On 4/23/05, Jostein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Suggesting commercial possibilities is a very generous comment, Mike. > Humble thanks! > > To be honest, I've thought that over many times. There are so many > pros and cons that it takes a lot of considering. Especially when one > is already well established in another trade with a reliable income. > > One thing to worry about is of course the images themselves. Both > quality and quantity. > To earn a living, the quality must be reliably good, and there must be > a certain volume of production to entertain potential customers. > Whether it's renewal of stock photos or personal projects. By keeping > photography as an hobby, one doesn't have to worry about such things. > It is possible to enjoy shooting at every push on the release button, > and just leave the button alone otherwise. Creativity doesn't have to > be persistant. > > Another thing to worry about is how to sell one's own product. > I just feel embarrassed when trying to promote myself or my > photography to strangers. I imagine that to be a professional would be > like having a job interview for every customer, and honestly can't > stand the thought. > > A third thing to think about is the competition in the marketplace. > All together, I can count on fingers the number of full-time > professional nature photographers in this country, which tells > something about how hard it is to keep on top of that market. The > number of part-time pros, however, is quite high. People with one foot > in advertising, for example, or working at the stock agencies. My job > is not suited for part-time nature photography. :-( > > All that said, > Last year, I set up a personal one-man enterprise _in case_ some > business comes along. Nothing much has happened yet, though...:-)... > but one never knows. There are some tax benefits in our system from > this practice, and it sends a signal to potential customers about > devotion to the hobby, at least. > > But I don't really have neither the guts or the merchant skills to > pull off a photographic career. > > Jostein
Some interesting thoughts you have there, Jostein. I wonder how many amateurs on this list and lists like it have thought (or maybe dreamed) about going pro. I know I have. Like you, I have neither the guts nor the merchant skills. Lack of a marketable product means three strikes and I'm out. <LOL> I have to admit to feeling some frustration when I see crap on gallery walls or in magazines, and I think, "Geez, that person must be a better businessman than a photographer if he convinced someone to use those shots." <vbg> Or maybe it's just sour grapes on my part. Then I realize that most pros have to work damned hard to make a living from from photography, and are damned good photographers to boot. Most of the time, however, I think much along your lines: When you're an amateur, you don't have deadlines, you shoot to please yourself, and there's no pressure. Maybe becoming a pro would take all the fun out of it, and that would be a shame. One thing I've learned from this list is that one doesn't have to be a professional to produce stunning photographs. Some of the work of the amateurs on this list is second-to-none (yours included, BTW). cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
