Is Photography your Day Job or Hobby?

[cgipson1]

Like Scott, I have been taking photos since the mid 60's! I opened a studio in the early 80's, and did well. I closed it late, late 80s... due to being tired of 80 hour weeks, and some personal things going on, and moved to a different state. Didn't touch a camera again for several years. While shooting professionally, my hobby was computers... and I had done that on the side for a few clients. So Computers became my next career (all self taught.. just like the photography). I worked as a contractor for other companies until 2000, when I started my 2nd business. Again, did well... but shut it down in 2006 to keep it from being a point of contention in divorce (and again, was tired of 80 hour weeks! lol) Now I work in the corporate world! I have lots of pretty little certifications, and knowledge that goes back to systems that are extinct now. My title is systems administrator, and I babysit, patch, and modify about 6 different networks, 60 servers, built the company intranet, etc, etc...

and my hobby is photography (and cooking .. and yes, I have been paid to cook too! Used to help a buddy with a catering service when he needed another cook in the kitchen! I learned a lot from him.. he was one of those "Cordon Bleu" chefs! Have even thought about opening a restaurant.. but I hope I am never that stupid!)

there.. my life story... minus lots of drama, heartbreaks, foolish choices, and bad decisions!

 

[Ilovemycam]

Hobby, but preserving it has turned into a full time ++ job. Working till 12.30 am some nights. Wife and daughter in law hate my photography and plan to trash it all when I die. I'm getting old and health is poor. So my job has become a job of preservation. I hardly shoot pix any more. All the joy has ben taken out of photography...for now.

 

[LaFoto]

Is this thread not in the General Gallery?

And like yourself, propilot, I would call myself nothing but a semi-knowledgeable amateur.
I have sold photos of mine, or taken photos of events other people asked me to take, but I'd never even begin to consider making serious money out of it.
Feeling like I would NEED to make money out of it would ruin what I take as something beautiful for me, I guess.

 

[pgriz]

Amateur photographer, but I use my camera for work almost every day, documenting projects that we do, recording the dirty details during inspections and as a base for quotations, and the end-result when all the labour has been expended, and the bills paid. Pretty much all the images on my company's web site and presentation materials were taken by me. My extended family has, for the most part, turned over the task of documenting get-togethers over to me as they like the images much better, plus they can concentrate on talking and drinking, and eating, and partying, with the knowledge of a CD at the end of each get-together. That also means that I'm almost never in the family shots (not necessarily a bad thing ), except when one of my daughters commandeers the equipment and makes me show up in an image. It is also one of my ways to relax.

 

[ronlane]

It's just a hobby for me too. I am learning all I can from the wonderful people on this site and love to see all the pictures and learn along with others.

 

[cynicaster]

My day job is as a powertrain test systems engineer, which helps fund my hobbies, including music and photography. I have no desire whatsoever to accept money for pictures or music, though. I'm not saying that people who do so are doing something bad, I'm just saying that for me personally, I fear that money brings expectations, inhibits creative freedom, and, well, turns play into work.

My extended family has, for the most part, turned over the task of documenting get-togethers over to me as they like the images much better, plus they can concentrate on talking and drinking, and eating, and partying, with the knowledge of a CD at the end of each get-together. That also means that I'm almost never in the family shots (not necessarily a bad thing ), except when one of my daughters commandeers the equipment and makes me show up in an image. It is also one of my ways to relax.

Heh, this is my situation to a tee.

It has basically become an unspoken expectation that a link to an online gallery will be provided by me a few days after every family get together. I might make 2-3 appearances per year in these collections, but I love shooting them.

The only thing is, the family is such an easy audience, which makes me feel a bit uneasy sometimes. When posting photos for family consumption, I place priority on showing a fairly wide range of images rather than nitpicking my own work and only posting what I think are the best of the best. I can't count the number of times I've posted an image that makes me cringe yet I get comments like "aaawwwwww, such an amazing photo, can you e-mail this to me so I can print it?"

 

[michaelferguson]

Hi everyone

I'm a photographer for the past five years. The Photographs are something which helps to reveal the past memory of our life, and it should have life in it.

 

[Lmphotos]

I'm a R.N. but after I found photography being a nurse doesn't appeal to me as it once did (kinda sucks to figure that out after you invested 6 yrs of school in it.) so as of right now about 30% of my income comes from photography. I have a 5 year goal and I am trying to make that number closer to 80% if not 100% we will see

 

[DorkSterr]

100 percent hobby.

 

[Austin Greene]

I'm a college student majoring in Evolution & Ecology, so you could consider that my day job, besides my actual on-campus job to keep a roof over my head.

I would consider myself an amateur photographer, but I make no illusions about my desire to eventually become a professional photographer. I'm an outgoing person, and can't sit still for very long at all, which is part of the reason why I work weekends and summers as a professional SCUBA Instructor.

My goal is to become a National Geographic explorer and do some shooting for them. I've been fixated on making that dream a reality for the better part of the past 10 years, and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. I'm hoping that by dipping a bit more into the professional side of things sometime soon, I can get a better sense for working on a deadline. Until then, its macro photos between classes, and portrait sessions every few weekends. I've got a long way to go, but make no mistake, I'm going to get there

 

[skieur]

Media: photography, television, and audio has always been part of my day job.

 

[412 Burgh]

Just my dirty little secret. Das all

 

[Deeger]

Addiction.

 

[weepete]

Well I'm very much an amateur photographer, by trade I'm an Mechanical Engineer. I served my time as an apprentice in a workshop machining and designing custom parts for a whole range of stuff. Unfortunatley this kind industry has largely dissapered from most of Scotland now. Years of comptition from other countries, under-investment and politics moving us to a service economy has taken its toll and I've had to sidestep into more of a civil engineering role and now work as a sub contractor in the water industry. The ironic thing is that companies over here complain all the time about a shortage of a skilled workforce but are unwiling to make the investment to train people, but hey you reap what you sow.

I've always enjoyed the mix between creativity and technical know how, so it does suprise me now that its taken me so long to discover that photography is a very good mix for me. Unfortunatley I'd probably get in a bit of bother if I posted photos of my work, sorry.

 

[Benco]

Mostly hobby, it does play a part in my bread work though. I find my camera is an essential tool in the art and illustration work I do, so I don't earn money from photography but need photography to earn money...if that makes any sense?