Gear Talk > EOS Bodies - For Stills

right time to turn pro...?

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LewisShermer:
I've watched these forums for a while now although I don't ever post...

I was just wondering how everyone felt about turning pro, how it went and how it's turning out? I'm very much aware of the cons with regard to quitting a stable day job and having a guaranteed income every month with which to pay the bills but I'm also sick to death of it and the mundanity of it all.

Here's my background

18 - never touched a camera above a point and shoot 35mm but get a job as a studio assistant. worked with 5x4 cambo's and sinars & medium format hasselblads and mamiyas shooting mainly commercial product

23 - went to uni, got a degree in graphics. photography as a minor hobby. very minor.

26 - graduate, got a job as a designer but started a photography department, built it up and shoot all our product for advertising, net and brochure. mainly watches and jewellery. with the company dime i bought bowens flash heads, a canon 1Ds 3 and all the kit I wanted. cost about £8000 to set up

a couple of years ago a friend asked me if i could shoot her wedding. I'd never done it before or in fact owned a decent camera of my own so I said yes. obviously. so I went and bought a 500D and a jessops flash which was all i could afford at the time for about £800. It was a little different than shooting with the 1Ds but I got over it.

I've been doing quite a few weddings since, bought a 60D, a 7D, loads of lenses (no L's) and invested in a set up so i can shoot studio standard product shots in my kitchen (i've never charged for any work I've done for people up until I shot a rather large job for a big company last week)

my wedding shot's are ok, obviously would be better if I owned a 5Dii
my product shots are above average, obviously would better if i owned a 1Ds iii (or upcoming X)
I have a little experience with models but not much past shooting of friends that are "alt. models"

here's a bit of my portfolio : www.lewismaxwell.carbonmade.com

I'd like to actually have a conversation with someone with the experience of jacking it all in to live the proverbial dream as I sit here with my notice written out but not the guts to give it in and go it alone

help?

x

Mt Spokane Photography:
Build a business plan and that will help you decide.  It will require a bit of work, but you will come out of it understanding what to expect out of a business.
 
you obviously have artistic talent and photography talent and knowledge, but running a business requires a entirely different set of skills.  Taking care of the books, billings, collections, advertising, studio rentals, depreciation of equipment and dealing with taxes.  Hiring a good accountant is highly beneficial, but you can do most of the work yourself.  I use Quickbooks for my small business, and just go to the accountant once a year.  Its a big learning experience though.
 
 

JerryKnight:
I suggest you find a local photographer or two whose work you admire, and second shoot for them as much as you can. There is so much you can learn from them, just seeing them work. If you can find mentors to teach you and critique your work, even better.

LewisShermer:
yeah, that's the scary part after worrying if I'm actually a good enough photographer, earning the money to actually pay the bills each month. invoicing, taxes, advertising... eeek.

I'll actually get in touch with some locals tonight, see if they reply. there's one I emailed about this kind of stuff previously and he just ignores me. i guess a lot of photographers don't want to give away their secrets.

I live in birmingham, It's pretty central and has a great creative sector, hopefully I can latch on to things like that. I'll need business cards for cocktail parties and a commercial website... it's all bloody money though, and I have none!

awinphoto:
Living the dream isn't easy... You have to make sure you are making enough doing photography to supplement all your income...  In an era where the fine line of professional and amateur is getting thinner and thinner...  Lower end cameras are getting so good and frankly it is so easy to learn, Make sure you get your portfolio as good as you can, find out what passions you have with photography... is it portraits, weddings, both, commercial, cars, advertising, product, etc...  Find out what makes you unique from any other photographer and what you can bring to the table that someone would hire you over 10 other photographers placing Craigslist ads offering their services for a song and a dance.  Get the basics of your business affairs in order such as equipment, printing services, pricing, operations, finances/accounting, market plan...  Remember this is a business, not a hobby, and without getting that stuff figured out before hand, it will help you not become a non-profit.  Lastly market market market and dont give up.  It's easy to get discouraged but if you got a good market plan and keep at it, even if it feels like your getting nowhere, it will work out in the end.  There's a lot of expense when dealing with a business so save up while you can. 

As far as when is a right time, a big photographer once said to keep your day job as long as it doesn't kill you.  Keep it until it gets to the point you have so much photography work and it feels like either job will start to suffer if you dont drop your day job.  Then is a good time to jump ship because it means you have lots of repeat work coming in, and that is what is needed to survive.   

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