How to make some money out of photography?

A fellow in my small town (I think he's a member of the historical society) just did one of those "Then and Now" books. It would pretty much involve getting access to a photo archive of old buildings, then going out to shoot the site as it looks today. Apparently Buster Keaton used to perform at a vaudeville house (that is now an apartment building) just a few blocks away.

http://www.amazon.com/Spring-City-Royersford-Then-Now/dp/0738549274/ref=sr_1_1/103-8145533-2223825?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187882135&sr=8-1
 
colinh said:
How famous are you? How much money did the people asking have? :)





I've been an expat since 1991. In the last 16 years I have hardly watched any British TV or read any British newspapers. I used to read The Times, which my mother got (when I visited) but since it seems to have turned into The Sun, with longer words, she cancelled it. I used to watch The Nine O'Clock News. Horizon used to be good. Oh well.

So, I had to google 'Tracey Emins'. If you hadn't mentioned the name, I would have remained blissfully unaware... Thank you so much :bang:

colin
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It's not Tracey Emin's work regarding this next story, but it may as well be. Apparently a cleaner at an art gallery in London handed in a bunch of keys, some loose change and a half empty packet of cigarettes to lost property. They were mortified. "That's not lost property, that's an exhibit!".

I do hope that story is true. Passed on in good faith, if it's not true, it is at least indicative of the rubbish people pay to see or buy. But it's all art...
 
Hi Colin, why don't you try arranging an exhibition in a bar / pub / café and try to put your photos on sale ? it's not guaranteed to work 100% but it's a good way to start, maybe even with a "vernissage"/opening evening. It'll fill the place (if it's a starting business) and more ppl will get into knowing your photography. You might even have some orders in the evening.

I have sold several prints, generally only in a limited way, I charge 45 EUR for 45x30cm and 40 EUR for 30x30cm, black & white glossy print (lab developed). I believe my prices are honest. Of course, wet prints can be done too, but I never considered selling any, I did some just for very, very close friends. But if I'd have to sell one, I'd be a bit embarassed to price it. Certainly above 100 EUR.

My photos aren't anything fantastic or spectacular, but since there has been a (very limited) demand for prints, I had to find a pricing schedule, I based myself on lab development costs, time spent do deal with the development process itself (go to lab, return to lab, process request, film & development cost).

I thought I would eventually one day come to do this more professionally, but I decided against it, simply because photo is my hobby, and I don't want to mix up what makes me feel good & relaxed with the daily stress of work.

Good luck with selling prints!
Max
 
Now there's an idea :)

I think you just need go invite the right people, charge LARGE amounts for prints, have a strange hairstyle and black clothes, talk with a funny accent and say strange things, which nobody really understands, but which sound good.

"Zees is a painting uzing onlee ze vite paint. I did zees because I vonted to leave ze room for ze wiewers imagination - his fantasy! Ze less distractions I placed on ze canvas ze more ze wiewer's imagination is free! But! Eeet eees not zat simple! Ze wiewer needs some input, no? To fire ze imagination! I am zerefore uzing ze structure of ze paint. Zere are ze faintest shadows. Zees, like ze shadows zat scare a child in ze night, zey can make ze wiewer see sings. Of course - it is only zee wiewer vis ze artistic wision who can see sings! Eef you can see nussing - zen zees painting is not for you, but for somevon vees ze wision!"

This should be easy... :)

colin
 
colinh said:
Now there's an idea :)

I think you just need go invite the right people, charge LARGE amounts for prints, have a strange hairstyle and black clothes, talk with a funny accent and say strange things, which nobody really understands, but which sound good.

"Zees is a painting uzing onlee ze vite paint. I did zees because I vonted to leave ze room for ze wiewers imagination - his fantasy! Ze less distractions I placed on ze canvas ze more ze wiewer's imagination is free! But! Eeet eees not zat simple! Ze wiewer needs some input, no? To fire ze imagination! I am zerefore uzing ze structure of ze paint. Zere are ze faintest shadows. Zees, like ze shadows zat scare a child in ze night, zey can make ze wiewer see sings. Of course - it is only zee wiewer vis ze artistic wision who can see sings! Eef you can see nussing - zen zees painting is not for you, but for somevon vees ze wision!"

This should be easy... :)

colin
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There's just one missing ingredient: let everyone know you are terminally ill (preferably due to AIDS which helps to validate you as an artist - your lifestyle is so wild and dangerous and lived to the max,) so that the limited number of pieces of your work will certainly apreciate in value once the collectors realize the supply is limited.

(You don't have to explain that we are all terminal.)

On a serious note, I'm getting a website put together to advertise my stuff. It should be ready to share in a week or so.
 
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I think the big thing is that beyond stock photography, it sounds like you have to become a salesman who sells photographs, not an artist that makes art. Nothing wrong with that, but I think most of us coming from the amature side look at it and try to make some money at our hobby.

Sales is hard, especially when you are basically selling yourself. You'll end up with a lot of head-trash.

Over the last month my four pics on istock have gotten me $4.24, with 75% of that from one picture. I'm looking to get more pics up, but it is harder to go back and work up pics than to shoot them for a purpose. I shoot mostly for aesthetic purpose and stock seems to be all about commercial applicability. There is overlap, but not 100%

Mark
 
Thanks for all the posts. Really interesting.

Seems stock photography is not for me :)

I might try that with the cafes.

Dark Avenger, looks like it was a fun evening.

colin
 
Matthew Allen said:
Here's an interesting and rather depressing article that deals with the state of professional photography today in the context of the 'war' on copyright:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/29/photojournalism_and_copyright/
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"In this case, the lowest cost producer – the amateur photographer throwing their images onto the Web, to be 'content mined' - is also the consumer. The amateur will buy a newspaper or magazine simply for the thrill of being in print."

That bit sums up my friend perfectly. He has three images in print this month in two different martial arts magazines. Do you know how much money he made? ZERO! But he shows it off and he's proud. And this happens every 2-3 months. And he goes on about how he wants to be a professional when he has no formal photographic education or even media experience. He bought a camera, and wants to be a photographer. Plain and simple. And I tell him, that giving his stuff out for free is not going to get him anywhere. Yeah, it's great he has stuff in print. Good for him. But I tell him he's never going to see a dime for it. And in doing so he's taking money out of some sports photographers pocket I'm sure. The sad thing is, I bet there's two dozen others who would gladly take his place.
 
People who make a good living at photography are generally really good at what they do and work a whole lot harder at it then most people are willing to work. The competition is fierce and the quality of the work is very high. If you want to make it you have to be willing to work harder than anyone else. Few are.
 
When I first got serious into photography, I constantly looked for ways to make money out of it. The harder I try, the less enjoyable photography got.

Now, photography is purely a hobby for me and I don't even try to earn a $1 from any photos/shoots.

Gear, however, is lightly different.

I sometimes (most times) buy on impulse or when there is a good opportunity to grab a bargain. I'll use it for a while, then will sell it off when I need to move on. Sometimes I make a little profit because it was bought cheap and sold at reasonable/market prices. Sometimes, I loose a little.
 
Well, this is not something that I have ever done, but it seems at every art and craft fair I have ever attended, there are several booths manned by photographers who are selling their wares. I don't know how well their prints sell - but since I tend to see the same booths again and again, I must presume they do alright, at least to the point of recouping the cost of the booth, advertising, etc.

One thing I noted was that many of these photographers sell 'wow' images that are printed big, really big, and priced accordingly. I thought to myself that perhaps there would be a place for a photographer to sell smaller, but high-quality, prints for a lower price. However, I have no idea if that concept would work or not.

Frankly, I tend to doubt I'd do it. Artists make me itchy, and the place is always lousy with 'em, naturally.
 
Most of what I've actually made decent money doing was shooting political pix and corporate functions. I long ago discovered that acting and dressing like them was the key. And I mean dressing like the top executives, not middle management or political lackeys.
 
bmattock said:
Well, this is not something that I have ever done, but it seems at every art and craft fair I have ever attended, there are several booths manned by photographers who are selling their wares. I don't know how well their prints sell - but since I tend to see the same booths again and again, I must presume they do alright, at least to the point of recouping the cost of the booth, advertising, etc.

One thing I noted was that many of these photographers sell 'wow' images that are printed big, really big, and priced accordingly. I thought to myself that perhaps there would be a place for a photographer to sell smaller, but high-quality, prints for a lower price. However, I have no idea if that concept would work or not.

Frankly, I tend to doubt I'd do it. Artists make me itchy, and the place is always lousy with 'em, naturally.
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I've seen the same thing around here. i wonder if they actually make enough to pay for their camera equipment, or do they just squeak by and make enough to justify the day out?
 
bmattock said:
I thought to myself that perhaps there would be a place for a photographer to sell smaller, but high-quality, prints for a lower price. However, I have no idea if that concept would work or not.
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There's a guy around here who prints his images in every manner of size. I picked up a matted print of a wild turkey on B&W paper (no frame) for $7, as a gift for someone. I think it was a 4" x 6" image, with the mat bringing it to 5x7.
 
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