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What are the most bloated areas of professional photography?

With the exception of the high end photography that requires more technical skill. Every form of photography has been saturated and bloated with people that seem to believe that they will be able to make crazy amounts of money by just buying a camera. If you talk to wedding photographers they will say it's their area, portrait photographers, it's portraits, sports, it's guys like me that see it and hear it all the time. Personally I believe that it's the wedding side, it is the one area that people can get away with asking a lot of money without justifying their skills. They can ask pretty much anything and some sucker will pay it. Shooting portraits, sports, landscapes, etc. the amount of money people are willing to pay is a lot less.
 
That always fascinates me... before I got into photography, I could see the difference between a professional shot and a snapshot ... amazing landscapes, wildlife, gorgeous portraits... things that were beyond what most people do with their camera..

So why, oh why ... are people paying for the low rate stuff?

I want my work to be GOOD work before I think about making money on it... how do people get by with crap work and get paid?
 
People frequently just want a representation of the object or person or event. It's a memory cue, not a piece of art.
 
Then why pay for that instead of taking the pictures themselves? Everyone in my family practically has some sort of camera...

That's what I don't get. If it's for the memories, why pay somebody to do what you could do?
 
I guess it's not a stretch if I think about it... I've had some family tell me I'm getting professional results.

I'm not ... but I know that because I'm in school for it and know the difference... what looks mediocre to me, may look good to them.

Is that how it happens?
 
That always fascinates me... before I got into photography, I could see the difference between a professional shot and a snapshot ... amazing landscapes, wildlife, gorgeous portraits... things that were beyond what most people do with their camera..

So why, oh why ... are people paying for the low rate stuff?

I want my work to be GOOD work before I think about making money on it... how do people get by with crap work and get paid?

Because these guys are good at pushing sales
 
That wouldn't cut it... if I have a choice between prime rib and a Mcdonalds dollar burger... wouldn't matter if the drive through guy could sell ice to an eskimo.. I know where the quality is.
 
Society has changed the definitions of what is considered great, good, mediocre and bad. People are willing to accept less from photography in order to save a dollar, what used to be considered good is now being considered as great. For the average person they really don't care anymore, as long as they have an image.
 
Society has changed the definitions of what is considered great, good, mediocre and bad. People are willing to accept less from photography in order to save a dollar, what used to be considered good is now being considered as great. For the average person they really don't care anymore, as long as they have an image.

What a sad development.
 
Ah well... more power to them I guess. I want to reach a level of quality in my work that I can take some pride in... and that's really for me, not anyone else.
 
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of starting a new business is locating it properly. One would not place a high-end restaurant with meals starting at $50 in the poor section of town...or any town less than 1,000,000 population. It's called market analysis.

So, I have to ask, WHERE is your anticipated market for your photographs? Looking for someone with, let's say, (US) $100 to spend on a wall decoration is getting more difficult every day. Given your location as Siberia, Russia, my limited USA-thinking is that there aren't too many in Siberia with that kind of loose change. OK, considering the internet? Join the 10,000,000 out there in cyber land trying to do the same thing. How will you get them to even FIND your website?

I'm no pro. I never have charged nor will I ever charge for any pictures I've taken. I give them all away at my own expense. But I DO have a couple of failed businesses under my belt, and I know those that have tried and failed multiple times as well. Too often it's the case of poor location, understimating costs, overestimating ones' own capabilities, and too much competition. Throw in crooked and/or uncaring employees, poor bookkeeping/accounting and tax troubles to add to causes of failure as well.

I'm not saying "Don't try", but first make sure you are aware of the risks, the losses, and the heartbreak of 'going under'.
 
The entry level of retail photography is the most bloated and competitive. There is an amazing amount of 'churn' at that level, because few of those people have any business acumen.

Landscape photographers starve to death unless they do other more commercially viable types of photography.

It is said 85% of all the photos that sell have people in them, and the vast majority of those are bought by the people in the photos.
 

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