| Joined: | Thu Apr 19th, 2012 |
| Location: | United Kingdom |
| Posts: | 4424 |
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I have loved photography for as long as I can remember. I got my first 35mm Canon and shot pics for school papers and yearbooks. Years later got into Nikon and the D40 then D70 , then D200 and now D7000. I have done what so many others have done with pouring time, money , stress and effort into being a photographer. All with zero returns , No prints sold , no magazine shots , no published pictures at all except 1 on a web site. Years of banging my head against the cinder block it feels like. I seldom pick up my camera at all, I look at it with hatred , feeling no joy just the agony of being rejected and defeated on all angles. I know I'm preaching to the choir here when I say this ...The market is just saturated , too many camera phones and people just blasting away with the button down and saying "i'll fix it in photoshop" ...People not respecting the skill and time to frame shots..Whats that saying about when things come easy people stop caring ...Final gripe , the tons of people that want your pictures but then want all the work for free.. A few people have wanted to get copies of my pics and blow them up then scoff at the cost of printing them at any shop or site ....Sorry to be a buzz kill ..I'm just tired and defeated ...Im even thinking on selling my gear
With respect I think you may be looking at this the wrong way.
First and foremost you should be taking photographs because you ENJOY doing it. Nothing to do with remuneration....in fact we invest heavily in this activity.
The problem comes when we decide we want to recoup some of that investment..... or even make a living at photography.
I did this 20years ago...so know something about it.
It's true that these days there are lots of people out there that have digital cameras and phones. What's worse is that many people and publishers are no longer bothered about quality...just getting images quick and cheap is all that matters.
Even stock libraries are flooded with good images for just a few cents.
This means that it's even more true today than it was when I branched out...you have to find a niche.
If you want to make money at photography, you have to look for that niche....then pursue it until YOUR name becomes synonymous with that activity.
There are plenty of 'jack of all trades' out there....so specialise.
Once people use you for a specialist service, they are more likely to use you for ALL their photgraphy....it's more convenient for them to use the 'devil they know'.
But even if you can't find a toehold out there...doesn't mean you have to stop taking photographs for your own pleasure.
Just one final point. You may be trying to appeal to the wrong market.
I do NO general public work. No weddings, no portraits, no events....it's all commercial.
The general public have ALWAYS wanted something for nothing. They are less discerning about quality...as seen by their acceptance of phone snaps...and cannot understand added value.
So look at your local industries and see if you can add value to their businesses.
Last edited on Thu Jan 16th, 2014 10:47 by Eric
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Eric