Photography as a profession

I want to be a photographer and my father wants me to find out how much one makes. I was wandering if someone could tell me how much they make a year. I'm not trying to be nosey or anything but it would be very useful to me so I can decide if being a photographer is something I should do for a living.

Lindsey :)

Hi Lindsey, how old are you? Have you taken any photography courses? Do you have a BA? Are you good with a camera? Do people tell you that your pictures are outstanding? Do you love taking pictures or are you looking for a high paying glamourous job?

Photography, as a profession can be very tough until you have made a name for yourself and that can take years, or sometimes never. Depending on what type of photography that you choose would depend on the salary range.

What is it that you are interested in? Weddings? Sports? Commercial? Modeling? Nature?

I personally take pictures because I love doing it. Getting paid is just a perk.

It ranges from $0 a year to a few million a year. :0)

Theres lots of ways to make money at it, but it can also be expensive to operate, the gear isnt cheap and going digital is making it more expensive since the stuff doesnt last as long and is outdated just as fast.

Alot of people just do it for fun and dont try to make money off of it. Others do it part time, doing a wedding here and there *and its not pure profit*, or do real estate jobs here and there. Others do all they can to make a living off of it.

I think stats canada says its slightly above average pay but its not a wage you would be bragging about.

What area are you interested in? Portraits, weddings, stock, product shots, real estate, artistic, etc?

I wanted to know before I go to college so I can see if I should major in it. I havent got that far. I just love to take pictures and everyone says I'm good.

Lindsey

I like portaits and landscapes but I mostly just take pictures of anything. Mostly flowers.

Lindsey

If you can, take lots of business and marketing classes. Ive read from more than one spot that you could be a brilliant photographer but be broke, but if your good with business, you can go far and take just ok pictures. So if you can take great pictures and have really good business sense, imagine how far you can go.

This months rangefinder magazine has an interview with a photographer. When he discovered he wanted to become a photographer. So he changed majors and took all business classes, and he learned the photography stuff working for others and from trial and error. He now charges $50,000 a wedding and apprantly gets alot of business.

cool thanks for the info.

Lindsey

https://www.rangefindermag.com/subscribe/

You can get the rangefinder magazine for free. Ive gotten 6 free ones so far, and a number of the people here have as well. Beats paying $5us each month. It takes a month or two for you to get the first one though.

If photography is your passion you will know ,then it really has nothing to do with how much you make and it will never be,follow your passion and the money will come.

Lindsey,
It's taken me upwards of ten years to realize that my true passion is photography. I'm 33 years old and have just realized that I NEED to follow this path. I have a BA in Theatre Arts, but have been unsuccessful finding work in the field. My husband is active-duty Army and that makes finding and keeping a job a challenge in and of itself. So, with that said, I kept coming back to photography and have finally decided to take the plunge and follow my heart. I wholeheartedly agree with the suggestion to get some business management skills under your belt in conjunction with the photography courses, should you choose to do so. It can only be beneficial to you. Best of luck to you. :)

I agree with whoever mentioned PASSION. If you love photography and get a buzz from it, take it as your major. If you are looking at it just to make money...don´t. You live only once and I would say to major in something you think you will enjoy for a long time. If you DO enjoy photography then go for it. The more you enjoy it, the more you do and the more you make. I put a €9 ad in a local paper here in Spain, did 3 portrait sittings for a group of friends, charged just €200 per sitting, but made over €6,000 in prints. One family has about 10 canvas prints in their house. Another time I travelled 50KM to do a passport picture, travelled all the way back to give them the 4 prints and charged nothing...goodwill, although it cost me about €20 to DO the job. It all depends on what you do, how you do it and your attitude.

All the best,

Freefly

In my personal opinion (and only an opinion) a major in photography is in a very strange moment right now. Few universities can offer digital training, and film seems to be a fading form of photography. Film is quickly becoming for those who were set up for film before digital evolved, those who can't afford digital, and those that prefer the artistic idea of working with film. To be a photographer (portrait, wedding, etc.) Knowledge of marketing, which is the second most important aspect, and skill as a photographer, which can be gained best by experience, is all that is needed. A photography degree won't mean that much when you start trying to market your work, people care about the picture more that the education of the photographer.

Film is quickly becoming for those who were set up for film before digital evolved, those who can't afford digital, and those that prefer the artistic idea of working with film.


I couldn't disagree more. Both digital & film equipment can be very expensive. Both digital & film can be artistic in form and in working with.

Too many people are under the assumption of "hey, I have a digital camera, I can do weddings, portraits, pets, etc.." that is the equivilent of saying "hey, I have a sharp knife, I can do brain surgery!"

It takes time, effort & willingness to learn the art, otherwise you'll just be another one of "those" photographers people complain about.

Try a double major if you LOVE photography so much. This way you'll have a way of earning a living while attempting to break into the field.

I couldn't disagree more. Both digital & film equipment can be very expensive. Both digital & film can be artistic in form and in working with.

Too many people are under the assumption of "hey, I have a digital camera, I can do weddings, portraits, pets, etc.." that is the equivilent of saying "hey, I have a sharp knife, I can do brain surgery!"

I think you missed what I was trying to say, but I agree with what you are saying.
I was trying to say that photography skills and marketing skills are more important than a degree. You don't need to attend college to learn photography. Experience and will are better teachers than a professor.

I am a photographer's assistant now, and I've never seen anyone ask for his credentials. They only ask to see his work and his prices.

I love photography as well and I think everyone here has given you some excellent suggestions. Someday when I have a lot more practice and maybe a few courses behind me I wouldn't mind to get into it as a side job to make a little extra money doing something I love. A lot of people have told me some of my pictures would make good postcards. I tend to take a lot of nature and landscape shots, along with some outdoor portraits.

I have a degree in photography. You can make a living in it but it's not easy.

The average photographer "Claims" on taxes about $28,000 a year. That's not to say they don't make more it's just what they "claim" on taxes. But that's what is on the books as what to expect for a yearly income doing it full time.


There are many different fields in photography you have to decide which kind you want to do then pick a school that specializes in that field because honestly if you don't you won't learn the skill set you'll need.

A. Commercial

You'd shoot models, products, locations and stuff for advertising. It's difficult to break in as a shooter. If you're in the right market ...i.e. a city where there is a commercial market then you can make some good money assisting until you get enough experience to become a shooter. In Texas Dallas is that city. JCPenny's catalog and Pier one are some of the big commercial places to assist at.

B. Photojournalism (what I majored in) LOVE the field and hard as hell to make a living at it. It's a good old boys world and you have to be GREAT to be a big paper. Again... you'll have to pay your dues working a ****ty papers until you get the experience. Even still the money in journalism is not great. It's satisfying and fun as hell but you won't get rich doing it.

C. Portraiture
Wedding photography, children photography and the like. Also competitive but the easiest of the markets to get into. You can work out of your home with little over head. Lots of what I call "photo enthusiasts" flood this market with substandard work and make decent money doing so. Remember just because people buy it doesn't mean it's good! :LOL:

D. Fine Art
Everyone's dream. Taking pictures for fun. Fine art work on the internet has found a new home with all the amature stock sites out there. Some people actually do make a tiny bit of money selling their fine art pieces.


Anyway... those are the biggies... there are some inbetween.

I love photography. Don't get me wrong... but if I had it to do again I would have majored in nursing.

Oh I'd like to add... those that are making the $50 grand a wedding are FAR and FEW between. Most photostudios fail in the first year they're open. It's really not an easy profession.

It has been my experience as well that a degree in photography doesn't always mean much. I have a BFA in Film and Photography and I've been told I'm a really good photographer, but my degree hasn't helped a bit to get me photo work. This is not to say that one shouldn't pursue a degree if you're really committed to photography, but be prepared to not be able to use that degree to pay back your student loans, if you're going to have them.