O.K,
I have been gone a long time. It's been quite a few months since I have posted on this blog. The reason? Well, my wife is pregnant, I went back to my full time job (with a raise) , I have two other blogs and I am still working on my portrait photography business. So, in a nutshell I am really busy! I have been doing 2 to 4 portrait sessions a week and this next week July 16-23rd, every day is booked! Here is the thing. I am not getting paid up front for all of these sessions. There are 2 that will pay or have already paid. The other's are Models that do trade. Here is the kicker about the model shoots. I still make money, and probably more than I will make for shooting the portrait and family sessions! Are you wondering how? The models all sign model release and I put their images on 5 to 7 Micro Stock Agencies. Here is how I see it. If I shoot a senior portrait session, I might make around $200 to $300. If I shoot a model for stock, and add it to 7 agencies, I get around $30 dollars a year from every image I upload( $30 a year is an average amount that most will make if the image is uploaded to 5 agencies over a 1 year period) If I get 15 good shots that I can upload to stock, I will make on average $450 per year. So, just say that image sells good for 3 years, that is...... oh, way more than if I just shoot a senior portrait session. So, I don't mind trading for work as long as the model signs a release. Don't get me wrong, I am still shoot weddings, portraits and any paying jobs I can find, but while I am not busy I try to fill the other days with Stock shoots. Another advantage of shooting almost every day is that I can update by website and blog with the shots I am taking, and it gives the perception that I am busy shooting all the time. Paying Clients don't know that I am not charging for all my sessions. It is also nice that when a paying client wants to book a session and I say, " well, I only have Thursday open next week", they will usually work around my schedule instead of me having to work around theirs. I have found that they are usually less likely not to cancel too if they know they might need to wait a week or two(or even more!) to get in again.
Some of you might wonder why I only make 2 to 3 hundred dollars for a senior session. Well, in the small town where I live there is a University with a photography department and a photography school also. The town has about 80,000 people when college is in and when the student leave for the summer, it drops to around 60,000. All of these beginner photographers who go to these schools want to stay here so they open a small studio and charge sitting fees around 100 to 200 dollars and will usually give a disk away with the sitting fee. This has destroyed the market in my town. Sure, there are a few who will charge more, but they suffer and usually don't make it. The beginners don't make it either. They'll stick around for a year or so and starve, then they leave. There are less than 5 established photographers in this town have stuck around over the years, and I know they have a hard time. The newbies that are making it are usually women who's husbands work and pay the bills. I can't do that and my wife doesn't work. I would move away, but my wife loves it here. So, I am finding different ways to make a living out of photography in this town. Sometimes to get what you want, you need to be creative. that is what I am attempting to do. Anyhow, I am sorry it has been so long since I posted. I can't promise I will post more often, at least for a little while. I have make priorities and this blog is not on the top, but I will try to post once or twice a month because I hope others will learn from the information I post here(when and if I do)
Well, for the ending I will add a few of the shots I have taken lately. Some are from paid gig and some are from trades with models. hope you enjoy them and I would love any comments, good or bad. I can take it!!
Thanks,
Brian
I have been gone a long time. It's been quite a few months since I have posted on this blog. The reason? Well, my wife is pregnant, I went back to my full time job (with a raise) , I have two other blogs and I am still working on my portrait photography business. So, in a nutshell I am really busy! I have been doing 2 to 4 portrait sessions a week and this next week July 16-23rd, every day is booked! Here is the thing. I am not getting paid up front for all of these sessions. There are 2 that will pay or have already paid. The other's are Models that do trade. Here is the kicker about the model shoots. I still make money, and probably more than I will make for shooting the portrait and family sessions! Are you wondering how? The models all sign model release and I put their images on 5 to 7 Micro Stock Agencies. Here is how I see it. If I shoot a senior portrait session, I might make around $200 to $300. If I shoot a model for stock, and add it to 7 agencies, I get around $30 dollars a year from every image I upload( $30 a year is an average amount that most will make if the image is uploaded to 5 agencies over a 1 year period) If I get 15 good shots that I can upload to stock, I will make on average $450 per year. So, just say that image sells good for 3 years, that is...... oh, way more than if I just shoot a senior portrait session. So, I don't mind trading for work as long as the model signs a release. Don't get me wrong, I am still shoot weddings, portraits and any paying jobs I can find, but while I am not busy I try to fill the other days with Stock shoots. Another advantage of shooting almost every day is that I can update by website and blog with the shots I am taking, and it gives the perception that I am busy shooting all the time. Paying Clients don't know that I am not charging for all my sessions. It is also nice that when a paying client wants to book a session and I say, " well, I only have Thursday open next week", they will usually work around my schedule instead of me having to work around theirs. I have found that they are usually less likely not to cancel too if they know they might need to wait a week or two(or even more!) to get in again.
Some of you might wonder why I only make 2 to 3 hundred dollars for a senior session. Well, in the small town where I live there is a University with a photography department and a photography school also. The town has about 80,000 people when college is in and when the student leave for the summer, it drops to around 60,000. All of these beginner photographers who go to these schools want to stay here so they open a small studio and charge sitting fees around 100 to 200 dollars and will usually give a disk away with the sitting fee. This has destroyed the market in my town. Sure, there are a few who will charge more, but they suffer and usually don't make it. The beginners don't make it either. They'll stick around for a year or so and starve, then they leave. There are less than 5 established photographers in this town have stuck around over the years, and I know they have a hard time. The newbies that are making it are usually women who's husbands work and pay the bills. I can't do that and my wife doesn't work. I would move away, but my wife loves it here. So, I am finding different ways to make a living out of photography in this town. Sometimes to get what you want, you need to be creative. that is what I am attempting to do. Anyhow, I am sorry it has been so long since I posted. I can't promise I will post more often, at least for a little while. I have make priorities and this blog is not on the top, but I will try to post once or twice a month because I hope others will learn from the information I post here(when and if I do)
Well, for the ending I will add a few of the shots I have taken lately. Some are from paid gig and some are from trades with models. hope you enjoy them and I would love any comments, good or bad. I can take it!!
Thanks,
Brian
