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

[LRYoung]

. 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.

Thanks - it was a long post - but very interesting

 

[JeremyDueckPhoto]

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.

Yes you have some good points but the basic issue has more to do with all levels of amateurs vs pros. There may be thousands of different levels of "amateur". The photographers who say its the "pros fault" for charging too much are avoiding some of the facts.

The entry level beginner can affect the value of the market by simply charging nothing. If you know 10 people that do photos for free, and 1 that charges $200 a session, the $200 session is now overpriced, however their photos are usually better. The full-time professional has more overhead and may only break even at $200 a session. So its not often overpriced, its done at a level that maintains.

 

[TwoTwoLeft]

I don't have much disposable income for my other hobbies these days. Very few of my hobbies have the ability to fund themselves. I don't intend or want to make a living out of it as my primary source of income. But it would be nice to see a little return on my investment other than just the enjoyment I get from photography.

Most places I shoot I rarely see other photographers. Especially for aviation I can gain access to places most cant get to. So if I'm the only one shooting at a location I fail to see how I'm taking food from the mouths of "professionals" who aren't there.

 

[imagemaker46]

I don't understand why some of you would give away your prints. The way I see it is very simple: I put time and effort into my work so at the very least if you want a print, you can purchase a print for what it costs me to print it. I'm not going to buy the print for you.

I don't understand why there are people who feel that they have to put a price tag on every single thing that they do in life.

What happened to doing something purely and simply because you enjoy doing it? Does absolutely every thing that people do have to be so they can get paid for it? I ENJOY photography. It isn't my career, nor have I ever wanted it to be, it's something I do because I want to. If I take a photograph of someone at a race they are more than welcome to a copy of it. I have never turned anyone down, nor have I ever charged a penny. It makes me feel good to give them something that is useful to them and that is "Payment" enough for me.

I agree 100%. I was shooting swimming last week and one of the officials asked if I could shoot a couple of her son, I shot them asked for an e-mail address and sent her some images, I didn't ask for anything in return, what I got was a note back saying "thank you" Sometimes that's all you need to hear. It meant more to the official that I could give her some photos, the time spent was only a few minutes, but it gave her and her son something that they will always cherish, that carried more weight for me than a few dollars.

 

[JeremyDueckPhoto]

I don't have much disposable income for my other hobbies these days. Very few of my hobbies have the ability to fund themselves. I don't intend or want to make a living out of it as my primary source of income. But it would be nice to see a little return on my investment other than just the enjoyment I get from photography.

Most places I shoot I rarely see other photographers. Especially for aviation I can gain access to places most cant get to. So if I'm the only one shooting at a location I fail to see how I'm taking food from the mouths of "professionals" who aren't there.

I haven't heard any pros complain about stuff like this...

 

[Aetherbound]

This thread would be so much better if we could vote on poll options to add.

 

[Aetherbound]

Not to drive anymore traffic to the OPs (obvious) attempt at a site sell but I have never seen so many magenta people gathered in one place before. This must be a foreign country where magenta is the predominant skin tint??

That being the case, I'd like to sell my photos to get the magenta surgically balanced in my skin. So 'Other' I suppose

 

[jackharper]

its really about being validated

 

[DiskoJoe]

First off, I wasn't sure which board this should go on - please move it if this is the wrong one...

I've only been on this board for a few days, and already I have seen several posts along the lines of "I want to start selling my photos, how do I start?". Reading though the posts, some people are clearly trying to become professionals, but others are not looking to make that leap, just sell some photos. That got me to wondering why sell photos if you are not trying to go professional - its a subject i'm pretty curious about.

Are you in that group? Are you an amateur looking to sell photos, but not go pro? If so - can you explain why?

If you can sell work you are a professional or at least deserving of the semipro title.

 

[rexbobcat]

its really about being validated

This.

 

[sm4him]

I have no desire to become a "pro," and I have sold some of my photos. But the "why" is more complicated than a simple poll can really cover.

Validation: I think there's a lot to this. We ALL like to feel that what we're producing IS worthwhile. When someone wants to BUY one of my photos, it tells me that--at least for that particular photo--perhaps I have stepped beyond the amateur status, beyond the place where friends and family ooh and aah, but REAL photographers know the truth about your mediocrity. Of course, it's also possible that they are buying my photo because they are complete idiots whose taste is all in their mouth.
But fortunately, I can choose to believe the former option.

Money: Photography is really not a good hobby choice for a poor single woman with two boys in college. And so selling my photography, even just once in a while, can't hurt. Like many others, I'm not looking to turn a profit (at what I charge, I'm about 3,562 photos away from that possibility, and then only if I don't buy so much as a new battery before I hit that mark!). What I *am* looking to do is help soften the financial blow of the next lens purchase, the next flash, the next tripod, etc.

Time: My time is worth something. Therefore, if I have a photo that I just happened to take and someone likes it and wants to buy it, that's one thing. But if someone wants a particular sort of photo from me (I had one person who wanted me to do a photo of a particular waterfall; another who saw a photo I'd done with some crayons and wanted something "like that" but with some adjustments), then I'm going to charge them a little something extra for my time.

I've only ever done ONE photoshoot, for my niece and her new baby (and other parts of her family)--I did NOT charge her for my time OR for the disc of photos (no prints), because I'd also made it clear that I am NOT a pro, she would not get pro results and if she wanted REAL photos, she should get a pro. I edited about a dozen of the photos for her, then told her that if there were others she wanted edited, I'd do it for a small charge, to compensate me for the time it would take.
Also, she took me to dinner--free food is just about as good as money, to me!

Ultimately, I'd like to sell enough of my photos to pay for the NEXT camera and lens. But I am a LONG way from that happening, for two reasons:
1) I'm not good enough, yet.
2) I don't try very hard to sell them. Mostly I've sold them when people see them at work or on FB and OFFER me money for them, but I've really not made any effort to sell them in a local shop or online. Yet. Seems like a lot of effort for what would likely not be much return. Perhaps when my photos reach a more consistently good quality...

 

[LRYoung]

I have no desire to become a "pro," and I have sold some of my photos. But the "why" is more complicated than a simple poll can really cover.

That's a really great insight. thanks for taking the time

 

[CMfromIL]

I don't charge for my images, never have and have no future plans to. I have had some parents ask if I charge, which I found quite flattering.

I also don't feel as though I'm 'taking money' out of a pro's pocket either. There just are not many (none) that swing by to take photo's of Jr. High Volleyball/Basketball/Cheer Leading.

I do it more for personal satisfaction, and to help pass the time. And I feel appreciated. I might not be the 'best' photographer in Jr High Sports history, but to the parents that either don't have equipment, the time or acumen to take pictures I do a pretty good job.

And with the helpful comments and tips I find myself getting better, and I like that as well.

 

[Redeyejedi]

imo, the difference between a pro and an amateur/ hobbyist is that a pro makes most of his income off of photography. it says nothing of actual photographic talent. i have seen folks with relatively little experience (no film only digital) and are capable of making fantastic compositions. and i have seen "pros" whose work i feel absolutely nothing for. that said, photography, for the most part, is an art form and the value placed on a particular work differs from person to person, culture to culture and time to time.
i can give away a framed print at no cost to someone, a gift, and still place a tremendous value on the work performed. merely conveying that politely is a great way to raise the awareness of the naive public who think you just point and shoot dslr and wind up with nice pictures cause it was shot with a nice rig. letting them actually understand that there may have been planning to be at the right spot at the right time, with the right gear etc...none of which is free and requires time, and skillset. if people think a magnificent capture was just 1/250 of a second from conception to print they are greatly mistaken i think this is were a lot of the public placing less value on quality photography stems from.