Why do you (as an amateur) want to sell your photos

[Overread]

My initial comment was "I don't understand why some of you would give away your prints."

Because sometimes its nice to give someone a gift if they'll enjoy it. The fact that you made the gift (or at least the original upon which the gift - the print- is based off) is kinda not hear nor there; though for many I will say that its a mark of compliment to have someone actually "want" your work.

Asides which one has to remember not everyone with £1000s in their camera gear wants to be a pro; nor has any idea of the life of a pro. They just shoot cause they like to with no intention of going any further. The free or cheap prints they give/sell away are simply a little pocket money from the hobby.

 

[mishele]

I picked other. I would like to think I'm taking pictures for myself. If someone else enjoys my work and wants to purchase prints then that's an added bonus.

 

[LuckySe7en]

My initial comment was "I don't understand why some of you would give away your prints."

Because sometimes its nice to give someone a gift if they'll enjoy it. The fact that you made the gift (or at least the original upon which the gift - the print- is based off) is kinda not hear nor there; though for many I will say that its a mark of compliment to have someone actually "want" your work.

Asides which one has to remember not everyone with £1000s in their camera gear wants to be a pro; nor has any idea of the life of a pro. They just shoot cause they like to with no intention of going any further. The free or cheap prints they give/sell away are simply a little pocket money from the hobby.

I totally agree with the gifts. I'm not saying that I charge everyone for prints but you have to draw the line somewhere. I've given out tons of prints. But I also have a familiy to support so I can't keep buying people gifts

 

[SCraig]

My initial comment was "I don't understand why some of you would give away your prints."

You're right. I did miss that and I apologize. There is a difference.

 

[LuckySe7en]

My initial comment was "I don't understand why some of you would give away your prints."

You're right. I did miss that and I apologize. There is a difference.

No worries. This is a sensitive subject but I understand both sides.

 

[Natalie]

I checked all the choices, because they all apply to me lately...

• To make some money on the side: I'm a college student who's moving out of state next month for a new job, so I'm not exactly rolling in cash. If I could make a few extra bucks by selling some prints, I'm going to give it a go.

• To tell if my photos are any good (only good photos sell): I still consider myself a beginner photographer, but I think I've come far enough that I'm beyond the "crappy snapshot" phase (although I still do produce plenty of crappy snapshots, on purpose though). I've noticed that with some of the photographers I idolized when I first started out, nowadays their photographs don't seem so spectacular and sometimes I feel I could have shot them better. I've noticed that when I post photos for C&C I normally don't get large amounts of feedback, a situation I interpret as people thinking a combination of "There's nothing horrible about this photograph that I can point out" and "Ew! Snake [or bug]! Where's the back button??".

• To gain some recognition for my hard work: It doesn't feel like hard work when you're having fun though. As a hobbyist photographer, I only shoot what I want to shoot, and while there often is a lot of frustration involved with uncooperative animals, at the end of the day it's all for fun. So I don't necessarily want to be recognized for my "hard work", I just want to be recognized. Because the creepy crawlies I like to shoot don't always have the best reputation in the eyes of the public, I like to produce visually-pleasing shots that will portray these creatures in an interesting and positive light. I guess it's not really recognition for me, per se, but for the animals. But still, I guess it would be nice to be the name behind those kinds of photographs... I've had photos published in a few books/magazines for free, but that's it.

• Other: My main reason for ordering prints of my photographs last night is because I'm entering a photography contest this summer and planning on selling the prints there if I can, because frankly, entering the contest was expensive and I want to recoup a fraction of the cost. If money wasn't an issue I'd take the photos home and hang them on my own wall, since they're some of my favorites and I've never made any prints of my photographs before. But with the entry fees, prints, and frames, it's costing me about $150 to enter the contest, so I hope I can sell a couple prints. Not many people like reptiles/amphibians/invertebrates, so I'm not expecting to win any of the awards with them, but if I can sell two 8x12 framed prints for $50 each I'll be happy. Is $50 too much to ask for a framed print of that size? I really have absolutely no idea how much photographers (professional or amateur) charge for prints.

 

[IByte]

A small donation or payment is appropiate as your gear needs grow.

 

[JeremyDueckPhoto]

Yep, and I couldn't care less. I've said this before and I'll say it again: If you are in a position where amateurs are taking your business away then you are either doing it wrong or charging too much.

Thats a huge generalization and an overall incorrect answer. Didn't I mention before that most photographers do not understand economics

Like others have said, there are good points to both sides. There are a LOT of "amateur" photographers that should charge (or charge more) for their work and I encourage them to do so.

 

[zamanakhan]

I try to sell so I can justify the need for more gear...

 

[TheFantasticG]

I don't try to sell. Don't care. I enjoy the process.

 

[banderson]

Honestly- I'd like to one day turn my hobby into a profession. Not so much to make money from it, but my dream is to be able to quit my day job and just do what I love. I know some people say that doing this ruins the hobby for them, but I don't think Ill end up this way. I just enjoy the process, and if one day I can afford to live (Semi-comfortably) doing what I love then I'm all for that.

 

[rexbobcat]

Yep, and I couldn't care less. I've said this before and I'll say it again: If you are in a position where amateurs are taking your business away then you are either doing it wrong or charging too much.

Thats a huge generalization and an overall incorrect answer. Didn't I mention before that most photographers do not understand economics

Like others have said, there are good points to both sides. There are a LOT of "amateur" photographers that should charge (or charge more) for their work and I encourage them to do so.

What you just described is not an amateur, so it does not apply to the situation that Craig was talking about.

He's saying that if unskilled photographers are stealing your business, then the margin of skill is not great enough to warrant the higher prices that you charge, or you are charging extravagantly for the market in the first place.

It's the general public who does not understand economics, as in, they do not understand the value of certain services.

You're basically insulting the art and business of photography if you believe that amateurs have enough skill to be marketable.
I think what you are referring to are those whose skill is above that of amateurs, and they undermine that skill by charging to little or not at all.

 

[Alex_B]

I do support the pro in the famlily occasionally as a second, or even first shooter at events. So that pro charges for my work that option was not in the poll I am afraid

 

[Fotoracle]

Never sold any photos either, but when I see very similar photos, especially of flowers, sold at incredible prices, makes me wonder...
you can see my tulips cube and btw I'd love to receive some feedback. Flowers cube
Maybe one day...

 

[vipgraphx]

Coming from my carrier as a graphic designer and now screen and thermal printer I have gotten use to charging for my work. I went to college and had a huge loan to pay off. I started free lancing as a 3D animator and video editor out of college. I did this for about 3 years. I got a job with a company who does 3d animations for slot machines and I started full time there and they moved to Las Vegas and I stayed in Tucson. Times where hard and I had huge loan to pay off so I got some more funding from the bank and started Pixel Dust Graphics. I was doing video processing and graphic design work. As I was doing this for a few years times changed and so did I. I had to bring in another avenue for income so I started web design and logos. Times changed again and with companies like godaddy and other various web based companies who charge dirt cheap for websites it made it hard to compete and charge what I was worth. People did not see value in a person who could actually code and build flash websites. They got cheap templets and that was that. In the meantime I was doing some graphic work for local screen printers and saw that there was money to be made. Since times changed again I had adapt and with the money I had made from my business I reinvested in a big screen press and two heat press machines along with a plotter to cut vinyl. This became a money maker and so Pixel Dust Graphics turned into VIP Graphics and Printing. It went very well for the first three years and there is more and more competition now where I live and once again online. So I thought about photography as I had been doing it as a hobby for some time. My printing and graphics business could use another avenue of revenue again. It is somewhat of a roller coaster ride and it comes and goes as the seasons do. I am pretty steady this year so far so good however some people see my work and want to purchase a print then I will sell it. The software I use cost money, the cameras I use cost money and so on. I will give pictures as gifts to family and I don't charge for family portraits (sometimes they give me anyway) but, This is my profession I see photography as somewhat a cousin to graphic design work, its art and since I was a little boy I always wanted to make money off of some form of art. So yeah I charge and I have nothing to be ashamed off. I do not force people to buy prints, if they approach me I will sell it. If they want it for free they can have a small res file that can not be blow up and I do not worry about that, But to give someone a high res file no way...not without some form of payment. I charge $40 an hour for graphic design work so I take that into consideration when I price a print.


As far as going something good for poeple. I have been coaching youth soccer for 12 years for free. I have invested money in equipment and coaching education. I have a NSCAA advanced Regional Diploma along with NSFFC youth module I and II. Other coaches in the area and state and country who are apart of big clubs charge anywhere from $30-$180 per player. I had two teams until last season. We play all year around and I do this out of the kindness of my heart, the love for the game and so that children can play when they can not afford other clubs. This is my fellow ship..and my contribution to society.

I know it was a looooong post but I do not want to be judged with out all the info upfront about me.

Cheers.