Photography help!

[FlushaDev]

Hello people of the LTT community, I am interested in becoming a photographer and actually (If possible) make some money out of it.

I currently own a Nikon D5200 Kit, not the best thing ever but it's a start, my question is, how can I make photography something that I make money out of? Websites, local jobs, etc

Also I need some ideas of landscapes or nice pictures I can take thoughout town?

Thanks to anyone who responds

[zehao39]

Hey

I think you can try send you pic to magazine company, or I think you can email any print company

[FlushaDev]

2 minutes ago, zehao39 said:

Hey

I think you can try send you pic to magazine company, or I think you can email any print company

Are there any online ways? I'm also under 18 years old so I don't really think I can sign contracts and stuff

[FlushaDev]

Anyone else?

[cc143]

Getting employed as a photographer is quite hard now, people don't see the value anymore. The only people who get employed now are some wedding photographers, fashion photographers and maybe some people who do concerts etc. clubs employ them and conferences and so on, but that is a longshot, and as someone who has worked in clubs, the money isn't really worth it unless you are just trying to create a portfolio. 

 

A good way, if you want to follow this career is to go to a wedding photographer and see if they need some help, you may be unpaid at first, but will gain very valuable experience and build up a portfolio you can display in a website etc. 

 

It also depends on what you like to shoot. If you like shooting landscapes it is considerably harder to get money out of it than portrait photographers. 

 

For locations it depends on where you live. Most places have interesting things to take pictures of, antiquities, if you live in a modern city buildings and cityscapes etc. It depends on where you are. 

[xQubeZx]

I'd start building a portfolio and get your work out there. Making money only from photography is hard but some extra money here and there is a lot more reasonable. You can get it from doing portraits, weddings or maybe even stock images. However you will need a portfolio to show of what you can do, but you won't be shooting for magazines or large companies at first. 

 

Also make yourself stand out, and deliver good work. Do you have any portfolio now? Or any work at all to show potential clients? 

 

Personally if you are under 18 I think its best to treat photography as a hobby and if it someday brings in some side money thats just a nice addition. I wouldn't try to hard to earn money at that point, is a risk that you will loose your passion imo. 

[Evanair]

When Sports Illustrated let their last staff photographer go, that really signaled the end if the photographer positions at companies. Almost all photographers are freelance now, with fashion and wedding photography being the easiest of the jobs to land. That said, they don't pay enough to really cover the cost of gear unless you get lots and lots of gigs.

 

The only major entity that still employs staff photographers are the government via the military or GS positions.

 

If you're looking for a hobby,  look up stock photography, it can be a supplemental income if you can sell enough, but rarely covers gear cost. 

 

Like someone above said, it's a hobby.  Everyone is a photographer now with their phones at hand to capture the event as it happens.  Being in the moment at the right time means more than any well executed photo that wasn't there for the perfect capture.

[Bsmith]

if your intention is just making money I have bad news for you, wrong idea.

To make money within the photography business you would need at least a decade orso in experience and have the ability to apply that experience in the field.

With your current gear and your age it will be very unlikely to start making money out of photography soon.

picking up a camera and taking a photo is easy, controlling the process however is not.

[FlushaDev]

Thank you all for your answers, will start creating stuff now and just go with it as a hobby, if it follows a good way and make a few bucks out of it, we're good

[AkiraDaarkst]

19 hours ago, FlushaDev said:

Hello people of the LTT community, I am interested in becoming a photographer and actually (If possible) make some money out of it.

I currently own a Nikon D5200 Kit, not the best thing ever but it's a start, my question is, how can I make photography something that I make money out of? Websites, local jobs, etc

Also I need some ideas of landscapes or nice pictures I can take thoughout town?

Thanks to anyone who responds

 

The people below gave good responses.  Making money as a photographer isn't easy.  It will require a lot of effort.

• You'll need good gear, along with necessary accessories.  But this is the least of it.
• You can mimic other photographers and charge a lower rate but will need lots of regular clients or clients seeking you out regularly to support yourself.  This will also likely alienate you from other photographers because you're undercutting them.
• If you want to charge high rates, you need to be exceptionally talented and skilled.  The ability to produce a unique style.
• You need good work ethics as a photographer.
• You need to be a very very good photographer and know many of the tips and tricks and how to use almost any gear.

On a part time basis, you can do several of the following.  I can't guarantee any of them will bring you success.

• See if there are photography assignments or jobs you can take on part time.  Perhaps an established pro might need an assistant or 2nd, 3rd camera man.
• As it's already been mentioned, stock photography.
• Read/watch the news, try to learn where something important/significant is happening, go there, take photos and see after if there are any news outlets or media agencies who might be willing to pay for your photos.
• Enter competitions.

If you want to make money fast: SELL YOUR GEAR.

 

Competition in the world of professional photography is very intense.  Either you're already established or a very talented photographer that's getting noticed, or you're just an amateur doing photography for the fun of it.  And from the side of people who hire/use photographers, they are increasingly undervaluing photography and photographers each year.  Cameras have become better, they have become more affordable and the general public doesn't know or care about the effort and skill that goes into making a good photo.  They just care about the photo, and a good photo taken with a mobile phone or one taken with a $10000 camera is all the same for them.

 

18 hours ago, cc143 said:

Getting employed as a photographer is quite hard now, people don't see the value anymore. The only people who get employed now are some wedding photographers, fashion photographers and maybe some people who do concerts etc. clubs employ them and conferences and so on, but that is a longshot, and as someone who has worked in clubs, the money isn't really worth it unless you are just trying to create a portfolio. 

 

A good way, if you want to follow this career is to go to a wedding photographer and see if they need some help, you may be unpaid at first, but will gain very valuable experience and build up a portfolio you can display in a website etc. 

 

It also depends on what you like to shoot. If you like shooting landscapes it is considerably harder to get money out of it than portrait photographers. 

 

For locations it depends on where you live. Most places have interesting things to take pictures of, antiquities, if you live in a modern city buildings and cityscapes etc. It depends on where you are. 

 

16 hours ago, xQubeZx said:

I'd start building a portfolio and get your work out there. Making money only from photography is hard but some extra money here and there is a lot more reasonable. You can get it from doing portraits, weddings or maybe even stock images. However you will need a portfolio to show of what you can do, but you won't be shooting for magazines or large companies at first. 

 

Also make yourself stand out, and deliver good work. Do you have any portfolio now? Or any work at all to show potential clients? 

 

Personally if you are under 18 I think its best to treat photography as a hobby and if it someday brings in some side money thats just a nice addition. I wouldn't try to hard to earn money at that point, is a risk that you will loose your passion imo. 

 

3 hours ago, Evanair said:

When Sports Illustrated let their last staff photographer go, that really signaled the end if the photographer positions at companies. Almost all photographers are freelance now, with fashion and wedding photography being the easiest of the jobs to land. That said, they don't pay enough to really cover the cost of gear unless you get lots and lots of gigs.

 

The only major entity that still employs staff photographers are the government via the military or GS positions.

 

If you're looking for a hobby,  look up stock photography, it can be a supplemental income if you can sell enough, but rarely covers gear cost. 

 

Like someone above said, it's a hobby.  Everyone is a photographer now with their phones at hand to capture the event as it happens.  Being in the moment at the right time means more than any well executed photo that wasn't there for the perfect capture.

 

1 hour ago, Bsmith said:

if your intention is just making money I have bad news for you, wrong idea.

To make money within the photography business you would need at least a decade orso in experience and have the ability to apply that experience in the field.

With your current gear and your age it will be very unlikely to start making money out of photography soon.

picking up a camera and taking a photo is easy, controlling the process however is not.

 

[cc143]

Something I just clicked on, you are the kid from Cyprus right? 

 

If yes, then there is an advantage you may have over someone abroad and that is the combination of a very closed community where everyone knows everyone and the fact that if you are into concert photography, it is very easy to go to a gig venue and amass a significant portfolio easily, even for bigger bands and artists. ~10 years ago, people had no issue with me shooting my DSLR, although without a flash in such venues and I have taken pictures in gigs from relevantly bigger bands that would perform there, especially in the Cypriot/Greek scene. 

 

I also had many close friends who would have me take pictures of their performances as well. I say this because I have noticed it is much more difficult to do the same in the UK without a press pass, and the position you end up getting may end up being worse than taking pictures from inside the crowd. I went to a Dream Theater concert last week and I couldn't even take a shot for snapchat from the audience. That isn't the case in Cyprus, I used to have amazing shots from concerts there, but stupidly I have no backup since and cant include them in a proper portfolio.