Thinking of a day job

RockstarPhotography · Mar 11, 2011

I'm posting a lot of threads tonight, but kids staying at babysitters and wife is out with her friends...lol

Sooo, my only source of income is my photography. But i feel like i'm getting burned out shooting things that I really don't care to shoot (family portraits, kids, etc.). A friend got me in touch with an electricians union here and they are willing to get me started on an apprenticeship making 17 and hour starting. Now, my true love lies in shooting bands, and when I do its either toward sunset (for good light), at gigs, or weekends. This I can easily fit into working a day job also. I'm seriously considering it because i'm just getting sooo burned out shooting boring (to me) stuff. I would like to focus on only bands, but this is the only way I can see to do that and still pay the bills.

Robin Usagani · Mar 11, 2011

How do you bring food to the table in photography? You own a company? Work for somone? I am not sure how you could earn money shooting bands unless you shoot famous bands or work for a company. Most of these musicians in colorado do the gigs for almost nothing just so they can be heard and maybe get lucky.

RockstarPhotography · Mar 11, 2011

I don't just shoot bands, thats just what I love to shoot. I shoot pretty much everything but weddings, but i'm getting burned out, so if i take a day job I can concentrate on just bands and still put food on the table.

c.cloudwalker · Mar 11, 2011

Burning out is stressful and stress is not good for your health, so I think you have answered your own question.

Small local bands will no put food on your table unless, maybe, one of them makes it and they don't forget you in the process. And of all the aspects of music photography, concerts are the least likely to bring in money as an independent.

So why not become an electrician? There is quite a nice living available in that business especially if you are willing to travel. A friend of mine did industrial electricity all over the country and did quite well financially.

Another friend is a plumber and does very well also without any travelling. He's always told me that fewer people want to get into plumbing because of the sh*t but sh*t washes off at the end of the day :lol:

All the trades have apprenticeship programs.

xjoewhitex · Mar 12, 2011

Probably a good call man I dont think I could only shoot family, portrait stuff all the time I honestly dont enjoy it a bit either and if thats mostly what your doing your going to lose interest in it completely in a few years. But something to keep in mind with this union job is you will have to travel, and sometimes for long periods of time working long hours. This is kinda in the same boat I am in, its not long ours but its shift work so basically 2 weeks out of every 6 I am able to shoot. I would much rather be shooting, but we must pay the bills. Ive got something else that could be a potential job, but right now ive gotta keep my other job.

RockstarPhotography · Mar 12, 2011

Traveling and long hours don't bother me, I used to work in the oilfield. This is also low voltage stuff like phone lines so I don't think there is as much traveling as high voltage electricians. I dunno, i'm still up in the air about it.

benhasajeep · Mar 12, 2011

Is there any way you can branch out in your photography? Maybe start doing some commercial work? I can tell you being an electrician can get boring as well. Especially as an apprentice where your doing all the sh!t work. If your on a big project you could be doing the same thing for a month straignt. Should say I am not an electrician. But I was in the trades right out of school, and all my family on my step fathers side, and my father inlaws side is in the trades. I myself work for an airline and travel frequently. I can tell you the travel part looses it appeal as well.

imagemaker46 · Mar 12, 2011

I'm just curious, how old are you?

Sounds like you may be making the right call though, if you can't cut it full time as a photographer going in another direction is the less stressed way to go, believe me I understand it.

Robin Usagani · Mar 12, 2011

And there is a big difference between earning some money on the side from photography and actually earning money to bring food on the table.

newb · Mar 12, 2011

I worked with a guy that welded from 6am to 2:30pm monday through friday, and shot bands and MMA fights at night and on weekends. Its deffinitly do-able.

One thing to consider is how much youll be losing by cutting the excess photography and replacing it with an hourly wage.

RockstarPhotography · Mar 12, 2011

I'm 29

o hey tyler · Mar 12, 2011

Can you post examples of what you're tired of shooting? Like actual photos of from a commissioned shoot? Maybe we could offer suggestions to make the shoots more fun or dynamic if we see what you're working with, or what your style is for family portraits and kids and such?

imagemaker46 · Mar 12, 2011

I'm surprised that at age 29 you're burned out, at that age photographers are just starting to figure out where they want to be and what they want to shoot. Did you come to a realization that perhaps you really can't cut it as a professional photographer? I'm guessing that you may have 6-7 years of photography under your belt. Shooting bands is a tough way to make money, just like shooting sports, everyone things they can do it and every amateur is willing to trade off free photos for a pass to a concert or sporting event just to say they did it. The amateurs that advertise they'll work for a couple of hundred bucks, shoot a plie of crap and hand over a cd of images to a band in hopes that they will get more work are all over the place, problem is, inspite of the lower standards people are now willing to accept as good photos doesn't work if the images still look like crap. You said you have a web site under construction, but were using a free yahoo site before that, doesn't sound like you have been working like a professional for very long, or taking being a professional very seriously. It's not easy, I know.

Photography isn't like it used to be, the market has been flooded with wanna be amateurs with full time jobs all thinking they are good enough to be professionals because their family and friends have said they are, guess what, family and friends don't know any better and they lie.

If you are seriously considering a change and a job comes up, I'd take it. If you're struggling in photography at 29, you'll be homeless by age 35. That term starving artist has alot of truth in it. None of what I said here is wrong, I see it and hear it all the time, and alot of it is coming from professional photographers that have been in the business for 30-40 years, the whole fabric of photography has changed, and not for the good.