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Showing posts 26 - 35 of 35, (reverse)
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 11/05/2007 02:47:11 PM · #26
Originally posted by option:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Or do I like I did, and marry them :-)



Good call. Unfortunately, my business-savvy fiance already has a dislike for my my photography, as it takes time (and money!) away from her... :-P


Then leverage her participation in it as a way to let you have the best of both: Her and photography
 11/05/2007 02:51:51 PM · #27
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
Originally posted by option:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Or do I like I did, and marry them :-)



Good call. Unfortunately, my business-savvy fiance already has a dislike for my my photography, as it takes time (and money!) away from her... :-P


Then leverage her participation in it as a way to let you have the best of both: Her and photography


Worked wonders for me. Went from being an annoying distraction to a fun participation. She doesn't have to be the subject either.
 11/05/2007 03:27:00 PM · #28
Originally posted by option:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Or do I like I did, and marry them :-)



Good call. Unfortunately, my business-savvy fiance already has a dislike for my my photography, as it takes time (and money!) away from her... :-P

I had the same issue until the first check showed up. Now my biggest problem is the same question each time I step out the door with a camera... "this isn't for free, is it"?
 11/05/2007 03:41:56 PM · #29
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by Nusbaum:
You have to be more that "a regular good photographer" and you have to be more than "a regular good business person".


This last point is worth stressing; if you are going to be a successful, independent (self-employed) photographer, business/marketing skills are actually higher on the "must have" list than photographic skills. Seriously...

R.


I've seen more business saavy, artistically challenged photogs succeed than the reverse. I can't remember any sample websites but one wedding photographer I recall charges about $500 more than the photographer that my fiancee and I selected and his work to be honest was crap. Exposure, focus, color etc all out of whack but he has the cajones to charge a whack load of money for it. (Foolishly I said to Renae "even I could do a better job" which got me whacked in the head because I can't be in the pictures if I am taking them)

I think for some types of photography, the buyer doesn't have the eye to tell the difference between a good shot and a great shot so its how you sell it to them. You have to be more P.T. Barnum than Ansel Adams I guess. (Which means you should be able to find a new born customer every minute...)
 11/05/2007 03:57:25 PM · #30
Originally posted by Citadel:
You have to be more P.T. Barnum than Ansel Adams I guess. (Which means you should be able to find a new born customer every minute...)


Right. And for all his fame, Ansel was financially not at all secure until some friends set him up with a business manager in his old age, who changed Ansel's way of doing business and caused the value of his prints to skyrocket.

R.
 11/05/2007 04:13:35 PM · #31
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
Originally posted by option:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Or do I like I did, and marry them :-)



Good call. Unfortunately, my business-savvy fiance already has a dislike for my my photography, as it takes time (and money!) away from her... :-P


Then leverage her participation in it as a way to let you have the best of both: Her and photography


Worked wonders for me. Went from being an annoying distraction to a fun participation. She doesn't have to be the subject either.


Yes, but she does make a fine subject.
 11/05/2007 04:23:30 PM · #32
Originally posted by Citadel:
I've seen more business saavy, artistically challenged photogs succeed than the reverse. I can't remember any sample websites but one wedding photographer I recall charges about $500 more than the photographer that my fiancee and I selected and his work to be honest was crap. Exposure, focus, color etc all out of whack but he has the cajones to charge a whack load of money for it. (Foolishly I said to Renae "even I could do a better job" which got me whacked in the head because I can't be in the pictures if I am taking them)

I think for some types of photography, the buyer doesn't have the eye to tell the difference between a good shot and a great shot so its how you sell it to them. You have to be more P.T. Barnum than Ansel Adams I guess. (Which means you should be able to find a new born customer every minute...)


I sort of agree with what you're saying however, the part about the buyer not knowing the difference doesn't make sense. The buyer isn't trying to make that distinction. The buyer just wants to buy what they like, what they believe has value to them not what you like or what you deem as great. Apples and oranges.
11/05/2007 08:00:44 PM · #33
Nowadays anyone can buy a high-tech digital camera and they have become so clever that even with a small compact camera and no skills at all you can take amazing pictures just by aiming and pushing the button. The camera takes care of focussing, chooses the ISO level, the aperture, the exposure time and also does some postprocessing.

It's tempting to think that with a more expensive camera and some training you could take pictures like a pro, but it's actually quite a long way... People work hard for years or even decades to become good photographers and they do a lot more than just press a button.

Every few weeks I discover something I've done horribly wrong all the time before. I try to fix it and a few weeks later I discover another problem. I'm expecting this to continue for a few years, maybe it'll never stop. ;-)

b4cchus, have a look at this page I recently discovered here in the forum: //lumitouch.com/benstudiotutorial/rules.html It's one example that shows that there is a lot more behind a good picture than you would think by just quickly looking at it.

Good luck with your photography career. I suggest keeping your day job for now and starting to submit to the challenges to improve your skills. ;-)

Edited to fix url, thanks Bear_Music, I wasn't careful enough.

Message edited by author 2007-11-06 07:03:17.
 11/05/2007 08:42:40 PM · #34
Originally posted by Sam94720:

b4cchus, have a look at this page I recently discovered here in the forum: //lumitouch.com/benstudiotutorial/rules.html It's one example that shows that there is a lot more behind a good picture than you would think by just quickly looking at it.


fixed url to clickable
 11/05/2007 09:00:24 PM · #35
Have you thought of becoming an apprentice or getting involved in an internship program? I think this may provide the most efficient route to getting the knowledge, experience and business acumen you'll need to succeed in professional photography. At this point it may be worth your while to learn how to build a portfolio to present to prospective employers. Check out THIS THREAD for starters.
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