Young Photographer Affording Equipment?

Would you be able to pick up an afternoon/weekend job locally, perhaps working at the food market or cutting grass?

In your case, I would not go new. To expensive. I would go to a reputable company and buy a good rated used camera, and then when you can, buy new. I recommend B&H a lot on here, because I have used them for years, and they have always taken good care of me. But they are not the only pace to go. I do not like EBAY, because you only have someone's word on it, and you don't know what you are getting. Also you cannot be sure that if it is no good, the seller will take care of it. There are places I have heard good reports from, like http://www.adorama.com/, and https://www.keh.com/. I have looked at them, just never bought from them. But those are three companies, one I have first hand experience with.

Josh,

You don't need any new equipment, use what you have and learn to use it to it's limit. When you find that you're limiting yourself, then buy that piece of gear. Buying camera gear isn't the answer! Use what you have and get better with that.

Spending a few hundred dollars, isn't going to get you any new sales,certainly not a few hundred dollars of sales, or we'd all be doing that!!!

You are not limited by gear at this point, just shooting experience, which is free.....

Rich

you spent $200 for a cleaning? seems expensive, you can do it yourself with pecpads, eclipse cleaner and a modified spatula.

but you don't need fancy gear. you can take it with anything. get the most of what you have and practice constantly. your living in a good age, you can sell stuff easily. much more so than say 10 years ago. lots of sites to put things on.

i wouldn't shoot portraits - i'll be honest, besides gear being pricey - there won't be many that will trust a 12 year old to shoot a portrait, i don't think they could take it seriously. most equipment however you can build. a sheet is a diffuser, a car reflector is a reflector - lamme (sp), cloth comes in gold and others. a basic camera is all you need.

for starters i know you have more images than what you have - upload all of them.


---Mike Savad

Remember that you don't need to buy new, just make sure you do your research before you buy to make sure you really are getting a deal. The question you always have to ask yourself when buying used is, "Is this guy's junk better than my junk?"

Having said that, I agree with everyone else. Push what you have to the limit, adjust your limits, push some more, and then start thinking about fancy gear.

Hey Josh!
A good camera can make a big difference, but in the end it is you who decides what the images outcome will be.
As a young photographer also I have a portrait business. I make good money for my time but am still far below other photographers price.
Try that out and see how it works!

Mow some lawns, deliver some papers.

One sure way to stifle creative discovery is turn your passion into a job. Especially at a young age.

Josh, NEVER pay for sensor cleaning again. Get a box of Sensor Swabs and a bottle of Eclipse cleaning fluid (great for cleaning lenses, too). Follow the instructions on the box, and you'll have a clean sensor in no time. Plus, a box includes enough swabs for many cleanings.

I recommending fully growing into your present equipment, and maybe get that new lens you've been dreaming about. Definitely buy used from a reputable dealer. You've called yourself a landscape photographer, but also have written that you want to do portraits. Your present lens can do both, but I understand your wanting to upgrade your optical capability. As for sales, maybe your first goal should be selling enough to pay for your gear, with the inevitable upgrades and additions.

Josh have u ever heard of a cell phone app called kickstarter? I don't know if it has any age requirements but how it works is you basically create a project. Then people will donate to your project. Usually you promise to give some kind of small gift depending on what the project is and how much the person donated. If you do not reach your goal by a certain time period then and project does not become funded then the people who donated get their money back and you don't have to give any gifts. You might be able to do well with it if you come up with a creative enough project and spread the word about it. People will spend money on all sorts of crazy things. I just saw on the news a man who created a kickstarter agreed to make potato salad. That's it. I'm making potato salad is what he said. His original goal was for $10. Last I checked he has been funded for $50,000. It's crazy I know. But maybe if you get an adult to help you it might work and then you could buy some new equipment. I would aim my goals low though. I think the potato salad thing was probably just a fluke. Haha! Well good luck!

And here is the link to that guys kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/324283889/potato-salad

You mention portraits. Have you done any portraits? If so you can get word of mouth

and try to do so senior photo shoots and earn some money that way. Or check out

the local photo studios and see if they would be interested in hiring you as an assistant.

Oh and also 3arts is website similar to kickstarter but it is designed specifically for artist. I'm not exactly sure how that one works but I do know my cousin used it to fund a gallery that he set up in his home. Just another idea for you.

To reduce the visibility of dust spots, avoid high f-stops like f/16 or f/22. With a small sensor camera (smaller than full frame), f/8-f/11 will give you enough depth of field, even for landscapes. And youŽll get sharper pictures, too.

Thank you so much! I will try and look into it :)
Josh

oh and dust spots - make sure your lens is totally clean. it may not be the sensor. if the dust is a splotch it's the cmos. if it's more refined, its probably on the back of the lens. if it's inside, that's a different issue. but make sure to clean the back of the lens off - carefully - don't want to scratch that one.

---Mike Savad

Hi Josh!
I am also a young photographer and, similar to Parker, do portraits.
Most of my business comes from close friends who have told their friends about me and from a lot of people in my church.
Try telling a few people you know that you are interested in doing portraits shoots. I know that several of my clients have just wanted a few family photos done and they love that I am a young photographer! I am sure that once you tell them that they would jump to the opportunity!
When I first started, I did a few where I wasnt even paid... mostly just to try it out. But then it benefitted both sides, I got to do a shoot and get to know what it was like and they got free photos!
I hope this helps!
Fellow young photographer,
Shelby
PS>>> your photos are really good!

I doubt any photographer at any age or skill level, if you asked, had all the gear he or she wanted. I certainly don't, but sometimes finances means you have to put it out of your mind and use what you have. Good advice about the dust spots being on the lens, maybe, and not the sensor as well as avoiding high f-stops.

At 12, you should be having fun doing what you're doing, not fretting over not having the gear you want. I tell my son not to worry about the things he cannot control, just have fun doing what he does.

Considering the museums have displayed exhibits of photographers using cheap plastic cameras, Polaroid Instant film, cell phone photos, etc --- its not about having the latest, greatest equipment. Its about developing your artistic vision.

At a young age you shouldn't be focused on creating things that you think will sell or trying to emulate an adult vision. Try exploring your own unique world.

A 12 year old shooting landscapes like the adults is a novelty. A 12 year old showing us their world is art.

12 is a good age where you can capture candid type shots that would be hard for an adult. i've seen baseball shots of kids yelling through the fence, taken from a kids eye point of view, adults would have the wrong height and look odd doing it anyway. a lower perspective is usually more interesting. landscape is nice because it's there, but due to competition you won't get anywhere. it would have to be something spectacular to get attention, and don't assume your age will help it to sell better.


that's why you should concentrate on things you and others do as kids and capture that instead. you have to think both inside and outside the box. as far as equipment goes, you'll have to be creative and stretch the limits of it. gear has limits and you have to figure those out. lets say you upgrade to the next camera up, a cropped sensor, ok iso. then you'll want another camera with a better iso, after that? it moves on like that - it never stops. same with lenses, you'll want it faster - or for me - lighter.

i've taken pretty nice shots with a pocket camera. i always have it on me. you never know when a shot might come along. up close detail - not great. but it takes a nice enough image. its unfair to compare it to a full frame, but i do anyway.

it can take years before any artist of any age will earn any money at all. the best you can do is to learn you craft, take classes, and to shoot from a perspective of a kid.


---Mike Savad

Hey Josh, read my profile as I have a bit of experience and a degree in photography which doesn't make me any better than those posting pics on FAA as there are so many beautiful photos and pieces of art that would make anyone newly starting jeolous. Photography started out for me at a really eartly age of 6 using a Kodak box brownie camera and progressed into my teens with my own darkroom in which a friends dad gave me all the equipment for the darkroom. Simple twin lens Yashica camera at that time and I had fun which eventully turned into a very nice career. You didn't say what camera you were using. What camera might that be before recommending another? Equipment doesn't always make the difference and if you paid $200 to have the ccd cleaned, that was too much and sorry to hear some technician decided to over charge for something which is quite easy to do yourself. Regardless of the camera right now I'm sure it's good enough for you to create your visions and you should concentrate on that as it's in the eye of the beholder and not the equipment you're using. Keep working on it as photography is so fun and can allow you to express your visions. Commercially not so much though as you do need a lot of knowlegde and the ability to sell yourself. You are young with a whole road ahead of you. Have fun and the equipment will come.

Peter A Hogg

Thank you everybody, by the way, my camera is an 1100d. And I have a kit lens with a fisheye. I will try and use it to its limits, and I will do portraits when I have had experience and can afford a portrait lens.
Thanks!

The portrait lens I got was only $200 dollars.... it sounds like a lot but when you look at the prices of other lenses and cameras it is not much at all. I have the 50mm prime. Love it.

Josh, start thinking about nursing school. Seriously. I used to frequent a photography forum where an amazing number of members (both male and female) were nurses.

They worked three days a week and earned $60,000 to $90,000 per year plus benefits, retirement plans and vacations. That gave them four days a week for photography and money enough for whatever gear they desired. Not to mention access to hospital galleries and healthcare workers who could afford prints.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

A nice idea, Dan. But, I wouldn't want to do that sort of career.