How low can you go to make money?

[tecboy]

I understand you charge more to the clients to help pay off the photography equipment and buy new equipment in case it will fail. In my area, there are few small photography businesses. Some post the advertisement on the internet, "A very professional service at affordable prices." Or, "All photographs are used in professional dslr at very low prices." I wish they stop using the word "professional." It is very misleading.

 

[Gary A.]

Unfortunately with photography, 'Professional' is an adjective not a certification of achievement. Fortunately, a website is pretty easy to view in order to ascertain one's credibility.

 

[tirediron]

And, I would venture to guess, most, if not all of them are NOT actually making money.

 

[vintagesnaps]

It is misleading in a way - it's so easy for anyone to claim on whatever social media site that they're a professional anything. There have already been stories of people experiencing things like paying a so called photographer who sends them a CD of awful photos then disappears. Eventually more people might realize what they'll get for cheap or free and budget for a decent photographer. But sometimes it seems things can get worse before they get better.

I know PPA already has its own system and ASMP has talked about working with other pro organizations toward some type of credential or certificate for working pro photographers. With PPA their member photographers can display on their websites that they've achieved a certain status of demonstrating skills at a high level. I hope the photographer organizations will continue to work on developing something for pros to show that they are actually pros and clients can expect good quality products and services from them.

 

[vintagesnaps]

You're probably right John. I'm on another forum where people have been on there talking about going into business and most don't seem to know enough about what they're doing. Already (within a year or so) they're on now with one problem after another... I don't think they'll last too much longer before they're done with it. I think it'll take time for all the misguided people with cameras to realize it's necessary to have skills and get good at something and learn how to run a business to be successful at it. Or they'll find it's just more trouble than it's worth and move on to something else.

 

[KmH]

How low can you go to make money?

No business 'makes money' until they have enough revenue coming in to cover their cost of doing business (CODB) and their cost of goods sold (COGS) - Business 101.

A business owner able to keep their CODB & COGS low doesn't need as much revenue to 'make money'. Which is why having business skills is more important than having photography skills if you want to be in the business of doing photography.

As John alludes to most retail photography businesses today don't make any money and only stay open because the business is supported financially with other income, most often the income a spouse makes or that the photographer makes from a full time job unrelated to doing photography.
Those photography 'businesses' supported with other income are amateur hobby businesses, regardless what their advertising may say.
Also most of those hobby businesses don't have any clue what their CODB or COGS actually are, so they don't understand why it is they don't make money.

Definitions of professional:
Definition of PROFESSIONAL

 

[astroNikon]

Technically to be profitable your revenue has to be above all expenses. Whether this includes or excludes salary is another thing altogether as most small businesses within the first few years don't have enough revenue to cover actual salary costs when total time is taken into consideration.

It can be argued you're a "professional" once you start taking money for what you do.

I would love to see some statistic of "xx percentage of new photography companies only last 2 years" or whatever. So many bad stories out there I'm sure there's tons more that try it a few times then give up as "customers" don't have the same perception of "family" to the quality of the images.

 

[Designer]

I understand you charge more to the clients to help pay off the photography equipment and buy new equipment in case it will fail.

That's an overly-simplistic way to look at it. The cost of doing business should include equipment replacement costs as well as everything else that the CODB includes.

 

[480sparky]

CODB + $0.01 = making money.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean staying in business.

 

[MSnowy]

I would guess most of these are parts of family business. Most often in these type of business arrangements one spouses income in another profession helps to support and offset the CODB of the other spouses photography profession.

 

[nerwin]

I have a slight rant.

I don't know how many articles I have read that say "you can't be a photographer until your photography has made you money" - "if you don't, you're just another guy with a camera". I find that complete and utter BS.

So basically, you can't be a photographer if you just love the art form? You're just another guy with a camera.

I completely understand that people need to make money, especially to provide for their family. I have no problems with that, but why not put some heart and soul into it, you know? Instead of just pocketing the money. For example, the two photographers my cousin hired for their wedding were probably some of the worst wedding photos I have seen. They ended up using a lot of my photos haha because I wasn't trying to deceive them to just collect a paycheck.

In my personal opinion, I believe your work should stand for it self. I don't market myself at all, I'm not that good at photography. Sure, I've sold some prints, had photos on TV and in magazines. I've won some photo contests but that by NO means makes me a professional. I'll NEVER market myself as a professional photographer even I was a famous wedding photographer which I'll never be, because weddings make me puke. Haha.

 

[Derrel]

Some fantastic responses in this thread. KmH nailed it! 480sparky made me laugh.Designer had a good point. I liked Nerwin's slight rant.

 

[pendennis]

I have a slight rant.

I don't know how many articles I have read that say "you can't be a photographer until your photography has made you money" - "if you don't, you're just another guy with a camera". I find that complete and utter BS.

So basically, you can't be a photographer if you just love the art form? You're just another guy with a camera.

I completely understand that people need to make money, especially to provide for their family. I have no problems with that, but why not put some heart and soul into it, you know? Instead of just pocketing the money. For example, the two photographers my cousin hired for their wedding were probably some of the worst wedding photos I have seen. They ended up using a lot of my photos haha because I wasn't trying to deceive them to just collect a paycheck.

In my personal opinion, I believe your work should stand for it self. I don't market myself at all, I'm not that good at photography. Sure, I've sold some prints, had photos on TV and in magazines. I've won some photo contests but that by NO means makes me a professional. I'll NEVER market myself as a professional photographer even I was a famous wedding photographer which I'll never be, because weddings make me puke. Haha.

There are millions of "real" photographers out there who aren't "professionals". They follow their love of the art, and aren't cashing a check when their work is finished.

I worked professionally for a number of years, and I never started a project (portrait, wedding, etc.) where my heart and soul weren't in it. I never "mailed it in", and no photographer I've ever known that was dedicated ever did so, either. The joy of seeing a client smile when viewing my work made me know I did it right. I also still believe in the "rule of ten"; that is, your best clients tell ten people just how good you are, and they tell ten more...

To be a professional, you have to be a business person; have a good business plan; be a "people person"; and understand that your maximum effort every day is what will help you be successful.

Collecting a check was always secondary. But that's what your occupation should be; something you would do for free, but get paid.

 

[nerwin]

There are millions of "real" photographers out there who aren't "professionals". They follow their love of the art, and aren't cashing a check when their work is finished.

I worked professionally for a number of years, and I never started a project (portrait, wedding, etc.) where my heart and soul weren't in it. I never "mailed it in", and no photographer I've ever known that was dedicated ever did so, either. The joy of seeing a client smile when viewing my work made me know I did it right. I also still believe in the "rule of ten"; that is, your best clients tell ten people just how good you are, and they tell ten more...

To be a professional, you have to be a business person; have a good business plan; be a "people person"; and understand that your maximum effort every day is what will help you be successful.

Collecting a check was always secondary. But that's what your occupation should be; something you would do for free, but get paid.

I don't have clients but sometimes my photos do put a smile on people's faces and so I completely understand the feeling you get when someone smiles viewing your work, its a good feeling. It absolutely makes you feel like you did something right.

But I've come across numerous so-called photographers who advertise like crazy on FB that they professionals and have ridiculous "photo packages" and produce half-assed work to simply collect a paycheck and I personally don't believe that is right.

My cousin who got married asked me to edit the photographers photos because they liked my style in which I thought was weird because I didn't know I even had a style. But they decided not to because the photos weren't even worth my time. To make it worse, they all shot in jpeg and looked like they used snapseed to process them. I felt bad for them...but honestly, it's partly their fault for hiring cheap photographers.

 

[smoke665]

And, I would venture to guess, most, if not all of them are NOT actually making money.

Seems to me that you need to define definition of "in business", not "professional". An attorney who provides free or low cost legal advise for those who can't afford it, is still a "professional", but obviously he can't pay the bills and support his family doing it. In photography you have a number of hobbyists who have visions of $$$$$ as a paid professional, but no clue as to what it takes to run any successful business. The IRS provides a pretty comprehensive definition of a business vs hobby. Business or Hobby? Answer Has Implications for Deductions