Question for the pros...

....and by pros I mean people who make their living from photography.

Is it still fun?

Sometimes there's something about depending on what was fun becoming
one's livlihood that turns it into just a mere job, so I'm curious.

"TheDave©" wrote in message
news
...and by pros I mean people who make their living from photography.

Is it still fun?

Sometimes there's something about depending on what was fun becoming
one's livlihood that turns it into just a mere job, so I'm curious.

The studio portion of photography is not so much fun as it is challrnging:
figure out what the customer wants when they don't really know, getting the
customer to spend their money, educating them that 'A' is better than 'B'
because of 'C', etc.
But I enjoy a challenge, too.

For pleasure, I do shoot pictures. The only challenge there is to make a
photograph that I like.

On Oct 30, 5:37 pm, TheDave© wrote:
Is it still fun?

Sometimes there's something about depending on what was fun becoming
one's livlihood that turns it into just a mere job, so I'm curious.

A few years ago I went to a studio lighting seminar held by one of my
town's most prominent portrait photographers. The guy shoots lots of
weddings and portraits and is very successful at what he does. Someone
asked him what kind of photography he enjoys in his spare time. He
coldly answered, "I don't take photos in my spare time. I only take
photos that I get paid for."

I knew right then that I never wanted to be that guy. I'd hate for it
to ever stop being fun. That's one reason I've never pursued
photography as a profession. I'd hate to lose the passion.

On Oct 30, 5:37 pm, TheDave© wrote:
...and by pros I mean people who make their living from photography.

Is it still fun?

Sometimes there's something about depending on what was fun becoming
one's livlihood that turns it into just a mere job, so I'm curious.

I've done portrait shots for schools and for private individuals where
I was paid. I was also asked to work for our small local newspaper.
But as Bret put it, I could never pursue it as a profession. I would
lose that precious part of photography I hold very dear.....passion.
I couldn't have described it better than the way he did.
Very profound, and very poignant because it can be pertained to many
other things in life, and there is nothing more sad than when
something you hold that precious dies.
Helen

Almost 30 years ago I turned a hobby into a profession (not photography)
overall I am glad I did. There is still the days that what I do is not fun. There
are a lot of days that I can exercise my passion and that emotion does a
lot for dealing with deadlines. I get up in the morning looking forward to
the day.

The biggest surprise for most getting into a business is the business part
of it. It is time consuming and is the both the most important part and the
least interesting.

w..



TheDave© wrote:

...and by pros I mean people who make their living from photography.

Is it still fun?

Sometimes there's something about depending on what was fun becoming
one's livlihood that turns it into just a mere job, so I'm curious.

On Nov 1, 2:42 pm, Walter Banks wrote:
Almost 30 years ago I turned a hobby into a profession (not photography)
overall I am glad I did. There is still the days that what I do is not fun.

That CRAFT must really BYTE.

Annika1980 wrote:
On Oct 30, 5:37 pm, TheDave) wrote:
Is it still fun?

Sometimes there's something about depending on what was fun becoming
one's livlihood that turns it into just a mere job, so I'm curious.

A few years ago I went to a studio lighting seminar held by one of my
town's most prominent portrait photographers. The guy shoots lots of
weddings and portraits and is very successful at what he does. Someone
asked him what kind of photography he enjoys in his spare time. He
coldly answered, "I don't take photos in my spare time. I only take
photos that I get paid for."

I knew right then that I never wanted to be that guy. I'd hate for it
to ever stop being fun. That's one reason I've never pursued
photography as a profession. I'd hate to lose the passion.

I think I would feel the same way after hearing him say that.

On Oct 30, 5:37 pm, TheDave© wrote:
...and by pros I mean people who make their living from photography.

Is it still fun?

Sometimes there's something about depending on what was fun becoming
one's livlihood that turns it into just a mere job, so I'm curious.

I don't work full-time at it, but I do a few weddings and some youth
sports. All stuff that interests me.

The photography portion is a lot of fun. Even youth sports in the sun
at 90F is still fun. A lot of it is also very challenging because it
has to all look great. Weddings and portraits are a lot of fun. But
you really need to be into it. As for weddings, there are only 2
types of people -- those who love it and those who hate it. But I'll
tell you, I started to find the wedding "group photos" a drag, so I
reinvented them and now enjoy them. Never again will I have a group
shot approaching symmetry.

The business end sucks. But that's not too time consuming.

Another issue is the expense. You need so much equipment and
disposables that it can get expensive. To start with, you need two of
everything.

The worse part is post-processing. You're often working with photo
sets of hundreds of pictures so it becomes tedious. Some of the upper
level software helps, but still.... This is why I don't shoot RAW and
I don't think many other pros do, either. It's just too time
consuming to deal with. Shoots a couple of pictures and it doesn't
matter. Shotting a few hundred might not matter, either, but I bet
I've shot 8000 or 9000 pictures since the 1st of September -- what's
that, an average of 150 a day. And this is part-time and I have
another, full-time job.

If I find it's not enjoyable, then I'll stop.

"TheDave©" wrote in message
news
...and by pros I mean people who make their living from photography.

Is it still fun?

Sometimes there's something about depending on what was fun becoming
one's livlihood that turns it into just a mere job, so I'm curious.

What makes you think a Professional Photographer ever considered their trade
was "fun"?

My father apprenticed me to a commercial photographer when I was 15. All
hell broke loose in year 2, when I applied to the apprentice commission for
transfer to a Portrait studio. I was sick of sweeping floors and mounting
slides. I wanted to take photographs. I got the transfer and spent the next
4 years working my butt off for half the money my mates in the building game
earned.

At no time did I ever consider it anything but a decent job. Lately when I
see the village idiot in this group, running around with his "look at me"
attitude and demonstrably no skills other than with a computer, I wonder how
on earth they could ever feel what they are doing is "fun".

I think Dave, Photography as a hobby could be fun for people working at a
different job. Sailing is fun for me but Professional fishermen often shake
their heads at the money I spend on my boat and ask me what I get out of it.
Horses for courses here.

I am reminded in your question a navy joke:
This guy wandered all over the countryside with an oar on his shoulder.
Every where he went people asked him why he was carrying the oar until one
day someone in a country town asked him what he had on his shoulder. That
was it. The old sailor dropped the oar and said; "Praise the Lord... I've
found home at last"!

Douglas

Annika1980 wrote:

On Nov 1, 2:42 pm, Walter Banks wrote:
Almost 30 years ago I turned a hobby into a profession (not photography)
overall I am glad I did. There is still the days that what I do is not fun.

That CRAFT must really BYTE.

The CRAFT is to get as few BYTE's as possible in just the right order.

w..