What is your End Game?

[Tulsa]

Its a hobby for me, I do not want photography to be a career, but if I can sell a few prints along the way to pay for new gear I will do it.
No artistic education past high school, however in HS I was in the Sudio Art program, but never went past that.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Very interesting thread.

When last photographing I was shooting art and commercial/editorial.
Now, I am going into commercial but hope to keep time to still do art (whether painting or photography.)

Formal education was a few classes at the art school in DC. The only ones that were useful were my design classes (and I keep telling everybody to take design class. Much better than a book on photo composition that skips over quite a lot of very valuable knowledge) and a law class. And a little bit of my painting class. I already had 12 years of photo behind me and the photo class was a joke to me.
Not so formal education: I grew up surrounded by artists. Most valuable free education anyone could wish for. I was privileged.

Most of my goals have been realized but I'm older and have been at this a long time. I have shown (and sold) both my photo and painting work in galleries but I still hope to show my sculptures someday. Talking about that, and please don't hate me, I have always considered my photo art work as non profit. There is, as far as I'm concerned, very little money in the art photo world. And not just for me.

To respond to a thread here a while back I looked up Jerry Uelsmann, a master of pre-digital image manipulation, very beautiful surreal stuff, and I picked up a couple of his prints for close to nothing. Now, there is a German photographer selling his prints at prices in line with paintings but that is very rare and that is partly why I switched to painting a few years back.

There is very little money in art photo but it should not keep you from doing it. It is a great feeling to hang in a good gallery and, one never knows...

When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always: I want to change the world. My dad worked in the political realm and I went through high school in Europe so I was very politically aware. That has never changed and it often was/is more important than my career.


I did say earlier that most of my goals have been realized. There is one big one left. I have shot a couple of documentary movies but I have a script for a feature entertainment movie that I'm still hoping to get done someday

 

[keith foster]

Cool thread, Bitter. Thank you for starting it.

I am retiring from teaching in 4 years and my goal with photography is to make a modest part time job out of my photography. I really don't want to do weddings though. I love to do senior portraits and take pictures that people will remember and appreciate after I am gone and they are old.

My background is all self directed learning and a few seminars. Lots of mistakes and lots of fun.

 

[Hooker771]

I have a masters in criminal justice maybe I should take mug shots.

No end game with the exception of a nice 8x10 from time to time to hang on the wall. I have a 5 year old boy and 2 year old girl so just getting into the game for future memories. Great thread.

 

[manaheim]

I have absolutely no idea what I'm trying to accomplish or why I even do this.

My best guess, to date, is that I'm trying to recapture some of the soul I lost through years of public school and corporate IT work.

Other than that? Not a clue.

 

[rallysman]

It's a hobby.

 

[SushiWarrior]

Maybe a bit of product photography might be nice, I always wanted to be a computer hardware reviewer by hobby and nice shots help a lot. Besides that, all I ever see myself doing with photography is a hobby. I don't expect to go anywhere with it, maybe some side income.

 

[BirdyIsMe]

Ideally, I'd like to open up a baby/child portrait studio with a cutesy kid's clothing and gifts boutique attached. I've been shooting a handful of weddings over the past few months as a way to monetize in the short term, but I'd like to get away from them at some point in the future.

 

[Live_free]

I just like pwetty colors =D Nah I just like trying to convey emotions in pictures. =P

 

[reznap]

I have no plans to do anything other than take pictures for fun and to share with others. I'm buying the rebel t2i when it comes out, so all I can predict for certain is how much lighter in the wallet it will make me.

 

[MrRamonG]

I simply want to take better pics than you.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

:lmao:


Low expectations, eh?

 

[dyyylan]

I want to take pictures of people at the DMV.



no, but seriously I'd like to shoot just about everything. ideally i'd like it to be my source of income, but that's probably just a dream. i'm still in college so i'm allowed to dream

 

[Eventer]

I would definatly love photography to be my career - Sports photography probably (Horse events etc)
And I'm still in high school/College, So I have alot of time to perfect my photography, and im working hard this year to try and a gain Scholarship on my Photography folio boards

 

[suki]

For now, it's a hobby with some paying sessions if there is any interest. No formal education but learning through practice, research, books & assisting other photographers in hopes that I can make this into a career. After all, who doesn't want to do what they love for a living?

I really gravitate towards portrait & architecture type of photos, I like to people watch and wonder what their story is. I also love old buildings/history because it tells a story and has substance.

My goal is to be able to capture these stories and tell them through my photos.