would be as difficult or more so (and certainly require more capital).



BUT if you can get yourself a gig working for an existing business, then the slope is much shallower for starting to make money. (local newspapers, magazines, etc., or partnering with real estate people, etc.).  You will need initial skills that may take a few years to develop to get a good job like this. But so would you also need years of sales experience to get the best paying cellphone and car sales positions at existing companies.


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## Majeed Badizadegan

This thread: 


And


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## ghache




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## amolitor

I don't think the suggestion was that the OP launch a car dealership or start a cell phone manufacturing venture. I think the suggestion was, essentially, "If you need money quickly, get a job that pays a wage" which is extremely sound advice.


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## gsgary

o hey tyler said:


> I didn't realize you and he would be competing for carpentry clients in Alaska.



If he managed to keep up with me he would be on the equivalant of about $70,000+


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## Railphotog

Don't start vast projects with half vast ideas!


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## Gavjenks

amolitor said:


> I don't think the suggestion was that the OP launch a car dealership or start a cell phone manufacturing venture. I think the suggestion was, essentially, "If you need money quickly, get a job that pays a wage" which is extremely sound advice.


Okay, so there's basically three categories of jobs relevant to this thread:

1) Unskilled wage labor that pays minimum wage and doesn't require a resume other than not being a sex offending guy with no limbs. This is what the OP needs to get now if he needs to pay next month's rent.

2) Skilled labor in areas other than photography, which will require a resume and skills and will take some years to build up to. For instance, working at a car dealership in sales. Or starting your own bakery.

3) Skilled labor in photography, which will also require a resume and skills that will take some years to build up to. Whether it be with an existing company (newspapers for example) or starting your own business.


So we all agree that #1 is what he needs now if he is desperate for cash and doesn't know what he is doing.

My point, though, is that while he is working at a job in category #1, he might as well be training and getting the skills in his free time for a job in category #3, if photography is what makes him happiest. Because it won't be any more effort than getting a good job in category #2 later on.


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## terri

mmm-kay, the OP has not commented any further in this thread but somehow it's 2 pages long.    

Unless and until the OP returns and wants to continue this discussion, please refrain from posting in here again.   Let him consider your posts and suggestions, and give him a chance to reply.    Thankee!


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## imagemaker46

Who's to say he can't make quick money in Alaska?  He is in a remote area. Perhaps he has a specific photographic skill set.  I don't expect there are hundreds of photographers currently working there.  He could get a good digi cam for less than a $1000, read a few pages and shoot weddings, portraits etc. Geez people really like to dump on people's dreams for quick cash.


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## Majeed Badizadegan

imagemaker46 said:


> He could get a good digi cam for less than a $1000, read a few pages and shoot weddings, portraits etc. .



Recipe for success 

/s


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## Trever1t

ghache said:


>



Sunglasses were saved!


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## IByte

Trever1t said:


> $2000



I'll see your 2k and raise you a 100,000....candy bar.  Something tells me I do not want to be in hear.


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## 412 Burgh

Give a man a fish. Feed him for the day. Teach a man how to fish. Feed him for a laugh time. Or something like that. I suggest reading a few books and getting an hourly job as all these fine TPF members already said.


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## bratkinson

Weddings...do weddings.

There have been posters here and elsewhere that have nothing more than entry level equipment and shoot weddings for a couple hundred bucks.  They don't have much of a clue about what makes a good shot, a quality shot, or good post-processed shot.  They "spray and pray" that they'll get enough pictures to satisfy the clients.  From what I can tell, most of the clients would be satisfied with anything even a little bit better than what they or someone else could have done with a cell phone or tablet camera.

As illogical and impossible as what I wrote above seems to most people on this site, minimally experienced shooters can make some loose change...as long as the happy couple don't have any great expectations and weren't charged more than, say, $200.


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## imagemaker46

It's not difficult to shoot any event as long as the camera owner doesn't set the bar too high.


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## ghache

412 Burgh said:


> Give a man a fish. Feed him for the day. Teach a man how to fish. Feed him for a laugh time. Or something like that. I suggest reading a few books and getting an hourly job as all these fine TPF members already said.




We have that saying in new brunswick, Give a mad a fish, feed him for the day, teach a man how to fish, hes going on unemployement for 6 months, hhahaha


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## Steve5D

Wow.

I'm never the guy who tells people to forget their dreams, but that doesn't mean I can't be a little critical here and there. I know you didn't ask for a critique of your blog, but seeing as it's something that can help make you money, I'm approaching it from that perspective.

I took a look at your blog. I see a great deal of potential. Unfortunately, that's _all _I see: _Potential_.

Your blog is a reflection of who you are. It's something that people can look at to get a sense of who you are. It's where they can get a sense of not only what you do, but how you do it. If you're wanting people to hire you, you have to allow for the possibility that the content of your blog might be considered in the decision.

Your blog will guarantee that you're never hired by anyone.

Some suggestions: Use a spell check program. You have more misspelled words than I care to count. Learn the principles of basic grammar and capitalization. Learn how to form, and post, a paragraph. Learn proper punctuation. Learn to use the proper words for the thoughts you want to convey. For instance, you have this statement on your blog:



> _Hello my name is Ben and I just moved to Alaska to peruse my dream of living a self sufficient life off grid._



"_Peruse_"? I think you mean "pursue". While _you _may attribute that to a simply typo (well, two, actually), a reader _won't_. A reader; _a potential client_, will look at your blog and will quickly lose count of all the red flags going up. They _will _go elsewhere.

Whether your goal is realistic or not is going to be impacted by many things. Having a nice camera and a knowledge of photography are only two of those things, and those two things are rarely enough...


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## raventepes

imagemaker46 said:


> Who's to say he can't make quick money in Alaska?  He is in a remote area. Perhaps he has a specific photographic skill set.  I don't expect there are hundreds of photographers currently working there.  He could get a good digi cam for less than a $1000, read a few pages and shoot weddings, portraits etc. Geez people really like to dump on people's dreams for quick cash.



I will. I live 170 miles from where he lives. I grew up in the city he lives in and know it all too well. I also try to get there at least 4 times a year, for whatever reason I may come up with. Yes, Alaska is pretty remote, but there's a lot of competition in this state for photography, just like any other. You really do have to find a niche, or go somewhere that has few to no "pros" in the area. 

I'm not saying it can't be done, per se, but I will say that given his original post, it leaves me with the feeling that he has no idea what he's doing. As pointed out, it takes years to hone a craft of any kind, and again, just seems to me that he's starting from scratch and complete zero knowledge of what he's trying to get into. I'll be waiting to hear what he has to say though. And hey. I live fairly close to him. If he wants, he can PM me and maybe I can point him in the right direction.


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## imagemaker46

raventepes said:


> imagemaker46 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Who's to say he can't make quick money in Alaska? He is in a remote area. Perhaps he has a specific photographic skill set. I don't expect there are hundreds of photographers currently working there. He could get a good digi cam for less than a $1000, read a few pages and shoot weddings, portraits etc. Geez people really like to dump on people's dreams for quick cash.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I will. I live 170 miles from where he lives. I grew up in the city he lives in and know it all too well. I also try to get there at least 4 times a year, for whatever reason I may come up with. Yes, Alaska is pretty remote, but there's a lot of competition in this state for photography, just like any other. You really do have to find a niche, or go somewhere that has few to no "pros" in the area.
> 
> I'm not saying it can't be done, per se, but I will say that given his original post, it leaves me with the feeling that he has no idea what he's doing. As pointed out, it takes years to hone a craft of any kind, and again, just seems to me that he's starting from scratch and complete zero knowledge of what he's trying to get into. I'll be waiting to hear what he has to say though. And hey. I live fairly close to him. If he wants, he can PM me and maybe I can point him in the right direction.
Click to expand...


Thanks for posting this, it does give us a better idea of what it is like in Alaska.  I really don't think he has a clue either.


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## Light Guru

Steve5D said:


> Wow.
> 
> I'm never the guy who tells people to forget their dreams, but that doesn't mean I can't be a little critical here and there. I know you didn't ask for a critique of your blog, but seeing as it's something that can help make you money, I'm approaching it from that perspective.
> 
> I took a look at your blog. I see a great deal of potential. Unfortunately, that's _all _I see: _Potential_.
> 
> Your blog is a reflection of who you are. It's something that people can look at to get a sense of who you are. It's where they can get a sense of not only what you do, but how you do it. If you're wanting people to hire you, you have to allow for the possibility that the content of your blog might be considered in the decision.
> 
> Your blog will guarantee that you're never hired by anyone.
> 
> Some suggestions: Use a spell check program. You have more misspelled words than I care to count. Learn the principles of basic grammar and capitalization. Learn how to form, and post, a paragraph. Learn proper punctuation. Learn to use the proper words for the thoughts you want to convey. For instance, you have this statement on your blog:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Hello my name is Ben and I just moved to Alaska to peruse my dream of living a self sufficient life off grid._
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "_Peruse_"? I think you mean "pursue". While _you _may attribute that to a simply typo (well, two, actually), a reader _won't_. A reader; _a potential client_, will look at your blog and will quickly lose count of all the red flags going up. They _will _go elsewhere.
> 
> Whether your goal is realistic or not is going to be impacted by many things. Having a nice camera and a knowledge of photography are only two of those things, and those two things are rarely enough...
Click to expand...


Oh you don't even need to read the blog to not want to hire the guy to photograph anything. There are 5 photos an 4 of them are extremely out of focus.


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## terri

Thanks so much for respecting my request to wait to hear back from the OP before going on with this thread.   

Guess some of your mouths can't help flappin'.      :er:


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