Services that Require Little Investment

[cw4u]

I am just starting out in the professional photography field. My main question is: are their any services that require little equipment to be purchased. I know I will only be working with a Canon XTi, Tamron 28-80mm, Tamron 55-200mm, and Sandisk Extreme 4 2 GB.

Anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[WDodd]

I would say being a little bit more specific would help. Do some research find out what you want to do then come back and ask what it takes to do that.

 

[Sideburns]

You wanna be a pro and don't have any equipment?

 

[Mike_E]

Get a Polaroid, hang out near night spots and take shots of tourists. Depending on the clientèle you can charge $10 or $20 a shot.

mike

P.S. don't drink the proceeds

 

[cw4u]

Sorry for not being so specific, but I thought somebody might of been able to give me a real answer with that information. I will not be going pro level since I am a high school student, but wish to obtain some money for doing something that I enjoy.

I guess I would like to know if I could take team and individual pictures for sports teams in my local area.

What do y'all think?

Again, Thanks.

 

[usayit]

Its going to be very difficult.. simply put.. equipment that anyone can obtain an afford.. with limited experience that everyone already has... Photograpy isn't the path to a quick buck... nor is a quick buck the path to photography career.

Just like any career, no one just jumps in and takes off.

Think of something that sets you apart...
Think of connection you might have and leverage...
You might have a niche that you just don't realize.

You mentioned sports teams.. thats a start but sports photography is extremely demanding...it might be hard sell.

My recommendation... start laying out a plan on your future as a photographer (gaining experience, education). This is the first step into an investment in your career in photography. I stress the word PLAN and INVESTMENT because focusing on making money at this point will just distract you.

Set up sessions with friends and family and do some portraits. Do some project shots and create a portfolio (which is the equivalent of a resume). Talk to some local photographers with portfolio in hand and see about helping them out (more likly for no pay).

 

[kundalini]

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to be critical and certainly don't mean to point you out. But in my observation of the past few decades I have witnessed this, for lack of a better word, "attitude" among the younger people in our society. There was a time when you had to apprenticeship in order to gain the knowledge in your field of interest. Pay your dues, nose to the grindstone, @$$holes and elbows, which meant that you got paid squat, if at all.

I think a healthy attitude would be to shoot for the love of shooting. If you make a buck, count yourself fortunate. If your main drive is to make money, you are less likely to take the time to study and gain the knowledge required to eventually and hopefully to make a reasonable income. Allbeit, a supplemental income.

As usayit pointed out, create projects and a portfolio. That's where your future dollars will lay. Good luck.

 

[cw4u]

I know I probably would not be able to take action shots of sports and sell them, but what about just their team and individual pictures. From most of the sports teams that I've been in, we usually just took our pictures out on the field. Would this be difficult to do?

Also, I will mainly be shooting for personal enjoyment, but as always, if I could make some money taking those pictures, it sure would help out.

 

[Mike_E]

Cw4u, business is a thing unto itself. Photography is just one of many flavors.

The only way to know for sure is to try it. Now to be successful there are some things that you should do -it's called 'due diligence'- mainly finding out whether you can charge more than it costs you for whichever product you choose.

You also need to know if it's legal. Taking photos of people to sell is not, at least not when anyone can buy any photo you have- unless you have a model release signed by every person in the photos.

Now there are portable photo printers on the market that you could set up on location and do what I suggested earlier. You wouldn't need releases for on site portraits as only the customers would be involved.

 

[cw4u]

I know with school photography, we never have to sign any release. If I just use the pictures I take solely for the purpose of selling them to either the individual or the individuals parent's, do I need a model release?

 

[Mike_E]

Part of the paperwork I have to sign every year for my kids is a model release so you may not have noticed.

No, you don't have to have a release signed to sell to the individual or their parent or guardian. You will however have to have a release if you are going to use the shots for advertising.