Little tidbits about my philo:
I'm an entrepreneur. I chose being a sales rep.(commission paid on sales only) for 30 years, professional photographer since 2002 to 2013. I'm getting into retirement mode however, I recently signed a large business portrait gig taking place in October.
Being an entrepreneur is first. I've expressed it with two business models. Both worked quite well.
This is my 6th year serving on the board of the Twin Cities PPA (TCPPA)(Our Blog:
http://www.tcppablog.com/). It is my 5th as Treasurer for the organization. I find that most folks seem to put the cart before the horse. They want the latest gadget or make the glitzy-artsy photos but haven't quite figured out how to make money.
People come and go. What saves them is having a significant other pull the financial weight. They have some fun, maybe make enough to pay for some stuff.
Owing your own business and making money that allows you to eke out a decent living is a challenge.
You nailed it exactly. I started shooting for pay while in high school and went full time pro in college in 1968. I started as a PJ shooting for my university paper and my work got the attention of the chief photographer of a major paper. With his guidance I shot for AP, UPI, Esquire and later Life. By the time I was 20 I had full page images running in major magazines. I didn't do any of this for free. Matter of fact in todays dollars I was making almost $80,000 a year when I was 21.
In 1972 I decided to change directions. Id made great money and saved a lot. I'd been shot at and a guy attempted to seperate my body from my head with a fire ax so I thought I would see what commercial photography was like.
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to apprentice under a PPofA master photographer. I worked for a year and a half 5-1/2 days a week. The first year I worked for FREE and the next six months I was paid. I could never have learned as much in school as I did from Joe. Joe taught me better lab skills and turned me into an exceptional printer. He taught me business and how to work with art directors, designers and account execs. He taught me how to use layouts and refined my technique.
The experience was invaluable and two years after leaving his studio, Joe as the state president of the PPofA presented me with best of show commercial at the state convention. I was judge against the best in the state and these were great photographers.
Because of my mentor, Joe Jernigan, I received an education that could never have been gotten in school. I had what it took but he brought it out and in 1985 I received my PPofA masters.
The short version of the long story, things are different now. There's the popular thought that all you need is a camera and computer and you're pro material. The more money you put into your gear the better you are. Yes I've had wannabe photographers suggest that and see it on the forums including this one. All you need is expensive gear and you can bypass years of learning.
I still get this once in a while, "you can shoot this for the experience." that's bold !!! Unfortunately I see it all the time and you're right, free jobs generally don't lead to paid jobs because if you do a freebie then when you want pay work the customer will move to another person willing to do it for free.
The freebie photogs are creating the monster that will keep them from ever making money in the industry. There are so many wannabe photogs willing to do this that it's pretty much an endless supply. Cameras are too cheap, require no technical knowledge or skill and there are millions or aspiring young and old trying to get into the business and make a few bucks.
I experienced the golden age of photography when a young kid with a camera could get an ad agency staff job paying $45,000 a year (todays dollars) and a good photographer could make well into the upper six figures. Forget it today,too many people trying and the entry point in skill, knowledge and talent is at an all time low.
The world has moved on, the $40,000 -100,000 dollar jobs are gone with a few exceptions. Sorry to say to you young startup guys, your chances of making more than pocket changes is almost 0. You're probably more likely to get hit by lightning while buying a winning lottery ticket.
The industry is over crowded with low skill level folks, clients wanting cheap over excellence and clients that think they can do it themselves. Many of them not knowing excellent work if the fell over it.
Just my 2 cents, it's never coming back.
