Ellen101 wrote:
Plain and simple photography is turning out to be a very expensive interest.
When I do not have my camera with me I feel lost. I need to keep shooting away.
I shoot close ups of people but I have found that most people in Florid do not have
culturally interesting faces of different ethnicity.
I am trying to emulate National Geographic photography without having to travel far.
Any suggestions for person on a fixed income living in Tampa Bay, Florida?
I'm always reluctant to make suggestions without seeing your work and what you enjoy working at; my guess is that many of us feel the same way? In spite of this reluctance, I'm going to try and offer some very generic advice... please don't worry if some or none of this works for you.
40 years ago I purchased my first "proper' camera... after saving for what seemed an eternity. I was just embarking on my "day job" career, had limited mobility and no spare cash, but wanted to take pictures of what I saw around me. My first good camera allowed me to snap away at everything & everything... just like you, I felt a little less than myself when it wasn't with me.
I was surprised and disappointed when no-one else seemed to like my favorite pics. Why? Probably because I was missing the Concept that they had about what a picture should be. So, my first piece of advice about earning money with a camera is "Develop Your Own Concept; based on what others want you to shoot... but including a little bit of YOU in those images". Why? Well, if you don't have your own Concept, that also intrigues/fascinates/hooks others to believe in your images... you will never sell anything more than snaps, selfies, and basic records of events... and there is lots of competition & no money in that game.
I can't help you with your Concept, other than to advise you to push yourself and your boundaries, but never be intrusive of others. Maybe pushing yourself is taking everyday street scenes... but at night, using only the available lighting, and lots of trial & error with manual focus? Maybe it's wandering a certain expensive housing area and taking architectural shots from crazy angles in the heat of the day, using the sun and shadows and your over/under exposure prowess, to deliver some wildly artistic interpretations of people's houses? So long as it doesn't land you in jail, doesn't invade someone's privacy, and yet takes their fancy... you will develop your own Concept.
Then, when you have a Concept or two you'd like to take further, move on to Initiate. I won't go into all the business startup stuff here (available everywhere on the web these days); the key is to trial your Concept with people who might pay for your work. Initiate a buying response by showing the subject or the art dealer what you just did, with that boring street scene, or that night time portrait of herons flying out to roost, or whatever the Concept is, that shows you adding YOUR SPECIAL SAUCE. Ask the question of the model subject, "would you like an original print of this picture, and what would you be willing to pay?" Ask the Art Dealer, "what would be your costs and commission for printing & showing this in your window, and what do you think you would ask for this?" Initiate is all about doing your homework, understanding tasks like printing costs (as you have limited means, you will need to outsource printing, so get comfortable with giving up some tasks, and be very certain how you will quality control the tasks you will retain), and roughing out (a) what you need to make as an income from this Concept, in order to (b) be able to actually deliver it.
If the Initiate answers you get are agreeable (you have buyers for this Concept, and the revenue will easily cover your anticipated costs), now it's time to Plan. How many days in a week, or month, or quarter, are you going to spend, executing and closing on this Concept, to deliver enough new artwork to keep your Customers happy and hopefully grow a few new Customers? You will have some work flow, even if it's only supplying the files to the printer, and then checking the work when it returns. You will have down time if you have limited means & are working outside, in the weather. How many commissions (work prepaid for a Customer) can you take, is it 0, 1 or more, each Month? If you don't Plan reasonably well, your Execution will suffer.
Execution is simply living your Plan, and controlling & managing your Plan, when things change. If you are anything like most of us, Commissions can intrude as unplanned activities into your "day job" of executing enough of your Concept work to keep your regulars happy. Only a Plan will save you from yourself... otherwise you will end up promising too much and not delivering on time. Some ask, "why take Commissions at all?" Answer - because they guarantee a Close.
The Close is how, when, and where you get paid, but it's also how you set yourself up for repeat business, referrals, and references. Commissions are great, because you can get a prepaid feel to cover 100%+ of all your likely costs, before you plan, execute, and close on the work. And... that's why you need a Plan, because that planning expertise will help you get and deliver on more commissions, and get & deliver on more referrals business. I'm not going into details here, but be sure to make the Customer Scorecard a distinct part of your bill, and ALWAYS reference that back to your Concept; "Did I please my Customer by delivering my work with my Concept?" That way, asking for payment is never an issue, asking for a reference is never embarrassing, and you get to do what you most enjoy doing, knowing that your Customer also enjoys your art.
Concept
Initiate
Plan
Execute
Close