elsaspet
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2004
- Messages
- 4,054
- Reaction score
- 37
- Location
- Dallas
- Website
- www.visionsinwhite.com
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
I had a poster here who asked how I got started and ended up where I am.
Here is is Lid!
I was not even 40 when I had my first grandchild. I really wanted a camera, because I know well how quickly children grow. My husband bought me a Canon Elan 7NE (film camera). I took pictures of flowers in my back yard, and because I didn't get to see my grandchild often enough, started taking photos of neighbor kids to practice.
Pretty soon I learned that practicing with film was killing me, so I took my camera back to the store, and upgraded to a 20D.
I found little local board, and started posting photos of some of the neighbor kids. A lady photojournalist liked the raw emotion, and asked me if I was interested in going to Haiti with her to photograph the condition of children in the civil war there. I was very interested, but couldn't go as I had a full time "day" job back then. She told me "no problem" and asked instead if I could help shoot some local stories on poverty. She liked the photos, and suggested I meet with her wire agent, which I did. He hired me, and sent me on a few really great stories. Even though I had more than several "featured photographs" with the agency for the Tomball riots and the Hurricanes, nothing much came moneywise.
But several other things DID come.......I was approached by a few people who wanted to mentor me in my PJ work. One of them was the great Hertz Van Rental. He taught me tons, as did the natural eye of Jon Mikal.
Local folks started to think maybe there was something there.
One day I get this call from a guy who thinks I'm the Haiti photographer. We look alot alike, and he must have been confused. He asked me to teach him PJ. I explained the misunderstanding, but he was solid. I looked at his website and saw he was a PJ Wedding photographer. I told him I would teach him what I new of news if he would teach me wedding photography, so we each did our apprentice work with each other.
At a point where I was getting fairly decent at wedding photography, he asked to pay me so that we could keep working together. I told him I didn't want money, but I DID want the images for my portfolio. I was honest that I wanted to branch out eventually.
I had a website built using images that I had cultivated from the sole total of the three weddings I had done. With a background in sales and marketing, I put my shingle out.
I started cheap and nothing much was happening, except for brides who wanted it cheaper still. I was frustrated, having quit my day job at this point. By now, I had two 20Ds that I bought on credit, and not much money in the hat.
A friend told me to double my pricing. I did. And the phone hasn't stopped ringing since then. I did 43 weddings the first year, and then raised the pricing again. This year is sold out, and is booking 2008.
The major lessons I learned was these:
Post your photos. Don't be afraid. Listen to the critique than rings true, and disregard the talking heads.
If someone you admire offers you an appenticeship, even with no money, take it immediately. I still apprentice for those who I want to strive to work up towards.
Know your competition. Don't price yourself out of your market value, and don't sell yourself way too cheap. People are skeptical of both.
Learn to market. Lots of great photographers business fails because they don't know how to do this. Check out books in libraries. Talk to other photogs on the net. Find out how, and you should make it.
Ok Lid, that's pretty much it.
Hope that helps you, and maybe others.
Hugs,
Cindy
Here is is Lid!
I was not even 40 when I had my first grandchild. I really wanted a camera, because I know well how quickly children grow. My husband bought me a Canon Elan 7NE (film camera). I took pictures of flowers in my back yard, and because I didn't get to see my grandchild often enough, started taking photos of neighbor kids to practice.
Pretty soon I learned that practicing with film was killing me, so I took my camera back to the store, and upgraded to a 20D.
I found little local board, and started posting photos of some of the neighbor kids. A lady photojournalist liked the raw emotion, and asked me if I was interested in going to Haiti with her to photograph the condition of children in the civil war there. I was very interested, but couldn't go as I had a full time "day" job back then. She told me "no problem" and asked instead if I could help shoot some local stories on poverty. She liked the photos, and suggested I meet with her wire agent, which I did. He hired me, and sent me on a few really great stories. Even though I had more than several "featured photographs" with the agency for the Tomball riots and the Hurricanes, nothing much came moneywise.
But several other things DID come.......I was approached by a few people who wanted to mentor me in my PJ work. One of them was the great Hertz Van Rental. He taught me tons, as did the natural eye of Jon Mikal.
Local folks started to think maybe there was something there.
One day I get this call from a guy who thinks I'm the Haiti photographer. We look alot alike, and he must have been confused. He asked me to teach him PJ. I explained the misunderstanding, but he was solid. I looked at his website and saw he was a PJ Wedding photographer. I told him I would teach him what I new of news if he would teach me wedding photography, so we each did our apprentice work with each other.
At a point where I was getting fairly decent at wedding photography, he asked to pay me so that we could keep working together. I told him I didn't want money, but I DID want the images for my portfolio. I was honest that I wanted to branch out eventually.
I had a website built using images that I had cultivated from the sole total of the three weddings I had done. With a background in sales and marketing, I put my shingle out.
I started cheap and nothing much was happening, except for brides who wanted it cheaper still. I was frustrated, having quit my day job at this point. By now, I had two 20Ds that I bought on credit, and not much money in the hat.
A friend told me to double my pricing. I did. And the phone hasn't stopped ringing since then. I did 43 weddings the first year, and then raised the pricing again. This year is sold out, and is booking 2008.
The major lessons I learned was these:
Post your photos. Don't be afraid. Listen to the critique than rings true, and disregard the talking heads.
If someone you admire offers you an appenticeship, even with no money, take it immediately. I still apprentice for those who I want to strive to work up towards.
Know your competition. Don't price yourself out of your market value, and don't sell yourself way too cheap. People are skeptical of both.
Learn to market. Lots of great photographers business fails because they don't know how to do this. Check out books in libraries. Talk to other photogs on the net. Find out how, and you should make it.
Ok Lid, that's pretty much it.
Hope that helps you, and maybe others.
Hugs,
Cindy