how many of you finance their hobby with sellling pictures?

[sf]

I pay for film with my hobby - only occasionally someone wants cheapy work for their business or website. No one has purchased my more personal work before. Only made to order stuff.

You don't have to make photography a JOB just to fund the hobby. Look at Sally Mann. You just need to produce the occasional winner, market yourself gently to art buyers, and sell a piece now and then for $$$$.

In the digital world, selling art is going to be more difficult to the real critics. Having film as a medium, sticking with the old process, etc., I think will give you an upper hand - it's more authentic (if only thanks to nostalgia and history).

There are some people in this place (RFF) that I know could do very very well in the art community, selling their works.

and then we have a member who sold a single image to Cadillac. That would fund a little bit. . .

I heard of a Seattle area guy who makes over $2 Million a year off stock photography.

Just get a couple good wedding gigs in a year and that would feed my need.

 

[pesphoto]

There was a movie I saw recently about selling organs, can't remember the name of it. drat!

 

[back alley]

i used to do weddings, a few each summer. hated the weddings, i was a hack really.

i had a small studio and did portrais too. that was fun.

did a few local musicians, bands too. had a couple of cd covers.

now it's all about me...

 

[f/stopblues]

I wonder how those guys do at the art fairs? Are those commonplace in other parts of the country or the world? Blocked off streets with rows of little white tents housing each artist's work.. all kinds of art mediums with photogs sprinkled in the mix.

I was at one this weekend.. One or two photographers really stood out, especially one who had massive color landscape prints that were extremely impressive (must have been 8x10.. beat the pants off of 4x5). Otherwise the rest weren't terribly good, but they still seemed to be coming from all over, mostly the midwest, to be showing and selling their photos. Note though, that some art fairs around here are much better in the photo dept, but this one in particular was lacking.

Is it really that profitable to warrant the travel and effort?

 

[Bike Tourist]

I have a long-standing relationship with a couple of magazine editors and regularly submit images for covers and calendars. It doesn't pay much. I like to exhibit in fine art venues — that REALLY doesn't pay much!

Lately, most of my photo income is from stock sales, but I don't do as well as I could because I only submit what I want and not necessarily what's hot and salesworthy.

My problem with financing photography gear is that no matter how much I make there's always more gear out there that I'd like to have!

 

[Hilmersen]

I sell signed prints, and finance my equipment doing this. To sell more, I would need to do more marketing....

 

[rool]

1) I shoot weedings and stock every week-end so that I can buy expensive leica lenses.
2) I stick with my Bessa and CV lens and have fun.

...mmm... I wonder what I should do...