woman44004 Loc: ashtabula, ohio

How do you know when your good enough to start charging for your photo. I call myself a wantabe. I lack confidence. I have done a wedding and heel asked to do another. Have done some graduation and lots of baby pictures. I have been learning by taking baby steps but I am learning.

woman44004 Loc: ashtabula, ohio

And was asked

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I've been an advanced hobbyist for about 36years. At one point was hired for several years to do some specialized shots at a museum. And have had a few photos published for various reasons. But I still consider my self an amateur photographer.

I think I would answer your question this way. When you know you are able to consistently produce good work that someone might pay you to do. I for example occasionally create a photograph that I like and think is it professional looking and is truly art. But much of the time I hate my images and find many to be crap.

The method, technique, and science of photography is one thing (and the easy part for me), but it is the aesthetic, seeing, visionary, creative, and originality parts that are harder and slower to master.

I am sure you will get many answers to your question on the UHH. Many from professional photographers (what ever that really means -- it does not guarantee good). And likely an obnoxious answer or two. We have some real characters here as you may know.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

I wholeheartedly agrees.

Even when a pro you come to hate your own work after a while as time passes your technique improves as does the client demands. 'One trick pony' photographer are usually worthless outside of their preferred 'field'.

Constancy, quality, creativity, adaptability and versatility are what pros are about.

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

Snatch the pebble from my hand...
If you need to ask, you are not there...

So many good puns here..... Look, the fact that you say you lack confidence means that you are not there yet. IN a small photography business, most of your time will be spent selling yourself to customers. You can't do that without confidence, some might even say arrogance. You have to be able to look a customer in the eye and explain to them that the reason you are charging what you charge is because you are a pro who gets results every time. You will have a portfolio with you either digital or printed that emphasizes this fact.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

When you start charging you are in business - at that time it is likely that you will lose the coverage your personal insurance (homeowner or separate "floater")policy provided for your equipment.

Talk to your insurance agent.

Don Fischer Loc: Antelope, Ore

Could be your more than good enough right now, just depend's on who you ask!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Amateur versus professional has nothing at all to do with talents and skills. There are advanced hobbyists who are "better" photographers than many pros.

The only differences are:

A pro gets paid to shoot, while an amateur does not.

An amateur gets to choose what they want to shoot, when they want to shoot it, how they want to shoot it and doesn't have any deadline to meet but what they impose upon themselves.

A pro has to shoot what their customer wants, when and how the client wants it shot, and must meet the customer's deadlines.

An amateur is 100% about photography and making the best photos they can.

A pro is 10% about taking great photos and 90% about running a profitable business, which is everything from accounting to marketing to quality control, and a ton of other stuff in between. In many ways a pro photographer is more of a problem solver than a photographer. They must be able to "get the shot" efficiently regardless of many things that can get in the way of doing so.

Hate to tell you, but if you have been accepting assignments and jobs, you've already made the leap from amateur to pro, even if you are doing "freebies". If you aren't already charging reasonable prices for your work, if you are giving it away free, you're actually doing yourself and every other professional photographer a huge disservice. You need a reasonable price and fee structure. It's okay to offer introductory discounts and trade-outs and deviate from a set rate sheet. But you should never "do work for the experience", to "build up your portfolio" or for "photo credit" alone. Do that and you're well on your way to failure. You can always reduce your prices for some reason. But, on the other hand, it's very hard to start asking money for what you've been giving away for free. When you give away your work, you establish a value of $0 for photography, both yours and everyone else's, in the mind of every customer you give your work free.

Think long and hard about whether you want to run a business that involves photography... Or if you'd prefer to be an amateur who does photography for the sake of the photography alone.

If you still "wannabe" a pro... welcome to the world of professional photography. Now put down your camera, do a written business plan, and especially market and cost of doing business studies. If you don't know how, hit the library and learn how. Or take some business classes at a local college. Or pay someone else to do it for you. Then get your ducks in a row... licenses, insurance, backup gear, etc. Likely you will be "paying the business" for the first few years at least... It won't be paying you at all. So unless you recently won the lottery, don't quit your day job.

If you instead decide to remain an amateur photographer, stop accepting "free" gigs and refer those people to professionals who will charge them a fair price for their work.

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

:thumbup: :thumbup:
And I would camp onto this Don't be stupid and accept any job without having insurance. Homeowners won't cover you, and I've told this story before. A friend had a home business - threw up a light stand. The short of it is she lost a 650K house, to a law suite all because a client tripped on her light stand and put her head through a window.

I see a lot of wannabe's operating without insurance. You may get away with it for a day or a year, but it will bite you in the end.

Don Fischer Loc: Antelope, Ore

Question, is a landscape photographer that's making his/her living selling his/her photo's a pro? I think so!

paulrph1 Loc: Washington, Utah

Charge them at least enough to cover expenses. I had a relative that used to shoot weddings and everyone asked him because he was free. Then he decided to charge and sure enough no one was interested anymore.