How many members have a photography related occupation?

How many members have a photography related occupation?

  • Yes

    Votes: 196 41.2%

  • No

    Votes: 280 58.8%
  • Total voters
    476
When I was a young'n I had a job at a daily newspaper as a "cub" photographer. We used Speed and Crown Graphics. That was a while ago, now that I look at it.

Then much later in the '70 and '80s there were "multi image" productions with lots of slide projectors synchronized to audio tape. This paid quite well for a while.

I think PJ work is very valid today and someone earlier suggested video as well which I agree would be a good idea.
 
don't ask your guidance counselor

don't ask your guidance counselor

ham,
I have bachelors in art with a minor in journalism, while my wife has her bachelors in photography. my wife and I have a successful wedding photo and portraiture business. we have both been at it for over ten years. In the last couple of years Nor Cal has become flooded with wedding photographers (buy a DSLR with an 18-200 variable aperture VR lens, turn the nob to P "Professional" and click away).
digital camera's are always becoming more user friendly. think about kutch as Nikon's new spokesman... if kutch can shoot a wedding, so can your uncle, you don't need to spend $3-6K on pros, he can probably do your family photos too. I also have cohorts who are PJs. That has also become very competitive here.
I'm trying to scare you a little, because if you plan on a house and kids, a PJ's or studio photog's salary will hardly pay the bills here. I'm worried about business next year, who knows what it will be like in five or ten years.
this is just my experience, you could be happy working as a PJ at the star tribune or content as the lead white house staff photographer.
all that said, become a doctor or nurse...
keep photography as a hobby, shoot film, RF, SLR, MF, LF, pinhole...
make a dark room in your garage...
and lastly, annoy your wife and kids by talking about gear all the time.
-b
 
Hmm...occupation seems to imply that it is some sort of gainful employment! I've been at it full time for a few years now and it is difficult and a life style choice that is not for everyone. Money comes in spurts so you have to be careful. If you love it, there is nothing else you can do but do it.
 
as hermes of futurama says:

when push comes to shove
you've got to do what you love
even if it's not a good idea!
 
I'm a writer and grad student, but I have used some photography to compliment my shorter published pieces.

My advice on the photography major-- study what you love, but diversify enough to leave your options open. You might be surprised to find that photography makes you a better journalist or vice versa. Also, you might be horrified to learn that you don't like photography when it becomes your 'work' instead of your pleasant hobby.

Separation between work and fun is very important to me.
 
Did they have rangefinders on the periscope when you were aboard? My submarine went to an SLR on the mk18 scope! It sucked, optically, and we had to guess the range to other ships using mental trigonometry (ugh!). I longed for those elegant old rangefinders form the World War II movies!!!
 
I studied marketing and advertising in college and during my post-grad years, but I always had part-time jobs using my photographic skills. Then I became the marketing manager for a major photographic importer in the late '60s and '70s during the hey-day of the 35mm SLR and the compact 35mm autofocus cameras. After that photo retailing became a way to combine my love of photography with a need to earn money for my family, and this continues, even today.

Now more than fifty years later, I would advise any young person to learn a skill that is marketable, but don't rely on photography to earn any real money. Very, very few can lay claim to achieving this.
 
I was a Navy photographer back in the 70's. Afterward I worked in manufacturing for many years before taking retirement in 06. I now work parttime for a company that does event/sports/youth/etc photography as well as offering photo services for working photographers around the country.
 
I've had all kinds of photo-related jobs. Started out in the darkroom of a big Dept. Store printing for newspaper ads and circulars. Shot lots of publicity & performace pics of bands through the 80's for a bunch of unknowns, record labels and magazines. Assisted editorial & commercial photogs, and printed for them and a couple of labs. Then did stock photography for a long time, had a blast till that went digital only and packed it in. I teach photography now at a state college. All along I've been making my own images, and have been moderately successful in the gallery world.
 
I studied Journalism and Communications in college and immediately went to work at weekly newspapers as a reporter/photographer, sports editor and acting editor.
I climbed the ladder in a very short time and discovered that slogging it out for years at weekly papers to eventually become editor, or just to start at the bottom of a bigger ladder at daily papers, wasn't for me.
I then went out to sea and worked as a cruise ship photog for a few years. I saw the world, learned about studio lighting and color printing and saved up some good money while doing it. I quit when they tried to promote me into management. The money was too good and the job too easy - I knew I would never be able to leave.
At the dawn of the digital age I found myself traveling across the U.S. and Mexico shooting quicktime virtual tours for expedia.com and other clients. Really brutal work capturing and editing hundreds of digital images per day, every day for a couple of months at a go. I burned out on that after a while.
In between some of these gigs I've worked at photo labs, shot weddings and was even a bowling league photographer! Now I'm doing consulting in a photo/video-related business.
My three or four photography courses in journalism school has allowed me to remain steadily employed in photography-related jobs for the last 15 years or so!
 
Sorry to hijack this thread - are there any photojournalists amongst you guys? I'm applying for photojournalism (major) and my portfolio is due in about two weeks. If there's anyone who's willing to help me a little, _please shoot me a message, you might be able to save me from a stress induced stomach ulcer 😉

martin
 
I've done some freelance work and assisted a couple pros as a second shooter or plain assistant, but I would not call myself a pro.

My profession is a merchant mariner which is far removed from photography unless I need to document some injury or damage/repair.

JCA
 
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