Re: Is Photography Your Hobby Or Your Business?

most artists do not make a living with their art. and one should only leave their job until they are making a lot of money with the art. if photography is a hobby then it should stay that way making some money on the side. because it takes a lot of work, much longer hours than a normal job, and advertising to sell the things. i only went into it full time because i was downsized and my work was selling pretty well. because i left the job i have more time to make more work which makes more money.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

I'm working to build a business with my photography.

No rose-colored glasses on....I know it will take time and hard work.

But at some point I suspect I will not be physically able to "work" like I do now and would love to be making my living at that time by practicing my love of the visual world.

Do you currently have a job or a career? You might give up pleasure from your hobby but more likely you'll be giving up the security of a steady paycheck, health benefits, savings for retirement etc for a big unknown and very tough industry.

"told countless times that I should be selling my work." - if only we all had $1 to back up these statements. As soon as someone says this you should say, "I'm glad you said as I have some work currently available for you to purchase".

Currently I have my own business in publishing and have been self employed for the past 15 years. I am not wanting to make photography my full time career, its just my hobby. Its an expensive hobby so just want to sell a few prints to help with the cost. My wife would be much happier if the photography paid for itself more :)

It's my business and has been solely for the past seven years. It's true there's more pressure when it becomes money focused, but I've thoroughly enjoyed my journey thus far and hopefully will continue to do so. Had I not taken the plunge when I did I'd only have wondered what might have been, when I eventually retired from my incredibly dull but well paid corporate job.

If you have a day job that you love and still really enjoy honing your craft, keep things as is.
Once photography becomes your job, you will have business issues to address and deal with, not to mention the pressure to keep selling ....you will be your own boss, will no longer have any paid perks....
There is no escaping the unpleasantries of any business when it is your own.

I see a couple of very nice seascapes in you portfolio Mark…are these indicative of your work?

I make a living from my photography…mostly stock and weddings at the moment. I am building a studio in the Spring where I will expand into portraits.

I do sell prints here…not as regularly as I'd like though :)

I think your underlining question is "Can I make enough money from my work to pay for my expensive hobby so I won't get any nagging".

From your first couple of photographs - I'd say that if you upload a couple hundred images of the same quality then the answer is NO.

BUT

If you upload a couple hundred of images of the same quality AND take the time to promote them then the answer is YES --- eventually.

You just have to understand that there are hundreds of thousands of people trying to do the same thing.

Once you decide to run your hobby as a business you'll have to keep track of your business expensive and weight the costs of that shiny new lens against its possible earnings. Nice thing about a hobby is that you don't have these constraints.

Thanks Diane, my passion is seascapes and landscape work. The shots I have posted so far are just a couple that I took at the weekend. It was a grey day and I made the best of the conditions. My usual shots are sunrises and sunsets and I'll be posting more shortly.

Re: Is Photography Your Hobby Or Your Business?

Neither. I do it because it is my passion. Follow your heart.

Your work is beautiful, Mark. But I agree with Marlene. It would be one thing if you hated your day job, but since you don't, why not keep it and have TWO things in your life you really enjoy?

Thank you Valerie, glad you like my work. I don't intend to give up the day job but worry that if I start trying to sell my work I will lose the enjoyment I get from it. Its a fine balance as making some money from selling my work would help to pay for what can be an expensive hobby.

Upload as much work as you can here. Market it when and how you can in your spare time. But keep your day job so that what sells here is just a bonus. Win-win.

its my job, but I have a session photography business - the "fine art" side of things I do nearly equal business between sales online and at shows throughout the year.

I photograph. I am not a " Photographer", although sometimes, the occasional artsy nag comes out in me and requires me to pay particular attention to certain subjects, landscapes and in that moment I am still an artist who is photographing. I mainly photograph as a mean to journal my life, but I also like to snap shots that I feel might either inspire me later or present great opportunities for digital alterations. I would say that in every 200 "good" pictures I take, I might find a gem that would be worth marketing.

Welcome! You have beautiful work. I consider photography a hobby and a job that I truly enjoy. I do have a full time job, because like what Mike said, it's hard to make a living with it. But my photography is a job because I do portraits (sessions) also (but I prefer fineart).

It is a much loved and quite expensive hobby - and like you - I would just like to make enough to pay for it. And it would be nice to have a steady - if small - income from it in retirement. But as we all know - it takes a lot of time. So I keep my day job:)

It's a business for me. The sales I push through my FAA/Artistwebsite pages just a small portion of my business. Fortunately, it's a business that puts me in some of the most wonderfully scenic places on this planet. I'm in awe of nature and wilderness

I feed my family with my camera.

Its hard.

I like your photos, Mark. They are striking. Congrats on dipping your toe in the water! I hope you find it refreshing. I'm new, too.

I like what I see so far. Fantastic!

As for me, it is a hobby, really. The fact that I have sold some images is a bonus in my book.

I am hoping to make photography a career but the things that I share on here is my hobby. (if that makes sense) I plan to try and do event photography, and portraits but I am still learning.

I like your work, good stuff.

This shot, however, is one of my favorites I have seen on FAA for some reason. Its unique.

For me it is either, i take photos to be use for paintings later, like keeping a sketch book but had sold some of them.

I call it my "hobbiz"

Dave Gordon
http://dgportfolio.net

Mark: How many photographs per week would you have to sell to maintain what you, personally, consider to be an adequate standard of living for yourself? If you
(a) can sell that many photos -- you've actually done it, you're not just strategizing and running hypothetical numbers,
(b) you know what you did to achieve that level of sales and you know you can continue doing it; and
(c) you're happier doing the work you need to do to maintain that sales level than you are doing your current job...
then... quit your job.

Personally, I never wanted to be a starving artist. Or a starving anything else.

Be sure to check out the discussion of how to live on beef jerky and the best way to stay warm in your car on one of the other threads.

Nice work Mark! Certainly worth giving it a shot, but like they say "don't leave your day job". Not just yet at least.

It's my hobby. I work full-time at my day job. I sell some photos here and there, which is a fun bonus, but it's a good thing I don't need to support my family on what I make doing that!