Time And Money

[paulymaccc]

Hi everybody, My question is for the hobbyists on the site. How do you find the time and money to do everything. I work two jobs, and with trying to balance family and work, I just can't seem to find the time to go and shoot. Also, I consider myself middle class, but I can't justify spending 2000 dollars or more on a L series lens. Again, just the hobbyists, I know a professional has to find time and money.:rolleyes:

[TheHoff]

>>I can't justify spending 2000 dollars or more on a L series lens

Now this is stretching it a bit, isn't it? Only a few L's cost more than 2 grand with some very affordable and quality ones like the 200/2.8 and 17-40 being under $700.

Beyond that -- GOOD. You certainly don't need to spend money an ANY L lenses to produce very good photographs. No one who matters cares what your photo looks like at 100% on a monitor. Only a very few photographers who make large landscape prints should care so much about image quality and then they should be on a larger format.

With virtually any type of photography you want to approach, you can do it with equipment that meets your budget. I have Flickr friends with XTs and kit lenses that make real art. Nevermind a lack of "L"s in their bag that this forum might lead you to believe are necessary.

Time is another matter and you can deal with your wife yourself!

[tonylong]

Well, with two jobs, how do you find the time for a hobby:)?

Seriously, a hobby is something you do for pleasure and passion as you are able. It's like any other hobby -- more spendy than some, less spendy than others.

In general, I have just spent on-hand disposable income on this hobby, although once or twice I've run up a charge/credit card account. And then, last year when finances became very dicey to me, I sold one of my spendy lenses just to make it for a month. After all, it's just a hobby:)!

[KandJinIN]

Currently, its too cold in Indiana to do anything more than just shoot in the house, or take snaps of my girls (wife and daughter that is). When its gets nicer, I might have to figure the whole time question out as well.

As for the money thing, My wife and I went to a budget system on Jan. 1st, that includes the envelope system. We keep money in the bank to pay bills and debt, and we take out a certain amount each week that gets dispersed between food, baby stuff, and our own personal envelopes. Being just out of college my allowance is minimal, but when I have enough for the lens I would like, i get to buy it. I also peruse the sell forums for good deals, like the nifty fifty I snagged a couple weeks ago. If I spend money on this, i know I won't be spending it on something else down the road.. just have to make the choice

[gh patriot]

Currently, its too cold in Indiana to do anything more than just shoot in the house, or take snaps of my girls (wife and daughter that is). When its gets nicer, I might have to figure the whole time question out as well.

As for the money thing, My wife and I went to a budget system on Jan. 1st, that includes the envelope system. We keep money in the bank to pay bills and debt, and we take out a certain amount each week that gets dispersed between food, baby stuff, and our own personal envelopes. Being just out of college my allowance is minimal, but when I have enough for the lens I would like, i get to buy it. I also peruse the sell forums for good deals, like the nifty fifty I snagged a couple weeks ago. If I spend money on this, i know I won't be spending it on something else down the road.. just have to make the choice


Sounds like Dave Ramsey. He is awesome!!

[chauncey]

Deciding between family and hobby is kind of a no-brainer. If your choice is food on the table or a hobby, daah.
Never, ever, put anything between your family and anything else.

[Wilt]

You do not have to amass a collection of goodies to have a hobby...it can be as simple as a body and a 50mm lens, to start. You do have to have time for the hobby, but there is nothing that says that family life and job separate you from the hobby...photos at family events, pictures of the kids, pictures of the flowers in the garden that your wife is planting...all mix hobby and family. Life does not afford luxury of separating one from the other, like it did when I was a carefree and responsiblity free single guy!

[LostShootingStar]

When you have passion for something (whether it's photography or something else), you tend to find (or make) time for it. http://m08o1124znfu179.imageshacknow.info/img/2465/o09a0208gstn/POTNsmile.gif

[bacchanal]

I don't sleep, ignore my wife, have no kids, and try to work as little as possible while making enough money to afford L lenses...that is my philosophy anyway. Btw, I drive 96 Camry (paid for obviously) and split my entire discretionary budget on 3 things: beer, music, and photography. J/k about the ignoring my wife part...she actually runs away from me whenever I pick up the camera.

[dave kadolph]

The wife and I have good jobs--as of now ;)

Live in a moderate house and drive decent cars--all paid for.

Pay cash for everything--no exceptions!

It's easy when you don't send all of your income to the man every month.

Oh--and having a photographer for a wife helps too.

[JeffreyG]

Hi everybody, My question is for the hobbyists on the site. How do you find the time and money to do everything. I work two jobs, and with trying to balance family and work, I just can't seem to find the time to go and shoot. Also, I consider myself middle class, but I can't justify spending 2000 dollars or more on a L series lens. Again, just the hobbyists, I know a professional has to find time and money.:rolleyes:


For one thing, I don't work two jobs. If I did, I doubt I would have any time for hobbies at all. I would be forced to dedicate the 1 to 2 non-working awake hours to other things obviously.

Secondly, if you do have the time for this hobby then you do not need to spend a fortune on it. $2000 on a total kit (as opposed to one lens) is actually enough to do a whole heck of a lot, especially if one is not a complete generalist.

One other thought, this hobby is not really so expensive even if one is buying a whole slew of L lenses. How many middle class people do you know that own a Harley Davidson, a bass boat, a classic car or hot rod etc. etc? Nobody bats an eye at these hobbies, photography is relatively cheap.

[Haru]

You do not have to amass a collection of goodies to have a hobby...it can be as simple as a body and a 50mm lens, to start. You do have to have time for the hobby, but there is nothing that says that family life and job separate you from the hobby...photos at family events, pictures of the kids, pictures of the flowers in the garden that your wife is planting...all mix hobby and family. Life does not afford luxury of separating one from the other, like it did when I was a carefree and responsiblity free single guy!

I could make this hobby work with just an old 20D and a sigma 30 1.4. That one lens covers 80% of my needs.

Luckly thought I'm still young, so i live with my parents (no rent or utilities), I have an amazing job that pays for my car, my hobby and lets me put plenty away for savings, my girlfriend has very few material wants, and i have no little mouths to feed. It's going to suck when I move out though and a new 5D mk II is no longer just 2 paychecks away. :p

[PhotosGuy]

>>I can't justify spending 2000 dollars or more on a L series lens Post your best shots from the "kit lens"-EF-S 18-55. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=185522)

Post your best shots from Rebel/ XT / XTI (300D/350D/400D) (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=496404)

"Show us your Best" with the G9 (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=493680)

[Tee Why]

There is no rational justification on a expensive photography gear, at least financially. It's just like every other hobby.

However, I don't think you need to spend such money to really get good pictures or to have fun. A Canon Rebel XS with a nice kit lens is under $500 and a refurb'd XTi is $300 at Adorama. Throw in a nice lens and you can get a nice kit for about $700 like a XTi/Tamron 17-50mm. Go get a 430EX flash from Circuit City's close out for about $100 or so and you can have a very sweet system capable of producing high quality prints.

Don't have time? Take pics of the kids and the family. This is a hobby, spend what you want to. Make sure it's about the fun, not the gear.
:)

[BobOh]

One other thought, this hobby is not really so expensive even if one is buying a whole slew of L lenses. How many middle class people do you know that own a Harley Davidson, a bass boat, a classic car or hot rod etc. etc? Nobody bats an eye at these hobbies, photography is relatively cheap.

That's a big "no kidding":)

[mbellot]

I work two jobs, and with trying to balance family and work, I just can't seem to find the time to go and shoot.

I guess it depends on what you shoot.

I combine family with photography by shooting the annual dance recital with my three girls. The first year it was just "dad with a camera", but enough people liked the shots that I started selling them. That branched out into a couple other events (word of mouth) and I've now sold almost 1000 pictures. :cool:

You certainly don't need expensive gear, but depending on what you're shooting it can help. My normal event is ISO3200, f/2.8-4 with shutter speed hanging in the 1/100 to 1/200 range - even expensive gear struggles under those conditions.

[lungdoc]

One of the ironies of photography is that many of the pictures that parents/grandparents try to get as casual photographers actually require much better equipment than artistic or landscape photography. Indoor school auditoriums and especially school sports are very demanding of gear and technique due to horrible light. On the other hand landscapes require little more than a tripod and any lens stopped down will be fine. BUT landscapes require time, light, an eye for composition, patience and locations: all of which are often hard to come by.