What's the best way to become a second shooter? I'm more than happy to be a second shooter--I was a second shooter at several weddings in the past because I knew the bride/groom personally. They were very happy wit my pictures because I caught all of the scenes that the first shooter hired photographer was too busy taking formal pictures.

Bill: you're right--when I was doing photography jobs years ago, I was told the same thing by a few of my customers. I'm also going to start posting some of my pictures on Facebook.

Thanks--I will look into Lifetouch School Portraits.

Thanks--that's what I've done. I've placed my first ad on Nextdoor.com for at least one month. If I even get a few calls as a result of that ad, I will continue to advertise there.

thank you Gene--I can see how you're absolutely correct, but it's the marketing plan that is the problem. I'm not sure where the best places to advertise are.

I've been a serious photographer for over 20 years (and using Photoshop for post processing for all of those years) and I used to get photography assignments by word of mouth before I retired. I used to work with the public in a State office where I helped people find employment--in the course of assisting them I would often mention that I was a photographer and give them my card and as a result I would often get a couple of photography jobs a month, if not from the clients themselves then from their friends or family members. Since I used to do this for a little extra money (I never charged anywhere close to the price of local professionals) I really took on assignments because I love photography as well as meeting new people. Also, I love the challenge of getting the best possible photos for clients and I would capture images of their events that were up to par with local professional photographers. Since I retired from my "day job" I no longer have the opportunity to meet with people as I did before so I no longer have access to the the free advertising that I once had. I am now prepared to pay for advertising so that I can get back into semi professional photography but I'm wondering where the best place to start might be. (I will still charge very low prices for my work since money is not my main goal--I have a comfortable State pension and SS that I live on) I would appreciate any advice that any of you may offer.

I shoot JPEG + RAW and go through the jpegs and use them and use a little Photoshop for most. If the image is really special and important I find it in my RAW editor (I use Nikon's View NX 2) and edited it in RAW and keep that image instead of it's JPEG equivalent (and sometimes use a little Photoshop on that image too). Since I have a camera that has two memory cards I have my camera (a Nikon D 7100) set to shoot RAW on one card and JPEG on the second card. I use a larger memory card for the RAW images.

He definitely wasn't jumping all over him--I agree. By the way, want to know how "old" of a photographer I am? I bought my first good digital camera back in 2000--a Nikon Coolpix 990 which i kept for five years (which I still have, along with the box it came in and instructions as well as a very wide add-on lens--they will be collector's items in the future). Years later I bought a Nikon Coolpix 8700 and shot with that for another 5 years (which I also still have) then I bought a Nikon D 5100 (my first DSLR) which I shot with for two years and then a Nikon D 7100 which I still shoot with (I keep the 5100 as a back up camera) and have had for the last 8 years and am very happy with. I use a Tamron 18-270 mm lens most of the time but also use a Nikon 35mm (DX) f/1.8 at times when shooting in low light without a flash or doing portraits of people with a lot of bokeh behind them. The 5100 has a 18-55 mm lens (DX) on it and I also--just for the hell of it--bought a Nikon N 75 film camera (the LAST and best film camera that Nikon ever made before going completely digital) online for only $60.00 that I sometimes shoot with using Kodak Portra 400 ISO film and that came with a 28-80 mm full frame lens. I've traveled to India, Japan, Thailand, Portugal, Italy (three times), France, Spain, England, the Basque Country, the Dominican Republic and Canada with my Nikon D 7100 and taken some great photos with it. I've thought of possibly buying the Nikon D 850 professional full frame (FX) camera for its greater dynamic range (can go down to ISO 64) , higher resolution (45.7 MP) and 4K UHD video capability but, as of late, I haven't been traveling (hopefully by late 2022 Covid will have reached herd immunity and I won't have to wear a mask on an airplane for the many hours of flight to far away places and I'll start traveling again). Also, I'm not prepared to lay out the $3000.00 for the 850 since I've been so happy with the images that I've captured (many in RAW) with my good old D 7100 with my Tamron 18-270 mm lens. (I have no desire nor need for the "mirrorless" cameras that are being pushed these days.) Now I've read that Nikon may stop completely making DSLR cameras so maybe next year I might be able to buy the 850 at a bargain price. Think that I should upgrade or just keep using my D 7100 camera?

Please see my reply to "genocolo."

I must admit that your photos are great and many would be surprised that you took them with a cell phone camera. I myself have been a serious photographer for the last twenty years, starting after I bought my first good digital camera in early 2000--a Nikon Coolpix 990 -all of 3.2 megapixels (i still have it saved--it will be a collector's item someday). Before that, I was always a shutterbug of sorts, since my early teens; I was always one of the few people that always had a camera with me, even if it was a small, cheap, one-button camera. Once I went digital, and got my first computer and had a girlfriend who was learning Photoshop and taught me the basics (and let me copy her Photoshop 7 disc, which, believe it or not, I am STILL using) I began to be a serious photographer. That was in 2000 when cell phones were just beginning to have camera functionality and few people used their phones to take pictures. Then, after the iPhone was available and cell phone cameras improved I noticed that little by little, more and more people were snapping photos with their cell phones--which annoyed me whenever I was on a paid assignment as the official photographer at an event and they started getting in my way. Now, I must admit that the images that are possible with cell phones are impressive and I myself find myself taking more photos with my cell phone than ever before (not when I am hired as a photographer--then I use my digital DSLR. The good thing about using a big digital camera (besides the obvious limitations of cell phone cameras) is PERCEPTION: people see me as a serious photographer when I'm using my DSLR to take photos. I wouldn't dream of using my cell phone to take pictures at a wedding, Bar Mitzvah, retirement dinner party, or for special large family events, even if the lighting was perfect and I didn't need to use flash or zoom in on subjects. (I don't have any desire to buy a mirrorless digital camera, by the way.) I want to be seen at those events as a PHOTOGRAPHER, not just the average Joe with a cell phone camera. Now, I must admit that the technology that goes into cell phone cameras today is truly impressive--I have often thought that Nikon, Canon, Sony, etc. should have a special setting on their cameras labeled "AI" or something like that - a setting that uses the technology of the new cell phone cameras with the larger lens and larger sensor of a DSLR (or mirrorless). Wow! Imagine that! Now, most of the time I would still use the aperture priority setting as I usually do (and Manual for certain shots) but, instead of using, say "P" when I am lazy or need to get a shot when I don't have the time to carefully adjust my camera, if I could turn the function dial to "AI" and get all of the benefits of the amazing technology that allows a cell phone to capture a perfect image with such a tiny lens and sensor with the large lens and sensor of a DSLR--imagine!

I rarely shoot things in fast motion--most of the things that I shoot are stationary or moving slowly.

I forgot to add: I set my max ISO at 1600 as at that ISO there is barely any digital "noise." I will manually take my camera off of Auto ISO and set a higher ISO if I really need it because of the low light conditions.

I use auto ISO with my Nikon D 7100 camera - usually in Aperture priority mode and have gotten excellent results. I usually shoot with a Tamron 18--270 mm lens (but sometimes use a Nikkor DX 35 mm F/1.8 lens when shooting in low light and not wanting to use a flash or for people portraits where I want a good background blur/bokeh).

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I’ve been using my Nikon D 7100 for the last seven years and love it. I also started with. D 5100 and keep it as a backup camera when I travel or take on small photography gigs. I also use my Tamrin lens 99% of the time but mine is an 19- 270 mm Tamron which I have been finding more than adequate for all of my photography. I think that my D7100 is all that I will ever need and I have no desire to buy a mirrorless camera which all the companies are pushing now. Even the videos that I have shot with my 7100 are great . What most people don’t take into account when they buy a mirrorless camera is that- even though they are lighter than an SLR , by the time that you add a good lens to it, it’s just as heavy as the SLR in most cases. Learn how to use the HDR feature of your D 7100 as well as the exposure compensation button. Also there is a really good feature ( I forgot what it’s called- a senior moment!) that will balance out the highs and lows of a picture that you’ve already taken that is as good as Photoshop.