Anyone retreated from photography business?

[golfecho]

I read the “Business of Photography” thread religiously, mainly because I’m one of the hundreds who plan on “going pro” at some point. That point is a moving target for me, but I see dozens and dozens of posts from those who are “taking the plunge” and seeking advice.

I am wondering if we could hear from anyone who “went pro” at some point, and has now retreated from the photography business and resumed it as just an amateur or hobbyist? Anyone with “If only I had done this” stories out there? Anyone with lessons learned??

[DanStar]

This is probably not exactly what you are looking for. However, it looks like you and I are in the research phase of startup so I thought I would share my findings and observations with you on this thread.

I have never been a full time pro, but have been making money from photography for abot 18 months. Like you I have aspirations of turning this into a business sometime down the road. So, I have been investigating the business aspects, talking to full timers, lurking in blogs, reading books, listening to podcasts, taking classes, etc. My research hasn't been exhaustive but it is pretty good, what anyone would typically do when looking into starting a business.

A couple things I have discovered are 1. men and women doing this full time and making a living at it are working their butt off. The working, full time pros I personally know and alot of those I read about are going at this full speed. They have their hands full will shooting, promotion, marketing, customer care, relationship management and more.

The second thing I have found is that, although there are some top tier pros making well into six figures, the vast majority seem to be making a low to moderate income on very tight margins. I have done some analysis and it appears to me that the photogs I looked at are in the $35-$40/hr range once you account for all the stuff they are doing besides shooting.

Third, the competition is heating up. Modern dSLRs are amazing little computers. They can deliver a sharp, high quality image to anyone with the motivation to read the manual and shoot a little. In addition, a motivated amateur like you are I, can use this technology, plus all the training available, plus our passion for the art, to get 80% - 90% as good as a average full-timer and undercut their prices because we already have a job.

Lastly, I figured out that I personally love to shoot and make images and don't really want to mess with all the other stuff. This puts me into a freelancer sort of business. That is I will shoot with or for someone else for an hourly wage. I will make the images and hand off my best stuff. They can worry the business aspect of this.

[Jannie]

I had a very wonderful career as a director of photography/cameraperson for a very long time and it paid very well but the first 5-10 years seemed like a lot of sacrifices to the rest of life set me up to where my career was the most important thing.

The more in demad I became, the more demanding the clients, trying to plan a weekend free or an actual vacation was difficult because suddenly work schedules would change and I'd need to catch a plane to somewhere a week earlier than scheduled and as the DP although a very important part of production, the world does not revolve around you.

In a producers world, the only acceptable reason for saying you can't accomodate them immediately is if you are booked on another job and I've even had a producer or director call that other client and try to grlet them to change their schedule which is not cool. In their minds it was, you are either available when we need you or not. It was after I was away from this for about three years before I realized how stressful it had been, neat sometimes too but the cost was heavy in my personal life. I tried so hard but about a year after ending a 22 year marriage that my ex had told me that they had never been able to count on me even though I tried, the business by nature had to come first if you wanted to be current, the first person the call for the good jobs and the truth came to be that the people I worked for did have to be able to depend on me no matter what.

In the early years this intensity was understood and accepted, but by the time I was 40, understanding didn't help, my ex would say no they were not mad at me, just mad at the situation because there was not anything I could do about it beyond quitting. Understanding and accepting gets. Tiring after a while. It was a great career and it did pay well but the personal costs were high, but looking back, I don't know how I could have done it differently. In the end I blamed photography but after being away from it for a while, I've come back to it as a hobby and loving it as much as I did in the beginning.

[Karl Johnston]

I'm a new full time pro..but here's my experience so far.

The great thing is all the free time I have. It sounds nuts, but it's true. I can work 3 jobs one week and then 4 days off. I love this job so much that it's my hobby at the same time so it's like I never stop playing! The thing is...I don't really stop working, if that makes sense, I never have done..but that's just the lifestyle I have

That said, I'm new, ;)

check out this helpful thread I made a little while ago about getting cold feet when starting, its normal:

Business Owner's Anxiety (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=709770)

and another :

The Route To A Successful Business (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=721812)

[nicksan]

This is probably not exactly what you are looking for. However, it looks like you and I are in the research phase of startup so I thought I would share my findings and observations with you on this thread.

I have never been a full time pro, but have been making money from photography for abot 18 months. Like you I have aspirations of turning this into a business sometime down the road. So, I have been investigating the business aspects, talking to full timers, lurking in blogs, reading books, listening to podcasts, taking classes, etc. My research hasn't been exhaustive but it is pretty good, what anyone would typically do when looking into starting a business.

A couple things I have discovered are 1. men and women doing this full time and making a living at it are working their butt off. The working, full time pros I personally know and alot of those I read about are going at this full speed. They have their hands full will shooting, promotion, marketing, customer care, relationship management and more.

The second thing I have found is that, although there are some top tier pros making well into six figures, the vast majority seem to be making a low to moderate income on very tight margins. I have done some analysis and it appears to me that the photogs I looked at are in the $35-$40/hr range once you account for all the stuff they are doing besides shooting.

Third, the competition is heating up. Modern dSLRs are amazing little computers. They can deliver a sharp, high quality image to anyone with the motivation to read the manual and shoot a little. In addition, a motivated amateur like you are I, can use this technology, plus all the training available, plus our passion for the art, to get 80% - 90% as good as a average full-timer and undercut their prices because we already have a job.

Lastly, I figured out that I personally love to shoot and make images and don't really want to mess with all the other stuff. This puts me into a freelancer sort of business. That is I will shoot with or for someone else for an hourly wage. I will make the images and hand off my best stuff. They can worry the business aspect of this.

^That's where my head is at.
I have a nice career outside of photography and it would take a lot to replace that income. On one hand, it sounds exciting and I'd be doing what I have lots of passion for. On the other hand, it sounds a little intimidating. I like the way I have things set up right now. I've got a 9-5 putting food on the table, paying the mortgage, keeping everyone happy. Then I've got my photography, with an occasional paid shoot here and there, but not so much that I feel it's "work".

[harroz]

As with any business, if you wish to do well in life, do what you know best.

I'm fully with Jannie's last comments, this is totally how it is. I've been shooting full time for 15 years, mostly people and places up until about 4 years ago, now I shoot architecture. I still do people on the side of that, more creative work though and less of the **mundane. I think you have to go through the mundane to get to the creative to solidify your knowledge, but it takes a long time, and you need to be extremely good to do well, you need to be above the pack, my advice would be to check out your competition, if you're above them then go for it, if not stay in your day job, it's a tough job, and it is a job.. with great highs... and great lows. If you can handle that then delve in, but don't for a second think it's going to be an easy ride.

Yes, I threw it in for 5 months, didn't pick up the camera for that whole time, not even an inclination to. I still don't pick up the camera unless it has a $ assigned to it in one way or another, either in payment or an end result of portfolio quality. at the end of the day it is what I know really well and my uncle told me when i was in limbo.. "in life to do well you need to do well what you know well"
**mundane is being something you have done way too much. At the moment I'm doing the odd wedding, most would call weddings mundane, but I'm loving it as I get to shoot them how I want instead of how others want me to shoot. They're actually a creative outlet for me, and I don't do loads, thats not the aim for me, my aim is to do a few each summer, next summer I am nearly totally booked out every weekend, thats enough to create a name, then I'll be looking at ways to back them off and still make the same amount, and so this way they stay as that creative outlet & don't become mundane. They also keep my hand in with people skills, as being a photographer can be quite solo at times.

just my 2c

[Picture North Carolina]

Don't know if this counts, but...


I have not retreated from photography, but I have retreated from one sector: magazines. I am in the process of changing my business model.

[elisesanchez]

I do not think many people will retreat from the business as a whole. They will rethink business models and streamline things.