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Steve Young
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p.1 #1 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

Hi all,

I am really curious to see how many people here do photography full time and earn a living with it? If so, what is the best way to have consistent cashflow coming in? Weddings?

What's the average salary for a photographer? I would love to eventually be able to leave my job and pursue my passion full time.

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 07, 2007 at 05:12 PM

Jonathan H
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p.1 #2 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

Here's a comprehensive compilation of survey data by PDN that covers the entire country, not just the 30-40 working pro's who frequent this forum. This should give you an idea of the state of photography within America.

EDIT: The link I gave is broken. Sorry. Anybody else?

Edited by Jonathan H on Nov 07, 2007 at 02:20 PM GMT

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 07, 2007 at 07:02 PM

Paratima
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p.1 #3 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

Have rich, generous parents.

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 07, 2007 at 07:10 PM

Steve Young
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p.1 #4 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

Jonathan unfortuantely the links are not working =(

do u recall what it said?

This image is copyrighted by the owner

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 07, 2007 at 07:11 PM

Jonathan H
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p.1 #5 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

Sorry about the dead link. Also sorry about the terrible interstitial ads. God I hate those.

Anyway, as I recall, the bottom end was fine art photogs at about $35K and the top end was unsurprisingly held by commercial shooters in the $150K range. Of course, keep in mind that if anybody in the Chase Jarvis/Annie Leibovitz range respnded, they definitely would have thrown off the $150K average, seeing as they probably take home 20-50K per assignment.

I've seen the chart posted here before, maybe someone wants to dig through the archives? Also,m any PDN subscribers here with access to old issues?

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 07, 2007 at 07:23 PM

shatterkiss
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p.1 #6 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

I've got a PDN Online subscription, but you'd need my account to access subscriber articles. Basically, go to a library and leaf through their annual "50 States" issue - it's got the survey Jonathan's referencing.

A couple things to consider: most photographers aren't salaried employees with the possible exception of newspaper shooters and folks who shoot for large wedding studios. For the most part, photographers are hired on a per-project or per-contract basis, so our incomes can be unpredictable and uneven. I've regularly gone a couple months at a time without a gig. If you're looking for job security, look elsewhere. If you're looking for subsidized medical benefits and a retirement plan, look elsewhere. If you're looking to make your own hours, make your own decisions, hustle constantly for work but have the opportunity to take great pride and initiative in your work then it might be worth pursuing.

The number of opportunities available to you is going to depend on where you are geographically and what kind of work you do. It won't be a matter of what is most lucrative, it'll be a matter of what you can get hired and paid to do. It's great to decide to do weddings because they can be a good source of income, but can you actually build a solid wedding portfolio and get hired to shoot one at a competitive rate? Are you in a place where you're likely to get booked for more than a handful of weddings a year? Are you prepared to invest in the equipment and self-promotion it'll take to start getting hired and working?

It's unlikely that you'll suddenly be able to leave your job and make a comparable living as a photographer. More realistically, you'll spend some time straddling both until you build up enough of a nest egg to quit your job and starve for 6 months while you initially make a go at photography full-time, and it will probably be additional couple years before you're earning anywhere near at the same level, assuming it ever happens. Professional photography can be a very tough gig and it's certainly a lifestyle choice.

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 07, 2007 at 07:48 PM

ICQ

Paratima
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p.1 #7 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

The link worked for me. We'll try again: LINKY
The link was to an allbusiness.com article about the PDN survey. Unfortunately, the page contains broken links. (Over a year old, after all.)

My prior comment was only half in jest. When young people ask me about a career in photography, I tell them that it's certainly possible, but they need to study business.

This always raises eyebrows. "BUSINESS?" Yep. And an awful lot depends on the market you're in (or choose to be in).

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 07, 2007 at 10:23 PM

nathanlake
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p.1 #8 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

Sell photo equipment

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 08, 2007 at 01:51 AM

eyelikeart
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p.1 #9 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

I have a contract with the local business newspaper (which has 3 publications total), which brings in a substantial portion of my income. The I have my other clients, which are smaller, but add to it...one of them is another contract with a construction company, then occasional work from my others monthly. Wedding supplement me about once a month. So basically, it's like I have 10 different jobs...esp. if you include having the family at the end of the day.

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 08, 2007 at 03:47 AM

claudermilk
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p.1 #10 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

nathanlake wrote:
Sell photo equipment

Kind of like 'how do I strike it rich in the gold rush? Sell shovels & axes."

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 08, 2007 at 06:31 PM

robert hasty
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p.1 #11 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

paparrazi are millionaires and take the cake i'm sure!

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 08, 2007 at 10:10 PM

prof_fate
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p.1 #12 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

robert hasty wrote:
paparrazi are millionaires and take the cake i'm sure!

I bet there are as many starving pap as there are starving artists

I looked at a few studio to buy - pa, maryland, kansas, and WV. All are 25+ year stablished studios that do general photography - seniors, family, corp headshots, etc.. Most don't do weddings (you can make more money with less work shooting 4 or 5 seniors on a saturday than a wedding). None of them were worth buying - the main photog took home $30-50k a year - BUT I'd have the debt of buying the place that would come out of that money...they all were debt free.

If you want a job in photography good luck. If you want to run your own business then you get paid last - after the bills and any employees you may have, and you need to pony up the $20,000 to $1,000,000 to get started (home based wedding photog to full blown turnkey main street type studio) If you start /own a business remember that you'll spend at least 50% of your time on the business aspects (books, accounting, planning, marketing, hiring/employee, sales, etc).

Do what you love and the money will come.

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 09, 2007 at 01:33 AM

Hammy
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p.1 #13 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

Want to make $500,000 in photography?

Start off with $1,000,000 !!

Seriously, it does take money to make money.

The main thing that sticks with me from before I started, is that:
"To make money in photography, is 10% taking pictures and 90% marketing"

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 09, 2007 at 01:55 AM

EA6B
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p.1 #14 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

I did pretty well working on motion pictures. A lot of waiting around, but very good pay.

E

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 09, 2007 at 03:43 AM

Mark McCardell
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p.1 #15 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

I generally do not like advertising this, but I have done adult oriented photography (read whatever you want into it). But on average I take home $600+/hr.
When I factor in all the additional work I do on other projects (PP, meeting with customers, etc) it is by far the most lucrative aspect of my business and I live in a relatively sparsely populated area.

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 09, 2007 at 03:55 AM

dmacmillan
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p.1 #16 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

Mark McCardell wrote:
I have done adult oriented photography (read whatever you want into it).... I live in a relatively sparsely populated area.

Seems like models would be a problem. Do you specialize in goats?

Doug

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 09, 2007 at 02:15 PM

Mark McCardell
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p.1 #17 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

dmacmillan wrote:
Mark McCardell wrote:
I have done adult oriented photography (read whatever you want into it).... I live in a relatively sparsely populated area.

Seems like models would be a problem. Do you specialize in goats?

Doug

lol! I should have said 'small market area'.
You would be surprised at the # of people that just want their photo taken for adult oriented websites.

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 09, 2007 at 04:35 PM

mkweaver
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p.1 #18 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

Basically, what do you call "a living"?
A lot depends on the photographer. Are you a good business person? Are you a good photographer, though being a good business person is more important, unfortunately!
Even bad photographers can make it if they're good business people!

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 09, 2007 at 09:33 PM

shatterkiss
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p.1 #19 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

mkweaver wrote:
Basically, what do you call "a living"?

I think that's a really good point. Where I live in NYC (Brooklyn, technically), my wife and I can feel like we're barely scraping by on a $140,000/year gross household income just supporting the two of us. Whereas we could maintain a higher standard of living in parts of Western NY, where she's originally from, on $40,000/year. While there would be a lot less work available in that region, it would also be a lot easier to earn a living there.

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 10, 2007 at 05:27 AM

ICQ

FSJ_Guy
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p.1 #20 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

The easiest way to make money with your camera: Sell it.

I used to tel all my camera store customers that. And of course, now I'm actually shooting for a living.

!

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 10, 2007 at 11:46 AM

eyelikeart
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p.1 #21 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

FSJ_Guy wrote:
The easiest way to make money with your camera: Sell it.

I used to tel all my camera store customers that. And of course, now I'm actually shooting for a living.

!

Isn't it more fun that way?

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 10, 2007 at 01:59 PM

jjlphoto
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p.1 #22 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

Wanting to be a photographer is like wanting to be an actor/model.

Most have to give it up, many unsung heros wind up doing commercials/commercial work and do just fine, and but a tiny few make it to total stardom.

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 10, 2007 at 05:27 PM

pet photos
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p.1 #23 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

My prior comment was only half in jest. When young people ask me about a career in photography, I tell them that it's certainly possible, but they need to study business.

This always raises eyebrows. "BUSINESS?" Yep. And an awful lot depends on the market you're in (or choose to be in).

Truer words were never spoken

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 11, 2007 at 06:56 PM

sboerup
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p.1 #24 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

The way I take this is which type of photography generates the most income. That can be hard, but from what I understand, the average Advertising photographer takes home more than the others. Architecture can be lucrative, but hard to get into the market and noticed be people.

But from what I've heard, Food photography can be the most lucrative, but very very difficult to learn. There are a few, with all their secrets, and they make some cash.

I know a local studio in town that averages $2 million in revenue yearly. His CODB is probably less than half that. He's a good businessman, but mainly family portraits and seniors.

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 12, 2007 at 04:01 PM

radiodenver
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p.1 #25 · Best way to earn a living w/ Photography?

What really cracks me up is when I see the local "portrait" chains advertise a job opening for photographers. No experience necessary. $8 an hour. Now, is that a real photography job or would a kid starting out be better off working at McDonalds flipping burgers?

Edited on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:25 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 12:37 PM


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