I've recently been making some money with my photography. I really need to upgrade my equipment to further my wishfull career.
the problem is I'm broke. and i screwed up my credit in all sorts of ways when i was young. Now... no one will give me a card, even though im back on my feet now and things are better.
my question is.... does anyone know any kind of deferred payment plan or layaway type of thing that doesnt require good credit? or even a camera store in MA that allows such things?
this is a long shot. but it would be nice to buy what i need.
I can't imagine a problem with a layaway plan if the store offers it. They hold all the cards with that: they keep the product & get progressively more of your money until the gear's paid for. They have nothing to lose, you have everything to lose.
I put a jar on my dresser about a year ago and stuck nickles, dimes and quaters in it along with some of my lunch money in order to get a D-200.
When it arrived I thought "I think I will shoot some youth sports to pay for a couple of lenses".
That was over $10,000.00 worth of stuff ago. All paid for with proceeds earned with what I now call the lunch money D-200
Unless you are in a big hurry, which has led to me to more financial disater than I care to discuss, you may want to try the money jar route. It worked for me!
hah thats a good story Snap... i like the nickname.
It is depressing, because i use to have a 5D with a few L lenses and accessories. but hard times forced me to sell it all (right here on FM as a matter of fact). and now that my photography career is actualy becoming profitable. i really need that stuff back!
Here's how I'm upgrading this coming spring...I shoot right now with a 20D, a couple nice 2.8 lenses and all the accessories. I shoot some weddings part time for a local photography company...instead of paying me for each wedding during the '08 season, they are fronting me $2600 so that I can add a 40D, vertical grip, and a 300 f4 and have it for the spring (sports shooting). This way, I'm out no $$, have the new equipment, and all I owe them is my time shooting the weddings. The company gets to keep a photographer around for anothe season and I get some new toys. It's a win / win. Just an idea....get creative....put your thinking cap on....or....use the cookie jar and save it like your grandmother did.
Best thing you can do is go to this link, find a radio station in your area, and listen to Dave every chance you get. If listening to him for a few days doesn't help, then probably nothing will.
I don't mean to sound judgemental because I've made plenty of mistakes like this on my own. But there are just too many pieces of this puzzle that are working against you. You admit that you "screwed up my credit in all sorts of ways", and you also had to sell a body and L glass because of "hard times" (assuming it was fairly recent because you sold a 5d), and now you are essentially asking how you can buy more gear without having the money to do so.
Cash is king. Pay for whatever gear you need to get with cash and I can almost guarantee you'll feel much better for having done so. Also, my personal approach toward gear is to not just buy gear for the sake of having it or because it's the hottest/latest new thing. If any piece of my camera gear lineup doesn't help me make money, it's gone. I don't need the newest or hottest piece of gear to define who I am as a person or photographer. I need whatever tools help me get the job done and help me make money at it.
You've got some cool stuff on your web site. Make money doing what you're doing and put that money back into gear when you can.
Dave rocks! Follow Scott's link above. My radio station (with Dave) just changed formats so now I just listen online.
My experience with owning two buisnesses.....like Scott said....only buy what you need, when you need it. If it's just sitting around and not being used, it's not making you any money. I remember when my Mom used to always put things on lay-away.....you didn't get it until it was paid in full. Be patient...choose the best equipment you can afford and grow slow and steady. I haven't checked out your website yet but by the sound of it, you won't have any problems upgrading equipment down the road. Hope this helps.....(and go to Scott's link).
Also, my personal approach toward gear is to not just buy gear for the sake of having it or because it's the hottest/latest new thing. If any piece of my camera gear lineup doesn't help me make money, it's gone.
Excellent point...........Everything we have purchased has come straight out of the box into the workplace within 24 hours. I even get the manuals online so we will know as much as we can about it before it gets here.
Keep in mind also that there are two aspects of what you do. Photography and business. To me they are of equal importance with business slightly in the foreground for now. I just bought John Harrington's book BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS. I am not far enough into it to make recomendations for anyone else to read it, but mention it to let you know there are resources out there to help.
The main thing is not to get discouraged. Set some realistic short term goals and get started
thanks for the advice guys. the problem is... i want to buy what i need. and currently im shooting film on an EOS 3 with a 17-40L and a 50 1.4... i know this is a great film setup. but im spending a ton of money on film and processing. along with losing out on alot of great location model optertunitys (its hard to shoot in the dark on film and still get clean photos) =)
really... i just need to get back into a digital setup. i guess this falls into the "things i need" category.
anyways. i really appreciate all your help. and your kind compliments on my photos.
i also have a new site up at: www.dillonpic.com to promote my book . you might like this stuff better.
Okay...let's see what we can do given your current situation.
You said up front in your original post that you are making money with photography. If we assume you're doing that with your current gear line-up or even by selling photos you've made with previous gear, is there something that's keeping you from continuing to make money like you have to this point?
If you're making money, save some of that money and buy what you need. Even picking up a good used 20d would only cost a few hundred bucks and would pay for itself in no time (especially considering what you're spending on film and develping).
Dave Ramsey does rock, and one of the things I've frequently heard him say is "I could make a thousand dollars in my sleep!". I think if a move from a film to a digital body is what you need to do now, that's not going to take much effort to save some money and pick up something.
