anyone here have another career besides photography?

[Alex_B]

really making money with photography is hard if you try to sell your arty pictures as far as i understand.

if however you do photography on events (weddings, and others), then you can earn some, but most of the time not get rich. and that sort of event-photography is more or less a full time job I would guess.

Anyway, the only few occasions when any of my images where used professionally (magazine, websites, ...) I did not really earn money with it as it was for non-commercial organisations or other reasons preventing me to get rich

Also, those shots were my crappiest images usually, but they accidentally met the needs This tells you that to earn money it is often not about composition, light and all that, ... sad but true. I guess many (potential) customers cannot tell the difference between a technically good or bad image, not to speak of the ignorance regarding the art of good composition and all that.

 

[jack lumber]

My occupation?,2 guess,s

 

[Iron Flatline]

I am an investor, and own several businesses. I travel all over the world (well, LA, NY, Berlin and Amsterdam) and always have a camera anda lens or two with me. I'm now financially in a position to buy whatever gear I want, but have very little time to shoot. I need it as a creative outlet from business, and prefer to shoot alone when I don't have to talk to anyone. I use the time on long-distance flights in business class and my shiny new laptop to work on my images, or while "participating in" conference calls.

 

[dewey]

I'm a software engineer by day... which really helps because my travel around the world is paid for. Photography is just extra money at this point, and after time in the camera store it costs me more than I make anyway!

 

[guitarkid]

Been in the IT field for about 10 years. Not because I wanted to, but because I'm good at it. That pays the bills.

For fun I started my Studio about 3 years ago, which started as digital video production and DVD authoring and branched to digital photography about a year ago. I have been in photo and video for about 15 years now...went to school for film. Then of course there is the recording studio, being a guitarist for 17 years, almost signed twice, once by Warner Bros. BUT being that bandmates are idiots the gigs fell through. So enough with the rockstar thing..... I'm an IT guy who charges people for video, photo and audio production work...usually breaking even on the biz end while recording my own music in the studio (if there is time.)

 

[ShandaLear]

My actual work is as a writer, editor, and webmaster. Mostly writer. I write articles under my own name, books under a pen name-- nope, you'll just have to guess- I don't tell -- and edit/co-own a magazine that does romance reviews.

I also do websites. Photography is more or less a hobby.

 

[kman627]

I work as an electronics technician/ Defense contractor for the Navy's Offscore range here in So. Cal. A little photography income on the side.

 

[JIP]

Well currently, at least before I was sidelined with a leg broken in several places actual photography (at least shooting) was what I considered my third job. My main position is the landscape supervisor for a retirement community and job #2 is camera sales at Ritz Camera. I hope someday to get into a studio but for me I think I would like to purchase an established business rather than start from the ground up.

my leg:

 

[fmw]

I've been a part time pro most of my life but was a full time pro for only part of it.

One of the problems with making a career out of photography is that it changes from being a hobby to being work. You can certainly enjoy the work but it isn't like enjoying a hobby. With a hobby you only need to satisfy yourself. As a pro I had to satisfy clients primarily and myself only secondarily. I got so I wouldn't even take a camera on vacation for fear that I would start looking for stock shots instead of recreating.

I started as a hobbyist. I spent many years as a full time pro and now I'm a hobbyist again. I no longer do photography for money at all. I'm in the E-commerce business since 1998 and I do photography for my own web sites but I no longer do photography for others. It took me nearly 5 years from the time I closed my commercial photo business to pick up a camera again to do something creative.

 

[ladyphotog]

I've been a part time pro most of my life but was a full time pro for only part of it.

One of the problems with making a career out of photography is that it changes from being a hobby to being work. You can certainly enjoy the work but it isn't like enjoying a hobby. With a hobby you only need to satisfy yourself. As a pro I had to satisfy clients primarily and myself only secondarily. I got so I wouldn't even take a camera on vacation for fear that I would start looking for stock shots instead of recreating.

I started as a hobbyist. I spent many years as a full time pro and now I'm a hobbyist again. I no longer do photography for money at all. I'm in the E-commerce business since 1998 and I do photography for my own web sites but I no longer do photography for others. It took me nearly 5 years from the time I closed my commercial photo business to pick up a camera again to do something creative.

I couldn't agree more. I have been in the photo industry for 23 years. I just started shooting again after being away from it for about 4 years. I owned a studio and made good money from it, however it will run your life. The majority of the types of photography that you can make any money at are on the weekends and evenings. I am now working as a field service technician for a photo machine manufacturer. I feel like I'm still in the industry but not so much so that it takes my passion away from wanting to pick up a camera.

 

[Claff]

Amen on the hobby/work thing.

I used to write a ton. I mean tons. Both fiction and non-fiction as I worked my way into an editorial position with a regional racing publication. At first it was cool to get paid to do what I was doing anyway, bout time the hobby started paying its way. But then there were deadlines and people asking me to do articles on their 12 year old prodigies when I had no desire to do so, and people saying good job, except you forgot about this and that and I think you misquoted me here and here.

Got out of that business (not necessarily voluntarily) but still write, now as a contractor for individual race teams. The bosses are less demanding but it's still work rather than fun, and I haven't written a word 'for me' in quite a few years.

I've sold or traded pictures here and there but I'd rather give them away if asked. If my photography turned into work, what would be left for me?

 

[katieskids]

I had a daycare in my home until June. I now work as a freelance reporter for our local paper and make dvd tributes for funerals!

 

[Orgnoi1]

Of course... too many starving photographers out there... I work as a central office technician for a fairly large telephone company... =)

 

[stc9357]

My job is highschool and this is the last year of it I plan on going to college and majoring in environmental engineering I've already been accpeted to one school and will most likely 75% get a full scholarship there so that will leave money to spend on photography when I'm in college.

 

[struss]

I used to work as an interactive/user interface designer. Photography was my major in college and minor in graduate school (majored in multimedia). Now I'm a stay-at-home mom. I made some money from photography...I took my own and my baby's pictures for the passports, haha. My hushand had his done at the passport submitting place (no faith on my "professional skill") Anyway, I'm so glad to find so many people with the same interest and so much passion in photography.