Hobby turned into a part time event business. Certainly forced an alignment of my gear. I find if I don't make money with it, I sell it. What I miss is the days of shooting for fun. I have to work at rediscovering that.
went from one body with glass like the 35L and 85L to 2 bodies, 3 flashes, lenses that make me money, and a ridiculous number of AA batteries..
Hobby or Business? I can say both. I have had two long-time hobbies that have turned into a combined business. Photography as well as model aviation have been passions of mine since childhood. Now I get paid to write and shoot for magazines in the R/C biz. I couldn't be happier. The business of shooting for pay has not taken any of the fun out of either of the hobbies. I feel very fortunate to be able to do this. The photo stuff is not my main income and I shoot professionally 12 weekends per year so it remains fresh and exciting. Shooting R/C is very much akin to shooting BIF, which I also love to do. I will say that my enjoyment level increased as my equipment was upgraded. The modern pro cameras and lenses make it a joy to shoot fast action.
I earn my living taking and making photos for other people when I'm not out taking photos for myself... And because of this I feel I am very, very lucky.
Former pro, now happy enthusiast. I went back to school, got a second degree and entered a field that would provide me with more time a and money to pursue my photography. I enjoyed my work as a pro, I did a lot of commercial/industrial work. That appealed to my "how does it work?" curiosity.
I also enjoy collecting records, especially 78's. In addition, last year I built a dedicated home theater. My expenditures in both of these areas is relatively modest compared to some I know of. These are two hobbies that can consume large amounts of money. I know of people sinking 20, 30 or even 40k into their home theaters, and that's only for a mid level setup. How many of you have that kind of money tied up in photography?
