Moving up in the business.. ??

Hello everyone, well recently I haven't really even taken my camera out of my bag because I really have just run out of ideas on things to shoot! I mean I am at the hockey rink for my brothers hockey games (when I'm not there for mine), I golf everyday (my brothers play with me), and I love cars; but I just have gotten bored shooting the same old 3 cars at my house, and the same old 2 brothers at golf/hockey. I mean I have gotten offers from parents to shoot pictures of their kids at games, but they don't want to pay. I am not going to be dragged along to every single hockey game, sit for an hour, shoot one player as many times as possible, only to give away the photos (I have given each parents like 10+ photo's of only their child for free already). I want to start getting into shooting for money, but I don't know how to get recognized.. I have tried asking my schools photographer if I could tag along and shoot as a secondhand-man for my schools sporting events, but he already has 2 helpers. I have run out of ideas and don't know what to do so I need some help on how you guys got to where you are (shooting sporting events, cars for magazines, etc.). All help is welcome but be nice

For the record, I am 16, so if that is the reason, just let me know!

I'm not a professional photographer...I'll say that up front. But I love to take pictures. I want to show people my world. So I take pics. I don't leave home without a camera. Everyday life is an opportunity for a shot.
Look at your current portfolio (even if that's a folder). What topics do you have (you mentioned a couple). What don't you have? Do try your hand and new topics. You got cars to shoot? How about macros? Wheels? Emblems?
Walk out your door, are there flowers? Animals? Birds? Neighbors? Friends? Dirt??
As an amateur, I don't aim to shoot for money, I aim to improve the shots that I love to take. If you don't love to take shots...the money will never follow.

That's exactly it. I really don't care about how much money I make if I make any at all. I am 16.. If I ever start making money in photography, I want to spend the 3-5 years until then practicing. But it's more just I have run out of things to shoot.

I mean I walk outside and oh, a flower, take some shots.. They all suck! Why? I just don't have the skill to produce great pictures of flowers, macro, etc. Whether my angle is off, lighting is off, bokeh isn't perfect, those little things that everyone else does, that for some reason I can't seem to do.. It just discourages me, you know?

And that is why I want to get some jobs working with someone professional, I want to see what they do that makes them so great... But there just isn't anyone around that I know of that I haven't contacted and gotten turned down by..

So that is why I was wondering what you guys did to start off, that set you up to be professional..

Well the only way to get better is to shoot all the time, even when it is boring. I used to be in the same place you are, I got bored with shooting stuff that I had done 50 times already. I finally picked something that I love to shoot and that is people and now I make money doing it. My first few portrait sessions sucked, but since I have kept at it my work is now something that I can be impressed with, and other people love it also. Thats why I keep getting work. Never stop taking pictures, even now I take my camera 98% of the places I go just because I love to do it and you may miss a wonderful shot somewhere. Those 2% of places I didn't take my camera and gear, I ended up missing something awesome. Just my thoughts.

Haha thanks alot! And who did you start off shooting when you shot people? Friends, family? It sucks because my friends aren't the kind to have fun at a photoshoot. They actually make fun of me for doing photography so I'm not even going to ask them to be my "model", lol.

Find girls. They love to see themselves look good. They will always model, at least in my experience.

Avoid girls.

Friends are the first ones I shot, and I preferably like shooting girls because they are easier to pose etc. It depends on what you want to shoot, I'm not into glamour nude stuff and I don't agree on taking pictures of that stuff, but thats a subject for another time. Most of my friends think its awesome what I'm doing, because I act as a professional when it comes to photography, not as their 16yr old friend which I am.

Yeah well I have a girl (possible girlfriend a little later, lol) that already told me she is making me do a photoshoot of her so that should be fun. She's a super fun girl and super pretty so it should be easy to get her to pose, lol.. She's also a ballerina so getting interesting poses will be even easier! Just got to keep finding these opportunities

SheRidesABeemer wrote in post #7993176
I'm not a professional photographer...I'll say that up front. But I love to take pictures. I want to show people my world. So I take pics. I don't leave home without a camera. Everyday life is an opportunity for a shot.
Look at your current portfolio (even if that's a folder). What topics do you have (you mentioned a couple). What don't you have? Do try your hand and new topics. You got cars to shoot? How about macros? Wheels? Emblems?
Walk out your door, are there flowers? Animals? Birds? Neighbors? Friends? Dirt??
As an amateur, I don't aim to shoot for money, I aim to improve the shots that I love to take. If you don't love to take shots...the money will never follow.

Amen... love your attitude... that's exactly how I view it... don't think I would ever take photos for money because then it becomes work and then I'd have no hobby...lol but I never leave home without my camera either and I will shoot any subject...

I'll tell you that your main objective should be to develop your creative eye. See if there's a photography club in your area, one that deals out assignments on a regular basis and critiques your shots the following week. I've obviously never seen your work, but I suspect if an assignment was old barns, you'd probably go out and shoot an old barn and think ya' done good. But then you see what others shot; the unexpected angles, shooting from the inside out or from the outside in, the details, texture, painting with light, and it hits you; you don't know how to see things this way. A creative eye is a challenging thing to develop and it is what will distinquish you as a good photographer.

Cole_Schmitt wrote in post #7993213
I mean I walk outside and oh, a flower, take some shots.. They all suck! Why? I just don't have the skill to produce great pictures of flowers, macro, etc. Whether my angle is off, lighting is off, bokeh isn't perfect, those little things that everyone else does, that for some reason I can't seem to do.. It just discourages me, you know?

And that is why I want to get some jobs working with someone professional, I want to see what they do that makes them so great... But there just isn't anyone around that I know of that I haven't contacted and gotten turned down by..

Are you wanting to make a career of photography? If so, then I'd consider some academics including photography. I just Goggled Rochester Institute of Tech and they do a photography program. Even if you don't want to pursue a full academic program you might find a local college offering C.E. courses in the evening. Get the basics down and keep shooting.

A camera club is a good idea . Find one and seek out some members that could mentor you.

I would suggest also shooting those "same things" in a completely different manner. Find something new in the way of lighting, angle, filters, anything... When you're frustrated with the results (as you state with your flower/macro pics) then you've got to change something. What is it that you don't like about the photo? Fix THAT item. Shoot it again. Don't know what to fix? Surely you can find out how to fix a certain issue with a photo on this interwebby thing. This forum alone is a plethora of resources...

Shoot and sell 'team photos' (for a modest fee of course). Find a car club and car shows(these are fun to me). Make team/car club calendars...

If you continue to act professional, and produce quality photos, the money will come.

Have FUN! At your age, there is plenty of time for photography to be a job later.

I don't really care to make a living off photography (my main dream is to be a sports attorney so that's what I'm striving to become).. Although money would be cool, I just really want to get better!

I shoot some picture, take a look at them when they are on the computer, then compare them to some of you guys' photos and mine just look terrible! And so that's why my attitude about my photography is "I suck.." Lol

Cole_Schmitt wrote in post #7993113
** I have gotten offers from parents to shoot pictures of their kids at games, but they don't want to pay. **I have given each parents like 10+ photo's of only their child for free already**

A point here, you've already set the worth of your photos as zero. Going from free to having to pay is a hard sell.

The big thing is to look at why you "suck". Is it out of focus? Composition need improving? Used wrong white balance (shoot RAW)?
Study the photos you like and try to determine what is it that you like about it. Then go and try to use the same techniques.
There are tons of things to try if you're bored, just do some searches online (or study more photos you like). Try night shots. Go to your local zoo and try to shoot monkeys (that outta keep you busy for a while). Try shooting to freeze action (like water droplets). Try slow shutter speeds and get streaks of light from your local highway.
Just keep shootin!