When are you ready to take pics for money amongst other things

mrsblackfoto

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I am not ready I know for a fact right now, but when is a good time to start? Do you charge for practice? How do you gain confidence in your work? I catch myself overediting and nit picking and honesly I don't know what my style is. I love the earthy hazy looks, but I also love bold rich colors. I can't decide a uniform look to my images it seems. When does one find this out? I have a canon PowerShot sx20 is that I am learning everything on. Am I being limited because of my lens? Ahhh! So much going on! advice please! I am my worst critic. There are so many elements to photography I know it's gonna take a long time to really get good at everything...i know the basic elements to photography. I shoot in manual mode, I don't know it like the back of my hand but I am getting the hang of things. I don't have the Option to shoot raw so I don't know where to start there....anyways yes..advice! Here is an image of my five year old I totally messed up overedited and horrified my husband with. She looks too old and her expression thins her face out making her look older as well. I thought this was one of the better pics, looking back now i dont. how do i avoid thhis mistake with clients? Lol how do I know when to stop! I know this is all over the place haha but yea here's an example of my mishaps.the second is unedited. ( I'm still learning so don't mind my foot!)
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A far more important question is: "Do you want to take money for photography?" The whole dynamic changes, expectations go way up, stress goes way up, and often enjoyment goes down. My suggestion would be: Don't even think about a business for a long time yet. Practice, develop your technique, build up a basic kit of gear and if and when you get to the point where people are asking for your services as a paid shooter, THEN consider it.
 
I agree with tirediron here. Practice and hone your skill set. Build up a portfolio you are proud of, as well as a variety of equipment that will allow you to be successful at your niche of photography in a variety of settings and conditions. Define your style, and then consider whether this is something you even want to turn into a job.

Photography was my way of staying in contact with my paintball friends originally. I didn't intend to make it a lucrative adventure when I began. I then started shooting national tournaments, where teams offered to pay me for images throughout the events. I later started shooting mud runs and OCR events around the nation, and even an international event here and there. As the work load increased though, my enjoyment and love for photography started to decrease. The money was good. The travel was amazing. But while I was at home between gigs, my camera collected dust. I completely stopped shooting for my own enjoyment. Do I regret taking those jobs? Of course not. They allowed me to travel to many amazing places and meet so many awesome people, although I do kind of hate what its done to me. Since then, I have truly worked on shooting for my own enjoyment again, and experimenting and playing every chance I get.

I guess I'm just echoing what tirediron stated here. Don't worry about the money now. Shoot as much as you can, and enjoy every minute of it. It may be something you don't want to ruin by turning it into a job.
 
Yes I want to do it for money! I am aware that it no longer becomes just a hobby but I love it and want to have a business eventually. I decided to delve deeper into this because I loved it and because people suggested it, and so here I am! Before I had a camera I was using my iPad. Here are some I did with that, pics I like but wished I would had used a real camera with everything I have learned thus far! Do you suggest any books or specific online materials as a good starting point? The Internet is over saturated and I don't have tons of money to spare on schooling. Thanks for the advice !image.jpegimage.jpegimage.pngimage.pngimage.png
 
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Yes I want to do it for money! I am aware that it no longer becomes just a hobby but I love it and want to have a business eventually. I decided to delve deeper into this because I loved it and because people suggested it, and so here I am!

Good for you for being honest. IMHO, being consistent is an important part because clients will come to you and expect you do be able to consistently deliver what they see in your portfolio. My confidence comes from my ability to solve problems. My clients pay me and expect me to consistently deliver images that they see in my portfolio. My ability to meet their expectations, regardless, is the key to my business.
 
Welcome to the Forum. I have learned sooooo much AND gotten so much help here since joining a few years ago after buying my 1 st digital camera.
Ditto to advice above, learn, practice, learn, practice...

I am glad you realize that you are a long way from being a pro. So many people come here and state how they are ready now since they got a camera recently ;{
If you go on the professional area of this forum, you will see some excellent, excellent photographers ! Not that yours are not good for a beginner, but you will see a big difference in the pro area forum.
See you in the forums :)
 
Would you pay your mechanic to practice working on your car? Making money off of photography is something you don't need to worry about for a long time. Learn as much as you can, don't worry about the money end for a few years
 
Yes I want to do it for money! I am aware that it no longer becomes just a hobby but I love it and want to have a business eventually. I decided to delve deeper into this because I loved it and because people suggested it, and so here I am! Before I had a camera I was using my iPad. Here are some I did with that, pics I like but wished I would had used a real camera with everything I have learned thus far! Do you suggest any books or specific online materials as a good starting point? The Internet is over saturated and I don't have tons of money to spare on schooling. Thanks for the advice !View attachment 111461View attachment 111462View attachment 111463View attachment 111464View attachment 111468
First, if you want to improve, don't listen to people on Facebook. Friends and family are not a good way to gauge your level.

Second, Youtube is your friend, but also your enemy. There is a lot of great stuff on Youtube, but there is a lot of crap out there. It's hard to wade through when you're just starting out. I'd recommend starting with Adorama, B&H, Phlearn, LearnMyShot, Karl Taylor, Frank Doorhof, Sue Bryce, etc. as starting points on YouTube.

You can pay for a months subscription to KelbyOne, which has tons of videos that will start you off at the bottom and take you through just about everything. The cost for one month isn't much, and when you're first starting out it's worth the expense.
 
Thanks so much I have been looking at different photographers work and seeing what post processed pics I find the most exciting and appealing and I'm gonna try to stay within that range. I'm more attracted to crisp, bold coloured photos. I like a bit of earthyness. I'm gonna try not to be all over the place and play with the dials and see what works. I will eventually get a better camera with a non-kit lens ( I've learned something lol). Until then I will hone in on my skills and just practice. I am going to check out suggested readings and sites thanks so much for the advice!
 
First I think your vision of your pictures and what you want to convey is good, I see you enjoy portraits.
Improving your skills is the most important thing but I think you also really need better gear.
You need a DSLR which will give you 4 advantages over your current P&S camera

1.You can get a prime lens that will help you isolate the background
2.Will give you a much better image quality
3.Will let you shoot RAW which for people who process their picture is important
4.Will let you use Flash which is a very important tool for portrait photographers

The SX20 is ok but frankly very limiting and it shows.

If you decide to get a DSLR then post a new thread and I am sure lots of good people will help you with that too.
 
Photography, like auto mechanics, has many different tasks and not all take polished skill. Any mechanic can change the spark plugs for money just as any photographer can take photos of a vacant lot for money.
As long as you can provide the client what they expect, you have the ability to make money no matter where you are skill wise.
 
Your profile shows no location information.

Making money doing retail photography is a lot harder than it might seem to people not familiar with running a business.

The primary skill set needed to start and keep a photography business going is business skills.
The vast majority of people that start a photography business today don't have sufficient business skills and realize way to late that their costs exceed their revenue and the business folds in a short time for financial reasons.

For many reasons most cities and states require a business be registered with them.
For city requirements check with the City Clerks office.
State governments have business registration info online, usually on the state Department of Revenue web site.
Many cities and states require a business have liability insurance.
States that have a sales tax require business collect and forward sales tax money to the state.
Some states require anyone that is self employed to make monthly unemployment insurance payments.
Most states have a Use Tax too that you would want to be aware of.
 
The photos seem to show a need to learn how to get proper exposures, how to frame shots (to not cut people off or be in too close etc.), how to compose images, how to engage the subjects - there's a lot still to learn. You'll need to know your camera like the back of your hand, and the powershot may not be adequate for doing professional photography.

I'd practice and practice just using your camera, and if that can include people that's fine too. If you want to do professional work in something you need to become expert in using the necessary tools.

And then there's all the business aspects (see above post). If you're in the US try taking a look at American Society of Media Photographers or PPA to get an idea what will be involved in doing work in photography.
 
OP, You ask a lot of good questions. I see by the sample photos you've provided that you've got something of a feel for theatrical, illustrative-type photos. I think you could do well if you get into costuming and set-creation, and creating "theme" photo shoots. Princess dresses, fairy wings, old-fashioned Romantic-era natural backgrounds, stuff like that, might be an area that you could gravitate to. Make your shoots more of an 'event' than just taking pictures.

Here's a link to good photo book that could give you an excellent overview of many aspects of photography, for very low cost, and from a really good teacher.http://www.amazon.com/Hedgecoes-Com...&qid=1447614747&sr=1-1&keywords=john+hedgecoe
 
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