Techinally I make a little bit but then I just spend it on upgrading my gear or on marketing tools (website, business cards) so really I'm just breaking even. Hopefully in the next couple of years I will be making a profit.
I guess sooner or later for all of us we have to use our hobby to earn some money to continue to go deeper into the photgraphy path, ofcos unless you have a kick ass job that covers all your life expense as well as photography.
I don't try to make money - I just do it for fun, but so far, for the last three years every year in October I've had a commercial sale/consulting. 2007 was Elizabeth Arden, 2008 was a sub-sub-contractor for Microsoft, 2009 was the BBC. This year I'll be doing my advisor's wedding and he'll be paying me, so that may jinx me for a 2010 October sale (unless that's when he orders prints ...). However, I have not made my money back in terms of income - expenses.
I have made money in the past with my Portrait and Wedding business. Since I restarted my business, I have not yet, but I am advertising for weddings, so I expect to. I do not expect it to overtake my day job however, although it would be nice.
I invested into what I wanted to do and over time I paid back the money it cost. Anything I made over that went into savings. Over time I have been able to use the money I have made to upgrade....and move across the country..<Oklahoma to Washington> and now I have dropped about 2k hat I made into upgrading my body to a d300 and new lenses and a accessories. I don't think I would be able to make a full time living from it unless I was around the 40-50 mark and who knows when that will happen. The market I am in now sees 1000 on the very very high side for a wedding and averages about 690. However... I do have a pretty rich city about 30 min east in Idaho that might be able to provide some good clients. Only time will tell. At this Point I would be willing to shoot a wedding for 65-70 an hr.. but who knows....
LOL it also helped pay my recent Doctor bill for trying to cut my thumb off...... God bless savings!