Photography: For Money or Love?
Posted on: April 30, 201010 Comments |
Photography. Why did you start taking photos? What do you hope to get from the act of being a “photographer”?
The first question is easy to answer for most of us. You may have bought a camera to capture your child’s first step. It could have been because you needed to grab some extra credits in college and though photography would be an easy kick to your GPA. Maybe you picked up a National Geographic as a child and were drawn in by the pictures?
The second question is often a lot harder to answer, as some of you may not even consider yourself a photographer. Chances are if you’re reading this article, you’ve visited this site before, you own a camera and take a lot of pictures. In that case, label or not, you’re a photographer. So what is it that you hope to gain? Do you want fame, money, a chance to leave your mark on the world? Could it be that you just want to take pictures of those special moments and have them to look back on, to show to your children and grandchildren?
Every time I look up there is someone making the jump from hobbyist to professional. People are buying canned photography websites, printing business cards, and trying to make that leap, trying to make money off their hobby. I admit, I’ve done it. I’ve done the website thing, printed business cards, done a few sessions for people in my neighborhood. It’s gone nowhere. The reason, well, I think it’s because it all feels fake, it feels forced and it isn’t who I am.
Who doesn’t want to turn their hobby into a full time gig? Who doesn’t want to make money doing the thing that they love?
In a perfect world we’d all be doing what we love, living happily off the benefits of our labor. In the real world life is hard, money can be tough to come by and we all need to make ends meet. The truth is, the photography business is over saturated with both good and bad photographers. I’ve seen the joy in the face of a person when I give them a print or they see their images on the screen for the first time. It’s gratifying to know that as photographers we can bring so much joy to someone, give them something to look at and remember the good times, the weddings, the childhoods, families all smiling into the camera.
I don’t pursue it professionally because I don’t think I’m good enough. I don’t think I can deliver what a client wants, as it isn’t my style to go out and force a photo. I’m just not comfortable doing it. Event photography isn’t my thing and I know for a fact that there are people out there better suited for it. I’ve done it, and still do from time to time to breach the “comfort zone”, but the more I try it the less I like it. I know my limits, know what I can and can’t do well, and try to accept that.
If people want a great wedding photographer, or an awesome kid photographer, I can recommend some of the best I’ve ever met. Local people that do a fantastic job. If something interesting falls in my lap however, I jump on it.
This weekend I’m actually shooting a wedding. I shot one other wedding, for a friend, over twelve years ago but nothing I’ve done since. Looking back at everything I just said I may sound like a hypocrite but there is a reason why I’m shooting this, a reason I jumped on it. The people getting married want something different, they don’t want the cookie cutter wedding photos, they don’t care for formal pictures or crystal clear images. They want film, angles, blur… they want something I believe I can deliver. The reason I jumped on this opportunity is because it allows me to approach the event how I approach anything else, I can take my time and capture the night the way I capture everything else. I plan on mixing it up, using both film and digital. I even plan on busting out the Holga and shooting a few rolls of distorted out of focus goodness.
Let’s put aside the money and art nonsense for a minute…
I wanted to talk about something else before I end this, I wanted to mention free photography. Some people frown on offering photography for free. The “professionals” will say that you are eating up their profits or taking money out of their pockets. I say, “Bull Shit!” When I attended the OneLight workshop, Zack Arias wisely said that there are photographers at all levels and clients in each level. There are the $100 weddings to the $20,000 weddings, and the same is true in any form of photography. If you can book a client at $25 then it’s money in your pocket, and less likely that the client would have paid any more for it, because either they can’t afford it or because why pass on a $25 price tag.
The same rings true what it comes to $0. If you can shoot something you want to shoot, something that you enjoy and think you can benefit from, and afford to do it for nothing… then it’s worth it. It’s especially worth it if we are talking something for charity, something to give back to your community. The best experience I’ve had yet as a photographer was doing Help Portrait last year. I took a day, went out with a team of local people and shot portraits in a homeless shelter and a woman’s shelter. You’ll never see those photos, not a single one. We shot the images, printed them on-site, handed them to the person or family, then deleted the images off our computers.
It wasn’t about the money, it wasn’t about building a portfolio, it wasn’t even about getting pictures to post on Flickr for comments. It was about the people we were taking pictures of. It was about seeing their faces when you gave them a photo, some whom have never had a portrait of themselves, or their children, ever. I can’t wait to do it again this year, you should do it too!
So, what’s my point?
The point is I needed to write an article. The point is these are the things that have been on my mind. I’ve been thinking a lot about my photography, what it means to me, what I want to get out of it. I’ve been watching people try to make that leap into the realm of “professional/semi-professional” money making photographer. I’ve tried it briefly, I’ve decided it isn’t for me.
The point is, do what you love! It doesn’t matter if it’s for money or for fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s self portraits, kittens and bokeh. It doesn’t matter if you love shooting flowers, bugs, weddings, children, or models. It doesn’t matter if you are shooting with film or digital. It doesn’t matter if you shoot a Nikon, a Canon, a Hasselblad, your iPhone, or even a one time use Micky Mouse disposable camera.
What matters is that you are photographing what you love and doing it in a way that makes you happy. What matters is YOU!
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April 30th, 2010 at 5:53 am
This article is exactly me at the moment, I am stuck and uninspired and trying to find a way to make money for my hobby (not really for myself) but if I am honest with myself, I am not really comfortable with charging for my photos – never have been, so if i want to make the shift into getting paid for it, I will need to make a serious attitude change.
Thanks for the food for thought.
April 30th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
“I don’t pursue it professionally because I don’t think I’m good enough.”
Why do so many of the ones who actually are good enough think this??
April 30th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
@ Brad — and vice versa.
I’ll be back with more on this later because I do have lots to say about it.
April 30th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
I have felt the same way. I hear all the time to not do shoots for free. I have been scolded for giving my clients a CD of their shots so they can choose where to print and how much they want to spend.
I work as a preschool teacher which I love and have been doing for 20+ years. When I started photographing the kids in my class, their parents hired me for family shoots. I charged some and not others. I do the paid shoots for extra money to help supplement my meager earnings…and I still love it.
Thank you for this affirmation that doing what I want to do and doing it for others as well as myself is OK.
May 2nd, 2010 at 5:28 pm
When I decided/realized/admitted… last year that photography is my hobby and not a profession for me, my enjoyment increased dramatically. For a long time I equated making money as a photographer with validation. Nothing could be more wrong. There are excellent shooters who barely make a living at this and mediocre to fair shooters making a killing. As in many professions, the skilled marketer will beat the skilled technician almost everyday. So, to be a successful pro shooter, you have to be a great marketer but only a decent shooter. That’s why this is a hobby for me. I would rather take pictures than look for clients. This is not a criticism at all of shooters who want to make a living at this. It’s an acknowledgment of what I want out of this hobby. And knowing that answer has made it a helluva lot more fun.
May 2nd, 2010 at 11:48 pm
I just did my first paid shoot and was pretty excited about it. In fact, I still am. However, I do realize there is a reason that I only charged what I did (which wasn’t much) and that is because I am limited in the scope of what I can provide.
It’s not because I don’t think I’m good enough. The minute I think that…I’m not.
However, knowing your limits is important, and letting your client know them is as well. My client chose me based on some pics she saw that I did for a friend. When I told her that I might not be what she was looking for if she wanted a certain style, she replied “You are EXACTLY what I’m looking for.” This spoke volumes to me and really boosted my confidence.
Am I the next Zack Arias? Hardly…but could any of us be?
Definitely. Just know your limits.
Good stuff B.
May 3rd, 2010 at 12:26 pm
having recently been laid off from a job/profession i have never really enjoyed, i am again faced with what i want to be when i grow up. obviously my thoughts turn to photography but i have similar qualms. if i could just shoot whatever i want and people would buy it, that would be great – but we all know it doesn’t work that way
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:07 pm
@robczn, @brad simply, we compare our output against our own expectations of perfection, and the fair of failure when expected to deliver due to lack of knowledge and/or skill will devastate us.
However, this article has my answer.
I’m fascinated by the idea of free. I’m an active and focal supporter of open source software, I belong to a free hosting organization called couchsurfing, if you’re ever in Johannesburg, South Africa, you can come stay at my house, for free. Why ?
I never really though about it but I love to give. It’s what makes me special, to answer Brad’s “The Future is X-Rated” post, and I never realised it.
In my family and friends I give free love and affection, my neighbourhood I give free time and community service in my residents association, software in open source software, a place to stay for travellers, if it was safe in my country, I would likely pick up hitch-hikers as well, a multi-millionaire, fund every silly wacky awesome idea that can make people smile or raise hope and spirits.
I’m waffling, I’m sorry.
I’m going to start something similar to Help portrait, not really sure what yet, but I know I want to do something free. Give people access to photography in a easily accessible free way.
Any ideas ? let me know
Henti
May 4th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
A great take on the subject. I have had numerous discussions with amateurs and professionals, and everyone sees the market differently. I think that anyone blaming their lack of success on other photographers taking their clients or market share, etc, then they are not trying hard enough. The market changes by the minute, and the successful photographer is the one who is able to provide their skill in a way that the client WANTS.
I would love to make some money off of my photos. I will not stop shooting what I want to, and if I cannot make money off of that, then thats okay, I won’t. I am currently in the works to take my existing work and marketing it to local businesses. For me, that is a win-win. If I can find someone who likes what I already have, then they get something they want, and I got paid for doing something I loved!
Doing things for free is a great way to do what you want, because otherwise, you wouldn’t waste your time on it! A few months ago, I helped my brother put together a collection of photos for his engagement: places him and his fiance have been to over the years and were special to them. I was so happy and excited to do this for my brother and his fiance, money was no concern at all. I spent a great deal of time traveling to different locales, braving ice storms and blizzards in some cases to get the shot. When it was all done, he wanted to pay me, and I just shoot his hand and told him it was no big deal. Seeing them happy with what I was able to create for them, that was more payment than I ever imagined!
I am not saying the “free” method is for everyone, but I love to spread good will, and doing things like that for free can make a big impact on people’s lives and will make them remember the photos as more than a service provided.
May 10th, 2010 at 11:58 am
While I don’t shoot for money (and have never aspired to, in spite of my education and professional background), I really appreciated your post about the choices people make as photographers. I KNOW I have no business shooting commercial work, and shoot for my own amusement and art only. that’s my choice, thankfully. I do worry about how some of the haphazard quality and/or business practices of “weekend warriors” effects the value of truly professional work, done by people with consistent skills, proper gear (with backup for gear failure) and reasonable business ethics. It’s fine to donate your time/work/shoot for love, and that should be encouraged. On the other hand, a lack of professional standards/skills should not be tolerated when charging people for a service, and more than it is by any other skilled trade, in my opinion.