I selected "No"...however... It would be nice to be able to take photographs that people would want to pay their hard-earned cash for (cash enabling me to hide it from the tax man of course ) It would also be nice to have some small income from it to fund kit purchases...am saving my penies for the 70-200 F4 L IS... But at the end of the day, that's where my ambition for professionalism ends...I'd much rather be an amateur.
That's fine art photography, isn't it? The one branch where you produce what you like and the punters buy that. Like being a painter rather than an illustrator.
For me the answer is easy. A definite NO. I would hate to have to take photographs to meet a brief. My photography sometimes has to meet deadlines, as I enter club competitions, but that is different to having always to deliver on time and within budjet. It is not for me.
I should like to earn some money from photography, but in the current economic climate I would not even think about starting a business, and I suppose in order to make money you need to be and run a business. And echoing what a lot of others have said I think if I relied on Photography for a living,apart from it being exceptionally hard work, I would not get the same pleasure from it and I suppose I would find myself photograping stuff I had no interest in? And how do you get good shots of people who have a good face for Radio? And then theres the legions out there who say "why does it cost so much when I can get a 4 by 6 for 15p" or whatever! I think trying to be a pro would do my head in, rapidly!
Turn pro, no way, I am already self-employed doing something that I enjoy. Anyway I can't even take pictures for the competitions here never mind working to someone else's brief.
I would love to, depending on specialization. I would hate to be a wedding photographer, even though I have done that for a while, it's good money for a days work, but no, too stressful, I wouldn't be able to specialise in that. I have done bars and businesses, they tend to be quick jobs, again good money for what it is, but they make me feel artistically numb,birthdays and other occasions, but again no matter how creative I can be with them, I like to have more scope for creativity. I would love though, to specialise nature and or documentary photography and a bit of press stuff (current affairs and other newsworthy stuff, not the dumb pap stuff that some consider press stuff, I personally don't). Yep I would love to turn pro in that, yes. I also love my fine art stuff and I have had people buying stuff (my website is being redesigned and in the backburner for now, to include a wider range of my work so things gone a bit slow) but I guess I would like to keep that for myself. I would also love to work in an editorial picture desk.
Couldn't agree more. I don't mind dabbling with Amaly a bit, but, having taken a few family weddings, I would not want to make a living doing that!
Love to have been an old fashioned beach photographer, complete with old Russian camera of some sort. Little hut by the pier and the bar, with an ice cream seller nearby for exceptionaly hot days. Bournemouth would do very nicely. Digital has ruined all that too. Shame. Er, what was the question? Put me down as a no.
I'd love to be in a position to be able to spend all day behind a camera.........but I don't think I'd want it to be a position where I have to spend all day behind a camera.......... Makes me a 'No' with just a soupcon of 'Part Time Pro' hankering.....
I would like, perhaps, to arrange a small exhibition of my best photos and offer them for sale. The small income from such a thing would help finance some more photography. Really, what is nice is being able to show ones work to others. Surely, that is also part of the pleasure of photography. But to have to do it to earn a crust would not be my choice.
Photography is essential to my work, and I spend much of my time taking and editing those photographs. I also use professional quality equipment, but does that make me a professional? In truth, I would like to spend more time taking photographs where and when I want, and not having to write supporting reports; but unless I was exceptionally talented, and could sell my photographs for £ hundreds each, I really don't think I would want to make my living that way. It would just be too much like hard work. And as for wedding photography, forget it!
No. Being a pro would make photography a job. Something to do to earn a lving. Something to do well enough but no better. Being amateur is to photograph what I want when I want and the way I want. I can afford the time to do it the way I want.
In my personal opinion, I think that there is the slightly misconcepted view that because you are a pro you can't shoot what you want and you are somewhat constrained by the demands of your job. What if you are actually making a living shooting what you want? I had a small seminar with some photojournalists at my University, Sean Smith was one of them and I could say that despite all of the stresses of the job, it is what they want and they love it. Sean Smith's work for example is instantly recognisable, has a personal style (and a very good one at that) and has creative flair. He manages to tell a whole story in one frame. I think it pretty much depends what kind of photography work you end up doing. As I said, I would hate ending up doing wedding photography, but there are also quite a few out there that love it and make a good living out of it. It's all a bit subjective.
But if your type of photography didn't pay the bills you would have no choice but to photograph to other people's briefs.
