career as a full-time photographer or a Pro

[Luval]

Hi there,,

any kind soul out there care to share your valuable experiences and the plans or career path that all of you have painstaking planned to become Full-time photograher or as a Pros

Moderator-- thanks guys for trying to help me out.. maybe you guy can start off your most valuable experiences

 

[SniperD]

ohh no... going to be a long one at that....

try asking rueyloon

 

[Brett]

Sniper not full time ?

I just turned full time, and I must say its rewarding to work for ur self and not a boss.

Work 8-5pm pay as a grad = $1.8k-2 +k

Work as photog 2-3k easily sleep as much as u want !

But on the serious note u'll have to spend alot of time marketing n advertising b4 u see any jobs come in, helps ALOT of u have wide number of contacts.

I suggest u start working outside to get contacts n meet more ppl. also save up for any overheads n eqpt u may need software + laptop + bigger tripod + bigger flash etc etc can cost u alot but without them you can't get the job done.

Or u can work as a PA for a est photog say "Raymond" I think he is looking for a PA Y not contact him and pick up a little from PA jobs ? U can also see how a full time photog works/lives.

Good luck ! you won't regret turning full time ! =P

 

[SniperD]

Sniper not full time ?

I just turned full time, and I must say its rewarding to work for ur self and not a boss.

Work 8-5pm pay as a grad = $1.8k-2 +k

Work as photog 2-3k easily sleep as much as u want !

But on the serious note u'll have to spend alot of time marketing n advertising b4 u see any jobs come in, helps ALOT of u have wide number of contacts.

I suggest u start working outside to get contacts n meet more ppl. also save up for any overheads n eqpt u may need software + laptop + bigger tripod + bigger flash etc etc can cost u alot but without them you can't get the job done.

Or u can work as a PA for a est photog say "Raymond" I think he is looking for a PA Y not contact him and pick up a little from PA jobs ? U can also see how a full time photog works/lives.

Good luck ! you won't regret turning full time ! =P

Full time .. but not very est yet so can't really comment much..
except for the freedom of time and of coz the advertising headaches... I guess the perks of the job is self-satisfaction

 

[sehsuan]

Full time .. but not very est yet so can't really comment much..
except for the freedom of time and of coz the advertising headaches... I guess the perks of the job is self-satisfaction

but the copyrights go to the client, no heart pain? :cry:

 

[Larry]

but the copyrights go to the client, no heart pain? :cry:

whoever said copyrights must go to client? it's up to you to negotiate... also there's a difference between publishing right and copyright.

 

[SniperD]

copyrights will always belong to the photog unless you have some other dealings that will render the copyright to them, for a price of coz NEVER be guilible about rendering copyrights to clients as a form of advertising.. you will be killing yourself.

mainly, you will have to study some contract laws and learn along the way when you have dealings with clients. Watch out for my shots in HEALTHTIMES in Jan 2004 (front cover and article of testtube fertility by SGH's CARE dept) and some other shots of RED EARTH in mags of Feb 2004

 

[sehsuan]

good, good!

but are there any such references online to read?

 

[Wolfgang]

Read this thread

Especially the post by Ian & Pro Image.

Good luck!

 

[Darren]

Rick Rickman over at Sportsshooters site (www.sportsshooters.com) - http://www.sportsshooter.com/news_story.html?id=1063 - has covered extensively the business of photography and what it takes to be successful.

I would encourage all those that view photography as a profession to go view Rick's current and past articles and try to apply them (not all applicable as they are obviously US-centric).

 

[oeyvind]

This is a good insightful read:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-03-03-23.shtml

 

[Larry]

both very good reads, gives a very good insight into the workings of the professional world. :thumbsup:

 

[Ah Pao]

Just thinking aloud, I believe turning full-time as a photog is the same as running your own business in any other industry...pros and cons similar...

It's hard to start, but even harder to maintain (the Chinese saying goes 创业难，守业更难 ).

The 4 'P's of marketing: Product, Price, Promotion/Publicity, Place. If you can be strong in just one area I think it would be a good start.