On 2007 I knew a woman photographer she had hr works exhibited in over 30 coffee shops include small cultural veg restaurants. The largest frame was 8x10 but most 5x7
Themes in Polaroid style , people, flowers, & urban architecture . Priced max $30.00 low $15.00 average orders 70 to 100 a month. 2010 she stops doing it but her financial recovery was
A truly amazing success. Even now the hidden opportunities are endless but isn't for everyone.
Still couldn't hurt try. Personally last summer I sold to several customer in my friends Greek restaurant over $1500.00 worth of my art works ....exclude models. Then my friend kinda didn't
Like the way things had grow so I decided to smooth my self out because it was obvious
Not to fight the jealous man:) hope to inspire
However if you are pursuing a career in child portraiture then you have chosen the most lucrative in the industry... Child portraiture has generated more revenue in the United States of American over the past decades than any other genre...
Helps to really, really love kids...
btw, keeping it real is appropriate here... a.k.a. the hand of a graphic artist (retoucher) remains invisible in the mix...
a photo-journalistic style is common place...
we were at walmart yesterday and man that photo place is selling hard. hard to compete with $30 and a zillion prints (perhaps crappy ones but still they are prints and you get them right away i think). anyway that walmart place is always packed.
Thomas Van Dyke wrote: However if you are pursuing a career in child portraiture then you chosen the most lucrative in the industry... Child portraiture has generated more revenue in the United States of American over the past decades than any other genre...
I don't make a ton of money. Buy I've found that finding the right price point and services have been good to me. I shoot a lot of high school seniors, and provide a DVD of the finished images, no print package requirement and no packages required. I find that I get huge picture order because clients don't have to buy say two 5X7s to get 8 wallets. Or conversely you don't have to buy 8 wallets to get two 5X7.
The senior I shoot love that their session photo are in a separate gallery on my webpage.
I also do quite a few couples (engagement) sessions and by providing a creative session at a competitive price I get a lot of word of mouth referrals.
It is a competitive market, anybody with a camera can advertise themselves as a photographer.
Advertising also helps a great deal and a decent website helps.
My first full year as a professional photographer, I paid taxes on $12,087 That was 1955. Grew every year till 1999. 2012 spent most of the time publishing, and grew double.. From now on I will be publishing works from my 60+ years in business...
I don't get it. How is this a statement on how to make money in photography? Unless you're suggesting the way to make money in photography is to produce great images, become famous, die...and your prints will sell for a great deal 20+ years after your death?
Since 7 out of those 10 are dead, dying seems to help, too. Just like with "real" art, I guess. Although I did see a print of Dovima with the Elaphants at a museum once, humbly hanging on the wall next to an exhibit of Rubens sketches, and personally thought the Avedon photo was a much "better" work of art (I know "better" is pretty lame here, but you get the idea). And since those Rubens sketches would undoubtedly sell for in the millions, the high price tag for a print of the Avedon is well-deserved.
Tim Roper wrote: Since 7 out of those 10 are dead, dying seems to help, too. Just like with "real" art, I guess. Although I did see a print of Dovima with the Elaphants at a museum once, humbly hanging on the wall next to an exhibit of Rubens sketches, and personally thought the Avedon photo was a much "better" work of art (I know "better" is pretty lame here, but you get the idea). And since those Rubens sketches would undoubtedly sell for in the millions, the high price tag for a print of the Avedon is well-deserved.
It's not dying that helps.
Is there anyone in the world who hasn't heard of Van Gogh or Davinci?
Unless you're using broadcast media to present your art, growing your following to be known enough to be valuable takes longer than a lifetime and in some cases multiple generations.
Think how long it would take to get 1 billion tumblr or twitter followers. Assume that your growth continued identically forever. You'd be dead by then, but you'd be popular enough that people would pay.
Also, deaths sometimes get reported on broadcast media, so that can create a big bump of fame right after someone's death.
There is one more reason behind increasing art prices and expansion of collecting to more "kinds" of art. It sounds cynical but..the rich ran out of things to collect, so they expand the focus.
I was a photographer in the 1980's and I was always told that the ONLY way to make any money in photography was to sell all your camera gear for a profit!!!
So I jumped ship back to being an artist for fame and fortune!
Did I mention that last week I had oatmeal for dinner 3 times because I am so rich?
Product photography is a great way to make money with a camera. It accounts for about 25% of my over all income and I'm an IT consultant / Network Engineer
The other way to make a small fortune with a camera is to either start out with a large fortune or sell your gear.
I don't recall who said that originally but credits to them.
The creative fields have always been a tough place to earn a living. I remember reading a biography of Michelangelo. He was always complaining about how the Pope was cheating him, not paying him enough and not understanding his vision.
But, that said, if one has talent, ambition, discipline and a bit of luck, you can earn a nice keep in fields like photography.
Marciofs
Posts: 1,565
Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Aaaahhh I still remember when I used to dream of make good money in the art field. I thought I was creative and had original ideas, that everybody would be impressed with my work and I would be recognised in a couple of years...
Now a days, just being able to pay my bills and make my photographs is a good reason to be happy.
Charming Dreams Photo wrote: I believe quality is where the money's at..just sayin
I disagree Charming, unfortunately.I know photographers making over 100 grand and their quality isn't the greatest. These guys are excellent businessmen and bullshitters! They remind me of car salesmen, but they make good money. I believe this business is all about networking
Marciofs
Posts: 1,565
Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
David L Photography wrote:
I disagree Charming, unfortunately.I know photographers making over 100 grand and their quality isn't the greatest. These guys are excellent businessmen and bullshitters! They remind me of car salesmen, but they make good money. I believe this business is all about networking
On the other hand there are many hobbyists with better quality than many professionals but they don't get any good paid work.
I agree with almost all comments here.
I want to share couple of thing with you because it is very interesting thread and everyone wants to know how to earn something with photography.
I have many ,many friends photographers.
Each story is unique.
Some of them make really amazing incomes some of them are almost without job.
One very good friend of mine is very established fashion photographer on the market with tons of covers , with amazing top files ,represented with one of the best agencies.
Someone will think that he makes a lot of money.
But it is opposite.
From the other side another great friend of mine is a local wedding photographer who doesn't know ( believe me I speak very honest ) even what is Photoshop ( I mean he knows for software but he doesn't use PS ) and he is a millionaire.
He shots wedding photos with his team ( again maybe you won't believe me with old Nikon D200 and speed lights ) .
He shots only large weddings with 300+ guests and he sells small prints ( without any adjustments) for 3 euros per file.
His incomes per one wedding are between 8000 euros- 15000 euros.
8 weddings per month , each saturday, each sunday.
Multiply all these things on yearly basis .
That guy is my idol , because when I want to laugh I look at his files .
He also laughs when he looks his files, but he is BIG BOSS.
Another friend of mine shots only ladies with pets .
Again snap shots without retouching ( or just very basic touches with adjustments , curves, contrast) , he also makes serious incomes.
What I want to say, market is very strange.
Sometimes I think if you make iconic work with top files,you won't have jobs, but if you produce the worst snap shots you can make serious incomes.
Many people think if they sign with some agency or if they have published files that they will have a lot of jobs.
But in many cases it is opposite.
Here on this great forum all of us know what is good photography, simply we realize huge difference between top work and snap shots, because we like photography, we learn photography every day , it is our passion and we always try to achieve perfect files on this or that way .
But on simple market , ordinary customers don't realize these things, simply they don't know difference between top work and snap shots.
If you are good in marketing and lucky guy , you can not even imagine which bullshits you can sell to folks.
From the other side you can sometimes produce iconic work and no one will realize that , just sometimes you will get beautiful comments from other great photographers in your port.
Last year I made one Ad campaign for one serious fashion company ( including shooting and post production) and they wanted bullshits , I could not believe their taste and what snap shots they wanted to shoot.
But they have insisted on bullshits and they paid for that.
I feel shame to tell to others that I have worked on that files, so you can imagine which level of work they wanted and they have insisted to make.
But, that's the market , what I can say.
In many cases I can see much better work in many photographer's ports here on MM then in any top magazines.
Too many talents on the market and it is very bad because they don't have chance to be published or to make living with photography.
Sometimes when someone ask me what to do to make some money with photography business I say try to produce the worst snapshots , maybe this is you way to success on the market.
If you start to produce iconic work no one will see you.
SoCo n Lime
Posts: 3,202
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
to the OP - it is not the photograph itself that sells for these sums of money. it is the work from a well profiled and publicized person that clock up such sums. collectors and people with money feel they can invest in his/her work for profit at a later date or based purely on vanity reasons
to the rest of you
if you want to make a living from photography then stop concentrating on vanity projects and concentrate on providing example work (proof of your ability) directed at particular people in your chosen genre. then sell yourself in a professional way based on that.
you will only make a living if you focus on a salable service, are 100% commited whilst being professional, this provides confidence in your pay master
remove all personal feelings and emotions to your work and replace them with a professional attitude. create your own manageable goals. look to improve year on year. create and stick to your own ethics and standards (Ethos, Core Values and Standards) even if that means just to do a good job. do not under sell yourself.
after all that there is still no reason why you can't still enjoy making your own (personal) work in your own time.
stick to your day job if you just want to create t+a pictures or want to keep working on those vanity projects.
David L Photography wrote: I disagree Charming, unfortunately.I know photographers making over 100 grand and their quality isn't the greatest. These guys are excellent businessmen and bullshitters! They remind me of car salesmen, but they make good money. I believe this business is all about networking
Marcio Faustino Santos wrote: On the other hand there are many hobbyists with better quality than many professionals but they don't get any good paid work.
Oh get a room you guys...
I'm really SICK TO DEATH of the sour grapes and whiny-ass comments that paint professionals, making a nice living as better at business than their craft.
Such comments as: "They have better gear." or "They know the right people." or my favorite. "I could have done as well, or better if given the opportunity."
Fat fucking chance and it ain't fucking likely, for the great majority of those out there..
YES David, it's about networking.
But ALL business is about networking.
Successful photographers are probably just paying attention to business AND their marketing, as well as their art.
The truth is most people don't have the ambition, talent and personality to do what it takes to make a living in the arts. It's just hard and can be frustrating. Success separates the doers from the wanna-bes.
There IS more to the photography business, than just taking good/great photos.
I've known some VERY talented photographers who weren't able to make a living. Normally, they are not able to see their art as a business. It's a service. For those that think they are not in the service industry, they are kidding themselves.
Yes, you need a great product but that alone does not guarantee success. We need to deliver compelling images, consistently, fast and be able to think quickly on our feet.
All the while dealing with all sorts of personality types.
Believe me, if my clients didn't believe in my work, the best bullshitting and gear in the world would not get them to hire me.
ST Retouch wrote: I agree with almost all comments here.
I want to share couple of thing with you because it is very interesting thread and everyone wants to know how to earn something with photography.
I have many ,many friends photographers.
Each story is unique.
Some of them make really amazing incomes some of them are almost without job.
One very good friend of mine is very established fashion photographer on the market with tons of covers , with amazing top files ,represented with one of the best agencies.
Someone will think that he makes a lot of money.
But it is opposite.
From the other side another great friend of mine is a local wedding photographer who doesn't know ( believe me I speak very honest ) even what is Photoshop ( I mean he knows for software but he doesn't use PS ) and he is a millionaire.
He shots wedding photos with his team ( again maybe you won't believe me with old Nikon D200 and speed lights ) .
He shots only large weddings with 300+ guests and he sells small prints ( without any adjustments) for 3 euros per file.
His incomes per one wedding are between 8000 euros- 15000 euros.
8 weddings per month , each saturday, each sunday.
Multiply all these things on yearly basis .
That guy is my idol , because when I want to laugh I look at his files .
He also laughs when he looks his files, but he is BIG BOSS.
Another friend of mine shots only ladies with pets .
Again snap shots without retouching ( or just very basic touches with adjustments , curves, contrast) , he also makes serious incomes.
What I want to say, market is very strange.
Sometimes I think if you make iconic work with top files,you won't have jobs, but if you produce the worst snap shots you can make serious incomes.
Many people think if they sign with some agency or if they have published files that they will have a lot of jobs.
But in many cases it is opposite.
Here on this great forum all of us know what is good photography, simply we realize huge difference between top work and snap shots, because we like photography, we learn photography every day , it is our passion and we always try to achieve perfect files on this or that way .
But on simple market , ordinary customers don't realize these things, simply they don't know difference between top work and snap shots.
If you are good in marketing and lucky guy , you can not even imagine which bullshits you can sell to folks.
From the other side you can sometimes produce iconic work and no one will realize that , just sometimes you will get beautiful comments from other great photographers in your port.
Last year I made one Ad campaign for one serious fashion company ( including shooting and post production) and they wanted bullshits , I could not believe their taste and what snap shots they wanted to shoot.
But they have insisted on bullshits and they paid for that.
I feel shame to tell to others that I have worked on that files, so you can imagine which level of work they wanted and they have insisted to make.
But, that's the market , what I can say.
In many cases I can see much better work in many photographer's ports here on MM then in any top magazines.
Too many talents on the market and it is very bad because they don't have chance to be published or to make living with photography.
Sometimes when someone ask me what to do to make some money with photography business I say try to produce the worst snapshots , maybe this is you way to success on the market.
If you start to produce iconic work no one will see you.
Best Regards to all !
This is the most profound post I've read on making money in photography. From a business perspective, the largest market, by far, is the average consumer and they don't give a damn about a photographer's equipment, experience, artistic vision, or Photoshop skills. Facebook is a great example of the type and quality of images that people enjoy where cell phone image quality is more than sufficient.
ST Retouch wrote: I agree with almost all comments here.
I want to share couple of thing with you because it is very interesting thread and everyone wants to know how to earn something with photography.
I have many ,many friends photographers.
Each story is unique.
Some of them make really amazing incomes some of them are almost without job.
One very good friend of mine is very established fashion photographer on the market with tons of covers , with amazing top files ,represented with one of the best agencies.
Someone will think that he makes a lot of money.
But it is opposite.
From the other side another great friend of mine is a local wedding photographer who doesn't know ( believe me I speak very honest ) even what is Photoshop ( I mean he knows for software but he doesn't use PS ) and he is a millionaire.
He shots wedding photos with his team ( again maybe you won't believe me with old Nikon D200 and speed lights ) .
He shots only large weddings with 300+ guests and he sells small prints ( without any adjustments) for 3 euros per file.
His incomes per one wedding are between 8000 euros- 15000 euros.
8 weddings per month , each saturday, each sunday.
Multiply all these things on yearly basis .
That guy is my idol , because when I want to laugh I look at his files .
He also laughs when he looks his files, but he is BIG BOSS.
Another friend of mine shots only ladies with pets .
Again snap shots without retouching ( or just very basic touches with adjustments , curves, contrast) , he also makes serious incomes.
What I want to say, market is very strange.
Sometimes I think if you make iconic work with top files,you won't have jobs, but if you produce the worst snap shots you can make serious incomes.
Many people think if they sign with some agency or if they have published files that they will have a lot of jobs.
But in many cases it is opposite.
Here on this great forum all of us know what is good photography, simply we realize huge difference between top work and snap shots, because we like photography, we learn photography every day , it is our passion and we always try to achieve perfect files on this or that way .
But on simple market , ordinary customers don't realize these things, simply they don't know difference between top work and snap shots.
If you are good in marketing and lucky guy , you can not even imagine which bullshits you can sell to folks.
From the other side you can sometimes produce iconic work and no one will realize that , just sometimes you will get beautiful comments from other great photographers in your port.
Last year I made one Ad campaign for one serious fashion company ( including shooting and post production) and they wanted bullshits , I could not believe their taste and what snap shots they wanted to shoot.
But they have insisted on bullshits and they paid for that.
I feel shame to tell to others that I have worked on that files, so you can imagine which level of work they wanted and they have insisted to make.
But, that's the market , what I can say.
In many cases I can see much better work in many photographer's ports here on MM then in any top magazines.
Too many talents on the market and it is very bad because they don't have chance to be published or to make living with photography.
Sometimes when someone ask me what to do to make some money with photography business I say try to produce the worst snapshots , maybe this is you way to success on the market.
If you start to produce iconic work no one will see you.
Best Regards to all !
Milan, you should contribute to the forums more often.
David L Photography wrote: I disagree Charming, unfortunately.I know photographers making over 100 grand and their quality isn't the greatest. These guys are excellent businessmen and bullshitters! They remind me of car salesmen, but they make good money. I believe this business is all about networking
Oh get a room you guys...
I'm really SICK TO DEATH of the sour grapes and whiny-ass comments that paint professionals, making a nice living as better at business than their craft.
Such comments as: "They have better gear." or "They know the right people." or my favorite. "I could have done as good or better if given the opportunity."
Fat fucking chance and it ain't fucking likely, for the great majority of those out there..
YES David, it's about networking.
But ALL business is about networking.
Successful photographers are probably just paying attention to business AND their marketing, as well as their art.
The truth is most people don't have the ambition, talent and personality to do what it takes to make a living in the arts. It's just hard and can be frustrating. Success separates the doers from the wanna-bes.
There IS more to the photography business, than just taking good/great photos.
I've known some VERY talented photographers who weren't able to make a living. Normally, they are not able to see their art as a business. It's a service. For those that think they are not in the service industry, they are kidding themselves.
Yes, you need a great product but that alone does not guarantee success. We need to deliver compelling images, consistently, fast and be able to think quickly on our feet.
All the while dealing with all sorts of personality types.
Believe me, if my clients didn't believe in my work, the best bullshitting and gear in the world would not get them to hire me.
Thank you.
My favorite is them thinking that making $100K in photography is somehow the pinnacle of the profession. It wasn't that long ago that any decent product photographer in a good market made AT LEAST twice that.
To look at those here, you think they'd be willing to kill themselves for $50k a year.
Someone above posted about doing a wedding for $1,000. Are you kidding me??
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