Where is the money in photography

[ksmattfish]

I would agree with the post that said the big money is in selling gear to photographers. The most famous wedding photographers in the world only shoot a few weddings a year, and spend the rest of their time doing photography workshops, and selling DVDs and gadgets. They make more off of wedding photogs than weddings.

 

[druzilla]

here is some inspiration:
http://www.dphotojournal.com/sell-photos-online/

 

[ZyxKor]

Something to think about:

1. What is your skill level? If it is low build it up first before you really try to sell you or your work.

2. What is your passion and how much effort or sacrifice are you willing to put into a career? You might have geographic limitations (no long term far away assignments) or you may like to travel a lot. If you like to stay local then wedding or local photog would be better than photojournalist for a large paper or media conglomerate.

3. Are you any good at sales or do you want to work for yourself? If you aren't good at sales and you want to work for yourself then you better learn the sales skills quickly. If not then you'll need to figure out who you would want to work for. if you work for someone else the income maybe more stable but again will be limited by market factors.

4. How much money do you want to make? A local photo will have a limited income based on where they live and current market conditions. A stock photographer can make more theoretically as they create a product once then sell it many times, but they need to know how to sell their product. A wedding photographer can only do so many weddings in a weekend. Both have limits on their income but in different ways.

What do I mean by market conditions? If you are a local photog then how big is the city you live in? How many Photogs are there in that area? Bigger cities generallly mean more money for work but also more competition and higher cost of living. Smaller cities or areas might mean less competition but also less money for a given job and a lower cost of living. Luckily as a photographer you could do a mix of things but I would suggest that you specialize in one thing and then branch out from there.

I would highly suggest that you ask a photog in your local area how business conditions are in that area. They are likely to give you good insight into the business, how much money there is in it locally and if you are a student maybe a chance to work with them to get started.

 

[fmw]

Commercial photography has the highest percentage of high earning photographers. These are independent photographers that do advertising work, mostly for manufacturers and ad agencies. Their clients can afford the work.

Understand that commercial photographers are entrepreneurs. They are founders and operators of companies that provide photographic services. They aren't employees.

 

[RacePhoto]

I would agree with the post that said the big money is in selling gear to photographers. The most famous wedding photographers in the world only shoot a few weddings a year, and spend the rest of their time doing photography workshops, and selling DVDs and gadgets. They make more off of wedding photogs than weddings.

I guess this leads to an old tale or two and questions.

Back in college the photojournalism teacher, who happened to be a professional photographer, and pretty smart guy, enjoyed doing horse shows and newspaper work. Have to remember this was about 40 years ago.

He hated doing weddings, so he set his price at about three times the going rate. He said, the funny part was, people still kept hiring him, because they thought, if he charged that much, he must be good.


I played in a band. We did weddings as a rock/wedding band. We played light rock, polkas, accoustic music, did the wedding schtick, and as the night went on, got louder and more rock.
Most of us were former band members, who did it, just to get out and play. So we only charged $250-$350. You wouldn't believe how many times we heard "I was really worried when I heard the price, because other bands are charging $700 to do a wedding. But your band is better."


So much for pricing and perception.

A few people have mentioned commercial photography. I'm sure this is good and a contract market. Problem is, how does one break in. I suppose the oldest system in the world. Start by working as an assistant, learn the ropes, heavy on lighting, and then set off on your own. Work portfolio is probably important to getting jobs.


Anyone know what sells best on the stock photo sites? Is there any reporting of types of photos or subjects that are most popular or sell the most from the stock photo houses?

 

[Ab$olut]

candid celebrity (paparazzi) work.

An investment into a telephoto ,patientence and being in the right place at the right time could set your for life doing this always been an intrest of mine.

I know of a guy that does trackdays for when people take thier cars on track if they have lapped round enough he gets about 12 good photos puts em on a cd and sells them £30 a pop now if you have 20 customers that day thats £600 baring in mind this is if you are GOOD.

Also weddings is a good one

 

[OttawaPhotog]

I like the track Idea!

 

[Jim Gratiot]

The money is in being a good photographer. The work is out there. Getting it takes dedication and a lot of experience and perseverance.

Also depends on your style of shooting. What are your strong areas of photography? Weddings? still life?... Pick a strong suit and go with it.

I respectfully disagree... the money is in knowing how to market yourself. For better or for worse, the actual quality of your work is secondary (within reason, of course).

I do agree w/ part 2... pick your strong points, market it creatively and intensely, and you WILL eventually succeed.

Jim

 

[nomav6]

porn is where the money is, but some would say its not real photography, dont hate me, I dont shoot it, but thats where money is, and you dont have to spend alot doing it.

 

[craig]

Jim is on point. One of the few rules in photography is; get your work out there!

I have been in photography my whole life. The work is never secondary on this end.