How do you afford it?

I think there is a bit of both bragging and bashing. As far as kids go, yes they are astronomically expensive. But the fuel the camera bug. Capturing your kids first goal, just as the puck hits the back of the net, or you daughters look of determination with the soccer ball just leaving her foot. Your son in mid air as he stops a goal to win the game. Preserving the look of joy as your daughter peiruets during a dance recietal. Capturing your sons face he wins accedimic challenges in school competions............​...priceless......make​s the equipment cost much less painful. Unlike the cost of his dirtbike. Parents, dont primise things...It will come back to bite you in the ass.

This is one of the charming aspects of this forum, and possibly one of the dangers.

In the 'how old are you' thread, we've learned that we have a vast range in the ages of our ‘typical’ participants, and it's reasonable to conclude that there are also even wider ranges in income, education, numbers of dependants, lifestyle, and just about any other variable you’d care to mention. It’s safe to say, the only thing we have in common is a love for, and fascination with, digital photography.

For anyone who feels resentment towards anyone else because they make too much money, live in too big a house, drive too expensive a car, or own too much expensive camera gear, I can only suggest that you need to ‘get over it’. To a large degree, quality of life is the product of the choices we’ve made along the way. Some of us have made better choices; some of us (the geriatric crowd) are just a lot farther down the road.

My wife and I are married 42 years. We have no children, and we have both worked our entire adult lives. We invested our own money in our own business over twenty years ago and operated that business together until we finally pulled the plug on it three years ago. During that time, 12-hour days were not uncommon, days off were infrequent, and our entire net worth was always at risk.

So we’ve reached this stage in our lives where we live very comfortably. We’re not rich, but we’re comfortable. We also understand that there are things we’ve given up and will never have, children being chief among them. We’ve paid for everything we own; some might argue that we’ve paid an unacceptable price. That’s entirely possible.

The point is, we’re all alike, AND we’re all different. Let’s build on what unites us but also be thankful that we’re not all just carbon copies of each other.

belmondo,

Well said. I think this forum should have a section for whiners of all kind. I think photography is the greatest thing to happen to me.

I will spend every dime on it if I like. I really want to be in a forum where photography is celebrated not being bashed for how much is spent pursuing the happiness it brings.

I agree with the "get over it " comment.

NiL,

Tom, you missed your calling as a politician - or maybe not (I'd never take that kind of job - too hot under the collar sometimes). Anyway, you stated that well.

I've spent a good deal more than I had ever planned on photography equipment, but then I look around at all the folks that have boats, multiple vehicles, and huge homes and yards. I certainly don't envy them (especially those with boats since I once was partners on one of those things). We all have our priorities in life. We go to work, get our pay, and then decide how we want to spend it.

This one is easy for me . . .
I sold my motorcycles
I sold my pontoon boat
I have sold back 4 weeks of vacation each of the last two years
I stopped going fishing, golfing and anything else costly to pursue
I don't travel a lot, except on business
I live well within my means (mortgage payment is less than 1/4 of take-home pay)
I don't pay for my computers (job perk)
I don't pay for my Internet service (again, work related)
I don't pay for my own cell phone (you guessed it . .work)
I buy my reading materials (paperbacks) second-hand (except Photoshop books)
and the most important one . . .

I like Top Ramen

So for me, my camera fetish (not my photography hobby, but my camera fetish) is my only lavish self-indulgence, other than (GOOD!) tequila.

Remember, it is not how much you make...It is how you spend it. Like I said, if you want it bad enough you can get it.

NiL,

I was going to just let this thread die but I can't help but think this guy is doing nothing more than bragging. Big deal, you make six figures. Is that necessary to let us know that. I have read your post and can't seem to figure out what your point is, that is if there was one.

Sell them! Easy!

Who needs guitars, fast cars, women, alcohol, fine clothes, work, oxygen....

Quick everyone, they're coming, I can hear them.......

Martin - Changing his name to L Cid!

We have our own company and we work long hours, due to that we hardly ever go on holiday and if we do it's 90% a workvacation, on which we earn the vacation back in 2 day's (of the max. 6).

But we don't mind we love the work .

We don't smoke, we don't drink and the only other hobby I have is Home Theater which is allready paid for and there are hardly need for expensive upgrades there (we own a PC shop and Home Theater company ).

So, that leaves some money left for my passion photography, I do however never buy the most expensive stuff except with lenses I'm really picky.
I recently fullfilled my dream by building a studio in the building were our company started out (connected to our house), and now I hope to make some small money in my free time by making model shoots .
All used offcourse for the hobby.

Greetings,
Frank

He is not really bragging to me. See, making six figures is really not that big of a deal at least to me. Impress me, make 8 figures.

Also, he has all of those things, house, cars, private school for the kids and the lot. But, he is not paying for all of that ALONE. He has help. Now, I would be impressed if all of that came from one income.

Also, it sounds like the household has plenty of money, I feel bad for him...He makes all that money and can't afford a cheap camera for a few thousand.

So, if he is bragging is sounds more like crying to me. LOL

Just enjoy what you have and don't expect anyone to be impressed with you or what you have but you.

That is my motto.

NiL,

Hi Nil,

I agree with what you said as to the original poster's point.

However, don't underestimate that two people earning money also spend money .... If you don't have to 'turn the dime', money has a tendency to make its own way when you're not looking

I realized that when my wife and I got our first son a little more than a year ago. With one salary instead of two and our savings (or what was left of them after the bust of the internet stockmarket bubble :cry invested as downpayment in a (moderate) house, we still get by, but investments in hobbies like photography are a little more difficult to explain, nowadays

I just keep thinking ... my god, how much money did I have over to spend, back then ... too bad that reasonably-priced DSLR's were not available then...

As fas as priorities are concerned ... I also have realized now that 2 months of the rent for my company car might have bought me an average 'L' lens

Best regards,
Andy

All I know is, money isn't everything. Before we had kids, we were DINKS (double incomce-no kids) and could buy damn near anything we wanted or go anywhere we felt like. Now we have two kids, my wife is a stay at home mother, and I work like a dog. We went from just shy of 6 fig. to less than half of that ( I started my own bussiness) and increased expenses with the kids. Some of my toys have gotten older, I went from playing golf weekly to a few times yearly, we only drive one new car at a time (Honda is a hell of a lot more reliable than Mercedes). And I still have enough money for camera eqiup (JUst pick and choose carefully). My daughter has become my model, she has been posing since she was 3 (now 5 and a total ham for the camera). I look at pics other parents have taken with "inexpensive" cameras and think, I dont remember that. I look at mine, like a close up of my sons face, driping with sweat through his hockey mask, and remember the feelings (and smell). A good camera for me is an essential. Saving for a MKII next.

PS my kids go to public school and are fine. We have good school here,

I know why he started this thread!! So that he could have the longest thread on this forum.

Well sorry buddy, I do belive I am the champ here and probably my thread is long gone now but here is the link just in case you want to start it up again...LOL

It may not be the longest thread here, but it felt like it.

https://photography-on-the.net …s=0&postorder=a​sc&start=0

NiL,

I came from another expensive hobby (cars) that I also couldn't afford. So my old car now rarely gets driven, and the rust I had vowed to fix (once I could afford such a costly process) is still there only worse. I never thought I could lose interest in cars but now I find that I am. This also makes me worry that I may be spending too much on yet another hobby I will eventually lose interest in, which of course is photography. But at least I don't have to fill the DRebel up with gas or spend thousands just to keep it running.

In the end, it's all just "stuff" anyway.

It's simply a matter of priorities. Buy a $20,000 car instead of a $30,000 car.

I'm also an audiophile, but a sane one. I recently bought a $750 phono cartridge-that's right, for vinyl records - remember them? But I think the guys who pay $12,000 for a cartridge are the crazy ones. And then there are the $100,000+ speaker systems!!

Whatever turn you on - you'll find a way. With $200K/year there must be a multitude of ways.

Jim