Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Pro Business Discussion => Topic started by: Endeavour on January 04, 2016, 07:35:39 pm
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this is prompted by my comments in the Crit forum
I'm wondering if high end photography and that which actually takes a lot of effort/thought - is going to be anything other than a hobby for anyone not already shooting week in week out as their job?
by that I mean, a new photographer without any clients or previous sales, being able to make a living from shooting landscapes/travel etc
I already have a successful career, not in Photography, so if I were ever to change to something else full time it would have to be something special (plus I have kids and a mortgage that need feeding)
are there markets out there for photographers who dont want to shoot weddings or products?
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I make a living taking photos. Have done for decades. What pays has changed over the years and who hires me has also changed a great deal. Strangely my hobby is landscape photography. Never made any money at it but love it and keep working at it.
The last year I started selling landscape prints. I thought why not. I have barrel loads of images. I have an Epson 11880 printer. I have a leaf 80MP back basically sitting idle. I don't make much money at it quite honestly but over a year it amounts to enough money to pay for a couple of local holidays. Works well for me. Southern Africa has lots to photograph and for me that's local.
Conclusion is I don't see a way for myself to be a pro landscape photographer but it has at least started to at pay its way slightly.
I do know a few guys locally shooting landscape full time as a profession. They don't make much from print sales but more from corporate commissions and so on.
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I hope I'm not thread-jacking, but I also wonder what people making ANY sort of money from landscape photos do with those shots that are clearly in the same location but just different enough to maybe qualify as a separate 'shot', as opposed to considering them as the standard 'backup' shots that we make.. Would they sell them via the same venue as each other, or sell them at different venues when that happens?
I'm disabled with no income, so ANY money at all would be like a gold-mine to me. :)
Like the OP, I have no interest in people shots like weddings/family/etc. However - product, still-life, and pet photography projects may still be in the cards for me, to gain some income.
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Aloha,
Sure why not!
Where there is a will there is a way!
Coming up on five years since I jumped off the cliff and solely made my living
Doing what I love.
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So Martin how do you distribute your prints? Do you sell from your own shop, web site, or do you sell at art fairs?
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I know several that are making a living as a Landscape Photographer.
They either have their own gallery or are doing art shows. Selling online is tough
as most people don't buy fine art without seeing it in person first.
In either case, you need to have some decent business skills to succeed.
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I'd say it's possible but very difficult. The things most pro landscape folks are doing is usually a combination of teaching, writing, print sales, etc. If you are interested, take a listen to my new podcast - episode 1 is with a gentleman by the name of Larry Lindahl and I talk with him about his career journey from book design to his current role as a professional landscape/nature/travel photographer.
You can go directly to the website for the podcast www.LensandLandscape.net and/or search in iTunes by the same name and subscribe from there.
I'd love your feedback if you do check it out.
Thanks!
Fred
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How far are you willing to go? How do you plan to compete? Do you have the resources & drive?
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Iv'e spent he last three years making a living from it, set up a gallery with money I made in photography. Now running workshops, at winter time calendars are a good little earner. I work with websites and advertising companies a fair amount.
Think how many times you get a "spam" e-mail about holidays, if you advertise correctly the images that go in every newsletter and e-mail could be yours. It may only seem like £15/£50 a time but times that by 10 a month and you are starting to get somewhere :) Hope this helps answer a small part of the question
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I once went through that place with the huge boulders - Monument Valley? - and a guy in a nearby town had a gallery with some very nice imagery, town was full, gallery crowded in the evenings, I think by virtue of exceptional location and good ability he had no problem earning a living.
Also, there is the incredible Peter Lik, who seems to make more money from landscape than everyone else in the world combined ...
http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/arts-and-entertainment/art/why-the-new-york-times-took-australian-millionaire-photographer-peter-lik-to-task-20150224-13ngdc
Edmund