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Professional Photographers
- Thread starter .Adam.
- Start date
Xx
If you're good enough at something, eventually people will start paying you to do it.
R26
^ In a nutshell.
Experience. I made most of my money from photography through magazines. I went to drift events and submitted my shots to the Redline. I wasn't even their main photographer, just some rookie. But I sent my photos in, and they used more of my photos than their tog! If you have nice pics, people will pay for them (apart from the times Redline didnt want to pay me....another story!)
Get experience and find something you want to make money by doing. ie. weddings, motorsport, stuido work etc
2.2 bar shed.
Im starting to make more and more money out of photography now. Nearly got 1 event a week lined up, but nowhere near enough to make 'full time' money out of it. Just put your name out alot, and then some more. And some more.
Dont work for free either whatever you do, c**ts that work for nothing ruin it for everyone else whos trying to make some money. Especially when it comes to club/event work as people seem to think that a guy whos gone into Jessops and bought a 1000D and rocks around the place on full auto will manage to do the same job as a 'pro'. Also, the 'pro' word is a bit of a joke. I make money out of it, does that make me a pro? :/
I got into it through working some events for a mate. Someone else saw this and asked me to work their events and so on. Get a tumblr/blog/something and just post your top 2/3 images from each night up. Twitters excellent as well for networking with bands/DJ's. Hoping to get some work down in Bristol in the coming months.
Dont work for free either whatever you do, c**ts that work for nothing ruin it for everyone else whos trying to make some money. Especially when it comes to club/event work as people seem to think that a guy whos gone into Jessops and bought a 1000D and rocks around the place on full auto will manage to do the same job as a 'pro'. Also, the 'pro' word is a bit of a joke. I make money out of it, does that make me a pro? :/
I got into it through working some events for a mate. Someone else saw this and asked me to work their events and so on. Get a tumblr/blog/something and just post your top 2/3 images from each night up. Twitters excellent as well for networking with bands/DJ's. Hoping to get some work down in Bristol in the coming months.
Ultra Red Megane 175
I shoot mainly Rallying, and you can probably count on one hand the number of 'Pros' making money out of it in the UK. The problem is the number of spectators armed with SLRs these days means competitors have a near limitless supply of free pictures sent to them from every event. Despite the abysmal quality of the photographs, drivers/co-drivers will take the free shot over paying a couple of quid for a good quality image.
As an example, I went to a minor clubman event at Pembrey recently and as an exercise (I was off work for a week so had a bit of time on my hands); I decided to respond to every request for Proofs on the forum from Drivers/Co-Drivers to see how many I would sell. Those of you who have seen my shots on here will know I take some good images, and these were good quality shots of a water splash, sharp, well composed, good colours etc:
Have a guess how many I sold?! None, and not even a single "Thanks for sending the proofs".
The above topic has been discussed to death on the British Rallying forums, and stirs up a hornets nest everytime it comes up (usually 2-3 times a year!)
As an example, I went to a minor clubman event at Pembrey recently and as an exercise (I was off work for a week so had a bit of time on my hands); I decided to respond to every request for Proofs on the forum from Drivers/Co-Drivers to see how many I would sell. Those of you who have seen my shots on here will know I take some good images, and these were good quality shots of a water splash, sharp, well composed, good colours etc:
Have a guess how many I sold?! None, and not even a single "Thanks for sending the proofs".
The above topic has been discussed to death on the British Rallying forums, and stirs up a hornets nest everytime it comes up (usually 2-3 times a year!)
jenic
ClioSport Club Member
Out of interest and to help the thread how did you approach redline? Who decided pricing? Did you get paid by them from the start?
The term SBF comes up alot (s**t but free). Sadly even nationals use it alot. Its why the spectator with the dream or ego boost hunting to be a real pro kills themselves by doing it free.
Its like internships, most think that 6months at a studio will lead to a job, most of the time I just see a new intern every 6months not getting paid.
Suzuki Ignis
Im in a bit of a different area of photography than the photographers on here that I know of, which is a commercial set, product and jewelery studio.
We do things from Mark & Spencer's bedding, a lot if not all of Jacamo stuff, JD Williams, to all of Topps Tiles (Ive developed an unhealthy hatred for tiles).
Im only assisting there atm, so basically building and rough lighting the set, then a stylist goes to work, then photographer takes the shot and edits. I have to do all the s**t jobs as well though but its starting at the bottom and working up to a photographers position. Its full time paid work though, with obvious career prospects in a couple of years, so Im happy with that for now, plus I do have a studio of my own for portraits, children, couple photography plus weddings, which takes up all my evenings and weekends but at least I'm the photographer on those.
I only heard about a job going there through word of mouth, these kinda jobs dont really get advertised. From my experiences, the advertised ones are the jobs that dont pay, pay very poorly and you end up out of pocket or its hardly worth doing unless you are at the very start and want the experience. Some of the photographers here don't believe me when I say I have been working for basically free for a year before finding this job, its just that so many people want to do it, but if you really want it then you have to do the unpaid now to gain experience and the money will follow.
Depends what kinda of work you would like to do in the end? No good, taking pictures of birds and landscapes if you want to work in a set building environment.
We do things from Mark & Spencer's bedding, a lot if not all of Jacamo stuff, JD Williams, to all of Topps Tiles (Ive developed an unhealthy hatred for tiles).
Im only assisting there atm, so basically building and rough lighting the set, then a stylist goes to work, then photographer takes the shot and edits. I have to do all the s**t jobs as well though but its starting at the bottom and working up to a photographers position. Its full time paid work though, with obvious career prospects in a couple of years, so Im happy with that for now, plus I do have a studio of my own for portraits, children, couple photography plus weddings, which takes up all my evenings and weekends but at least I'm the photographer on those.
I only heard about a job going there through word of mouth, these kinda jobs dont really get advertised. From my experiences, the advertised ones are the jobs that dont pay, pay very poorly and you end up out of pocket or its hardly worth doing unless you are at the very start and want the experience. Some of the photographers here don't believe me when I say I have been working for basically free for a year before finding this job, its just that so many people want to do it, but if you really want it then you have to do the unpaid now to gain experience and the money will follow.
Depends what kinda of work you would like to do in the end? No good, taking pictures of birds and landscapes if you want to work in a set building environment.
Oil Burner
If only this was true!
Unfortunately its not a case anymore that determination and skill can always produce a career, many areas of photography simply don't exist as they used to. Motorsports is a great example of this and is a bit of a trend setter in showing how amateurs and even semi pro's (including me) can kill the industry. In the UK there are 2 maybe 3 photographers working full time as motorsports (circuit) photographers, i know one of these guys and i know nobody else that works harder at their job.
I would say if your well connected, good with people, cheeky verging on rude, willing to work hideous hours for very little, determined and sometimes it helps to be talented, then you stand a chance.
Its taken me over 3 years to get to where i am (not really anywhere) and i will have no weekends for about 7 months of the year and earn so little from it that it probably pays less p/h than working in a chip shop. But i love it, and if i keep at it then maybe one day i can turn it into my main career.
R26
I found the name of the guy to send the pics to, the artisitc editor I think. Then just sent my CD in.
They got back to me saying they want to use xxx prints, and this is the price they want to pay. Took ages to get the money through, but it always does I think.
The next time I send photos in, I didn't know they used my pics until I flicked through the mag in a newsagents!! Not happy I was not!
Rally bus
Ultra Red Megane 175
