Creating Markets - Sports Photography

JBrown · Sep 5, 2012

I am by no means a professional, if anyone approached me to do a wedding or portrait session I would have to turn them down. However, I have recently discovered the expensive hobby of photography and my entrepreneurial side demands I make a return to buy more equipment

. I had been toying with this idea and got some decent business cards and a Zenfolio website setup ready to tackle the world! I figure the total $125 is a pittance for potential earnings across the year and dove headlong this labor day into my first sales experiment.

I discovered there was a motor cross track nearby and went out with some friends to take some photos while they rode. I'm out on the track taking photographs and literally have riders stopping to get business cards. I take a break between race sets and have people coming up to me asking if I am going to put the pictures up if they are for sale etc. I was shocked, I thought I would have to be the annoying salesman handing out business cards to people begging for business. I was wrong, people were so happy that I was there and they had a opportunity to even buy photos. Apparently there has never been a photographer at the track except on race days which most people aren't involved in.

So I hand out some business cards and tell them photos will be up by the next day. I get the photos up and I'll be damned if I don't sell $200 worth with a profit of $125 with more sure to come. The photos are good IMO, but its on entry level gear (t3i 55-250 cheap lens). I became curious how many other untapped markets there are that photographers don't even bother with. Granted there's no way I'm quitting my day job, but the thought of financing my hobby through this method is appealing. I'm sure ill be referred to as the "Craiglist or FB" photographer, but that's ok. I had a blast taking great photos of normal people enjoying their hobby and giving me a chance to enjoy mine. I feel I offer a great service, I am out there anyways and if you want to buy some photos here is the website. If they don't buy a single one, no big deal.

Anyone else have this experience? From reading this sub-forum I got the impression the photography world was over saturated with everyone owning a DSLR. So far that doesn't seem to be the case.

2WheelPhoto · Sep 5, 2012

JBrown said:
I am by no means a professional, if anyone approached me to do a wedding or portrait session I would have to turn them down. However, I have recently discovered the expensive hobby of photography and my entrepreneurial side demands I make a return to buy more equipment . I had been toying with this idea and got some decent business cards and a Zenfolio website setup ready to tackle the world! I figure the total $125 is a pittance for potential earnings across the year and dove headlong this labor day into my first sales experiment.

I discovered there was a motor cross track nearby and went out with some friends to take some photos while they rode. I'm out on the track taking photographs and literally have riders stopping to get business cards. I take a break between race sets and have people coming up to me asking if I am going to put the pictures up if they are for sale etc. I was shocked, I thought I would have to be the annoying salesman handing out business cards to people begging for business. I was wrong, people were so happy that I was there and they had a opportunity to even buy photos. Apparently there has never been a photographer at the track except on race days which most people aren't involved in.

So I hand out some business cards and tell them photos will be up by the next day. I get the photos up and I'll be damned if I don't sell $200 worth with a profit of $125 with more sure to come. The photos are good IMO, but its on entry level gear (t3i 55-250 cheap lens). I became curious how many other untapped markets there are that photographers don't even bother with. Granted there's no way I'm quitting my day job, but the thought of financing my hobby through this method is appealing. I'm sure ill be referred to as the "Craiglist or FB" photographer, but that's ok. I had a blast taking great photos of normal people enjoying their hobby and giving me a chance to enjoy mine. I feel I offer a great service, I am out there anyways and if you want to buy some photos here is the website. If they don't buy a single one, no big deal.

Anyone else have this experience? From reading this sub-forum I got the impression the photography world was over saturated with everyone owning a DSLR. So far that doesn't seem to be the case.

Everyone wants to make money from their hobby. Even my drag racer friends

amolitor · Sep 5, 2012

Congrats, you found a niche!

People will, in general, pay money for pictures of themselves. There is an active market selling photographs from sailboat races that works pretty much this way. The game here is coverage -- try to get EVERY bike photographed, at if there's some interesting.. I dunno, do they have jumps? Hairy turns? Get every single bike making the jump or the turn. Get every bike passing another bike that you can.

People will buy the photo of themselves making (or crashing) that epic movie jump, every time.

12sndsgood · Sep 5, 2012

Sounds like you happened to get lucky and found an untapped track.

JBrown · Sep 5, 2012

Oh ya its a great track with all the usual big jumps and turns. The tricky part was finding the sweet spots where I could cover a turn or a jump and then turn around and cover another jump from my same spot getting 2x the amount of photos. I did get a surprised look from a few people when I said they were for sale and not free. Its almost comical 10k for a dirt bike, 2k in a safety equipment, drive 2 or 3 hours away (gas money) and they want to nickle and dime for a $10 8x10 of them making that sweet jump.

12sndsgood · Sep 5, 2012

A lot of people are able to afford things like that because they nickle and dime people.

A lot of people when you counteroffer them will come down in price. What's the worst that happens, they say no.

orljustin · Sep 5, 2012

"I am by no means a professional"

This month's most popular first seven words...

MLeeK · Sep 5, 2012

However if you sold $200 and you THINK you made $125 in profit... You really didn't. Your prices are probably ridiculously low.
How many hours did you shoot to get that $125? How many shutter clicks on your camera? They cost about a penny each if you have decent gear. How about your business license, insurance and overhead? If you don't have that and you aren't charging sales tax-DO IT NOW. It's cheap to do, but you NEED it to CYA. How about website hosting fees? The cost per business card you handed out? How about the computer and software you used to process and post those images? The internet that you had to have in order to put them on-line; the cost of gas in your vehicle to get to the track plus the wear and tear, insurance, and registration on the vehicle to get there? The list is pretty long. There are a LOT more costs than the print only. You couldn't do this if you didn't have equipment, computer, internet, vehicle...
A $10 8x10 is probably BARELY breaking even for a photographer. Some time ago the average price of an 8x10 was $25 and there were photogs going under left and right at that price.
The bottom line is you aren't considering all of your costs and you are probably not fully set up-and you need to be.

Those tracks are frequented by some higher income families and the chances of being spotted by someone who is concerned with your sales tax and legalities is definitely higher.

DiskoJoe · Sep 5, 2012

Lets see the website.

Superfitz · Sep 5, 2012

DiskoJoe said:
Lets see the website.

It's a trap!

JBrown · Sep 6, 2012

MLeeK said:
However if you sold $200 and you THINK you made $125 in profit... You really didn't. Your prices are probably ridiculously low.
How many hours did you shoot to get that $125? How many shutter clicks on your camera? They cost about a penny each if you have decent gear. How about your business license, insurance and overhead? If you don't have that and you aren't charging sales tax-DO IT NOW. It's cheap to do, but you NEED it to CYA. How about website hosting fees? The cost per business card you handed out? How about the computer and software you used to process and post those images? The internet that you had to have in order to put them on-line; the cost of gas in your vehicle to get to the track plus the wear and tear, insurance, and registration on the vehicle to get there? The list is pretty long. There are a LOT more costs than the print only. You couldn't do this if you didn't have equipment, computer, internet, vehicle...
A $10 8x10 is probably BARELY breaking even for a photographer. Some time ago the average price of an 8x10 was $25 and there were photogs going under left and right at that price.
The bottom line is you aren't considering all of your costs and you are probably not fully set up-and you need to be.

Those tracks are frequented by some higher income families and the chances of being spotted by someone who is concerned with your sales tax and legalities is definitely higher.

One thing I didn't account for is camera wear and tear. However, like I said I am not a professional and the other cost considerations don't come into play as it is a hobby. I would be there anyways taking photos so time and travel expenses are negligible. Obviously if income gets high enough the 1099 is going to kill me, but ill deal with that when the time comes. To be honest I don't see how anyone makes a living in photography these days, especially in this economy. I would agree $10 is low for a 8X10, but I feel its reasonable and justified by the type of shoot it was. Of course thats because if falls under hobby levels of income and higher pricers are not necessitated by trying to make a living off it.

12sndsgood · Sep 6, 2012

if your selling the photos that would go under state sales tax as well which could possibly get you into trouble. something to think about if you continue to make sales. might also look into insurance. protect your gear and yoruself since your at a track and accidents can happen.

MLeeK · Sep 6, 2012

JBrown said:
MLeeK said:

However if you sold $200 and you THINK you made $125 in profit... You really didn't. Your prices are probably ridiculously low.
How many hours did you shoot to get that $125? How many shutter clicks on your camera? They cost about a penny each if you have decent gear. How about your business license, insurance and overhead? If you don't have that and you aren't charging sales tax-DO IT NOW. It's cheap to do, but you NEED it to CYA. How about website hosting fees? The cost per business card you handed out? How about the computer and software you used to process and post those images? The internet that you had to have in order to put them on-line; the cost of gas in your vehicle to get to the track plus the wear and tear, insurance, and registration on the vehicle to get there? The list is pretty long. There are a LOT more costs than the print only. You couldn't do this if you didn't have equipment, computer, internet, vehicle...
A $10 8x10 is probably BARELY breaking even for a photographer. Some time ago the average price of an 8x10 was $25 and there were photogs going under left and right at that price.
The bottom line is you aren't considering all of your costs and you are probably not fully set up-and you need to be.

Those tracks are frequented by some higher income families and the chances of being spotted by someone who is concerned with your sales tax and legalities is definitely higher.

Click to expand...

One thing I didn't account for is camera wear and tear. However, like I said I am not a professional and the other cost considerations don't come into play as it is a hobby. I would be there anyways taking photos so time and travel expenses are negligible. Obviously if income gets high enough the 1099 is going to kill me, but ill deal with that when the time comes. To be honest I don't see how anyone makes a living in photography these days, especially in this economy. I would agree $10 is low for a 8X10, but I feel its reasonable and justified by the type of shoot it was. Of course thats because if falls under hobby levels of income and higher pricers are not necessitated by trying to make a living off it.

You're more liable to be caught at the sales tax end of things, which is NOT fun. They will determine how long they think you have been operating as a business and they can then charge you the AVERAGE amount of sales tax from photographers in your location. THEN they will report you to the IRS once all that is said and done.
It's really cheap to form a business legally. You'll need a business certificate or assumed name depending on your location and a sales tax ID. You'll also need to learn what you are responsible for sales tax on-that varies by each state and can even vary by county or city. In general prints are always taxable unless your state has NO sales tax. YOu need to be collecting that and submitting it to the state as required. It's not hard and might cost you $50 if it's high. It's $50 worth of insurance against getting THAT CALL.