I am on a disability pension & would appreciate some help/info so I can make an incom

[SCOBAHCAN]

Hi


I thought I would ask you this question in the hopes you can either give me some information or guide me to where I may be able to get some more .

I am on a disability pension and at the moment I can only make an income sitting down.

What I would like to find out is much more direct but at the same time consise and straightforward information about "stock photography".
I would mainly be looking for what kinds of photos are the most popular as well as what kind of equipment is the most popular to use to get it best results.
At present I have a "Canon S5 IS" camera and although it it is very good I was looking the possibility of buying a "DSLR" in the future. I was looking at the "Nikon D80" or the "Pentax K10D" . I also have to consider the fact that my budget is limited, I have two "Pentax lenses" but have been told that it is the sensor in a digital camera as well as the lense you use that matters. I am sure that you have a lot more knowledge about this than I might ever have.


I would appreciate any help you can offer thanks Craig

 

[The_Traveler]

Unless you are miraculously talented, it is unlikely that without experience as a photographer you will make enough money at stock photography to repay any investments.

Photography, like any art, requires skill, talent, experience, hard work and some luck to succeed. There are millions of people who would love to make money at it and only a very small percentage do.

I would suggest you you browse the galleries on photosig.net and see the tens of thousands of fine pictures done by amateurs and realize that these people are only a tiny fraction of your potential competition.

Lew

 

[JIP]

Yes I would not expect to just jump into stock photography and make an excellent income with it with what sounds like very limited photography experience. Besides photography is a very physical thing I mean what are you expecting to shoot stock images of? most subjects wot come to you you have to go out there and get them. I understsand your plight I have been living on work-comp for almost 2 years now with a briken leg and I have curtailed all of my income generating photography because it is impossible to do with my physical limitations.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Also, stock photography is the one industry that got massively "disintermediated" by the internet. A photographer used to be able to make a nice living out of shooting a lovely image, say: wine glasses on a table full of good food. Then an agency would go charge a lot of money from a fancy publisher - the going rates were high, everyone made a (small) living. Now there are agencies (usually on the net) that will sell anything for any price. Amateurs are just pleased to see their shot in an ad, and they'll charge $50 for the honor of calling themselves a "pro" because they're shot is being used for some ad campaign.

Bah.

 

[Mike_E]

If you are serious then here you go...


Learn how to rekey locks and cut keys! A small kiosk can net you a tidy income and you don't have to do any heavy lifting or travel. The only thing is the initial expense and there should be a program to help you there.

It doesn't involve a camera I'm afraid, but making a living with a camera is long shot at best.

 

[Patrice]

This is a bit off the mark but still involves one aspect of photography. I make a bit of money 'fixing' and printing other people's digital images. Loads of people around here have ps digitals but don't know squat about how to do minimal fixes and crops to a photo or how to get a decent print. All you need is a computer, a decent printer and photoshop elements. But a tear-off add on some bulletin boards and see what happens.