Making Money in Photography

[RobbieKB]

So last month I decided I want to pursue what I love while I'm in a position to do so; namely photography. I've whittled my outgoing down and I've started cracking on. I've got 3 'companies' going: my photography, an old photo restoration service and a portrait website I've run for nearly 2 years. I've had a few jobs for both of the first 2 but -- as to be expected -- money is going to be tight for a while. So here's my question:

What are the ways you all make money from photography?

Apart from the above, I've got images on lots of stock websites (Getty, Alamy etc.), I've got a few images being used for greetings cards, I regularly check Imagebrief and I have images for sale for prints on 500px though I've only ever sold one.

Are there any other methods you guys have found effective? Even small amounts of money are useful at the moment as I can put it in to marketing.

[RobbieKB]

Simpo Two said:

Before I put my feet up the revenue was about 90% from weddings, 10% from studio product photography.

I think that unless you are a fully-fledged professional commercial photographer, then the best way to make anything approaching a living wage is to do weddings - but it requires more skills than just taking photos.

I've thought a lot about weddings and it is something I'm considering. It's just quite a daunting jump to make, doing your first wedding.

The dream is fully-fledged professional commercial photographer, which incidentally, will now be on my business card should I achieve that.

As it stands, I don't expect to make much money from photography directly quite yet and I'm instead trying to create multiple revenue streams. In fact, my restoration business is making more than my photography already. I just wondered if there were ways I hadn't thought of. Product photography is something I was also considering as it goes.

Thanks for the reply Simpo.

[RobbieKB]

FrankAbagnale said:

I think there is a living to be made in property photography.

Working with estate agents to photo houses for their brochures etc.

Most use companies like "ehouse" whose end product is average but they're easy to work with/always available.

Go to local agents, offer them a call to vendors within an hour of request, guaranteed availability within 24 hours and same day turnaround on photography. You're then better, faster and probably as cost effective.

Thank you for this advice -- I will do that.

cteagles said:

Throw yourself at it with everything you have. Contacts and networking are key. I currently make my money from Cars, weddings and assisting work.

Good luck!

Networking is certainly important and I'm doing what I can; it's an area I need to improve on.

DibblyDobbler said:

It will always just be a hobby for me but I wish you all the best Rob - you are definitely good enough

Thank you Mike. I said the same but I changed my mind.

Simpo Two said:

tog said:

To make a living from any sort of photography takes more skills than just taking photos. The picture taking is the easy bit – finding clients, keeping clients and running a business are the hard parts

+1. The marketing and sales came naturally to me as I'd done it for 15+ years, but for a PAYE type straight out of the hutch it could be a killer. One disadvantage of wedding work is that you only get one job per customer.

Absolutely. In fact, I've been reading and watching a lot on the business of photography and most successful photographers say it's 80-90% being good at business, 10-20% being good at photography. I'm reading a lot of business books and I come from a background of sales like you Simpo, albeit not as many years.


With regards to my restoration service, I guess it's a bit of both. It's technical skill but some of what I offer is more than just repair. For example, this is a recent piece of work I did:



Thanks for all the replies guys -- I appreciate it and I am taking it all on board.

[RobbieKB]

I am still reading this and I'm loving all the replies and discussion, keep it up! I've been really busy lately as I got approached by a company that makes apps for small business about having an app made. I politely declined and then got chatting with them about the work they do. Long story short I usurped their graphical designer who wasn't very good and took too long and now they send me work most days.

It certainly feels like all roads lead to weddings with portraiture at the moment. I'm told by pretty much any person I speak to about photography that they'd 'have me shoot their wedding without a doubt' but it's something I'm reticent to do still. Technically I know I could handle it, wrangling large groups I reckon I might be ok but I know so little about weddings and as has already been said, you need to be a kind of expert in Weddings. We'll see. Perhaps I'll act as a second shooter for someone to build confidence.

[RobbieKB]

Simpo Two said:

RobbieKB said:

as has already been said, you need to be a kind of expert in Weddings. We'll see. Perhaps I'll act as a second shooter for someone to build confidence.

Everyone has to start somewhere. A pole vaulter has to vault his first pole. It's a question of managing expectations - be honest with the couple, and price according to experience and portfolio.

As coincidences go, I was offered a wedding gig this morning for next year. I haven't replied yet; need to think it through!

[RobbieKB]

I don't do work for free and haven't for a while now. I'd rather do without the 'exposure'.

GFWilliams said:

If you want to earn good money don't aim to work for magazines.

What makes you say that George? I'm not looking to go down the same road in photography that you have, but I've watched your career blossom over the years and I'd be interested in your advice.

[RobbieKB]

I'm so glad I started this thread; it's great to read people's thoughts on the subject.

I also might use it as a sort of monthly diary to document the start of my career for anyone interested in doing the same. I hope that isn't too self-indulgent.

I made a reasonable amount of money in my first month (Sept) as full time. I'm not talking full-time job money yet and I am working 50-60 hour weeks, but it was enough to pay my outgoings and have some left over. I had a few photoshoot jobs and several restoration jobs. I've also started working with a company who cold approached me about an app for my website as a quasi-designer. They tried to sell me an app and instead hired me. I've used PS for creating GUIs and logos so they're paying me to freelance that. I need to improve how much I'm bringing in if I am to make a living from all this, but it's a very encouraging start.

October has started well. I've provisionally booked 3 weddings and I have a meeting next week about a 4th despite not advertising or even mentioning weddings to anyone at any point. They all seem to have come off the back of a shoot I did 2 weeks ago which was slightly wedding-esque in places, albeit unintentionally for the most part. I've had a lot of restoration work come in which seems to mark the start of the Christmas rush I had a feeling might happen given people's interest. I've been setting up on every stock website which is time consuming. I think I will make around the same amount as last month unless something photography related unexpectedly comes in.

I had a dark start to the week if I'm honest. I had nothing coming in and very little in the pipeline. After a couple of hours of extreme doubt and moping, I started working on things for myself and by Thursday I had a lot going on.

Big thank you to Simpo who was on the phone to me yesterday for ages discussing how to approach wedding photography for the first time. Also, big thanks to Ed for his emails too.

As you were gents.

Edited by RobbieKB on Saturday 10th October 12:09

[RobbieKB]

markmullen said:

If it helps the RPS are running an event covering the business side of photography.

http://www.rps.org/events/2015/november/09/introdu...

Lesson one: organize a conference for 200 notes per person.

I would actually really like to attend that, but although it may be considered shortsighted of me, I'm using my money on marketing and portfolio building at the moment. If anyone goes, let me know how worthwhile it was though. Perhaps I'll be able to justify it in the future.

[RobbieKB]

I want to keep good to my word for both my own benefit and anyone else in a similar position, so here's my monthly update.

It feels at the moment as if my 'business plan' is working well, despite being the polar opposite of what trustworthy people advise. I am kind of throwing mud and seeing what sticks and then exploring what it stuck to. To be specific, I'm doing photography in a certain area for a reduced rate, then taking that job to other similar companies and offering my services. This has got me a few jobs and a lot of provisional work that may or may not materialise.

October wasn't bad in the grand scheme of things, but I just about scraped by paying my outgoings with nothing left over. It was almost all restoration work with one engagement shoot. The bright side to this is, November is looking as if it will be a good month.

I have booked 2 weddings and their deposits will land this month. I have booked an engagement shoot (who may book me for their wedding off the back of it), a portrait session with a personal trainer for his website, some restoration work, a family portrait and I picked up a job working with a watch company. They are a fairly new brand and I am doing some macro images of their watches and then some fashion editorial stuff. In addition to the cash, they gifted me one of their watches which was nice. I'm going to use my work for them to approach other watch companies, two of which I spoke to beforehand who want to hire me but couldn't do so without proof I have photographed watches commercially before.

I have real ups and downs with confidence, but I'd say I'm generally satisfied with how things are going. I anticipate that my lack of studio experience might halt the pace I want to move at and I'm not sure how to resolve that quite yet.

[RobbieKB]

Pickled said:

If you fancy having a play with some studio lighting drop me PM.

I'll drop you a PM now - thank you.

RobDickinson said:

Read up onlighting and posing, strobist.org etc there is heaps and heaps of info to help here. If you have time theres no excuses..

Then practice

I read a lot and practice. The lighting and posing I am pretty confident with, it's using and setting up studio lights and knowing the power and distances from subject that require first hand know-how rather than knowledge.

DibblyDobbler said:

Sounds like you're doing bloody well Rob, considering it's early days

Thanks Mike. Yeah, it's getting there. It's certainly all about networking; I can tell that already!

[RobbieKB]

RobbieKB said:

I want to keep good to my word for both my own benefit and anyone else in a similar position, so here's my monthly update.

It feels at the moment as if my 'business plan' is working well, despite being the polar opposite of what trustworthy people advise. I am kind of throwing mud and seeing what sticks and then exploring what it stuck to. To be specific, I'm doing photography in a certain area for a reduced rate, then taking that job to other similar companies and offering my services. This has got me a few jobs and a lot of provisional work that may or may not materialise.

October wasn't bad in the grand scheme of things, but I just about scraped by paying my outgoings with nothing left over. It was almost all restoration work with one engagement shoot. The bright side to this is, November is looking as if it will be a good month.

I have booked 2 weddings and their deposits will land this month. I have booked an engagement shoot (who may book me for their wedding off the back of it), a portrait session with a personal trainer for his website, some restoration work, a family portrait and I picked up a job working with a watch company. They are a fairly new brand and I am doing some macro images of their watches and then some fashion editorial stuff. In addition to the cash, they gifted me one of their watches which was nice. I'm going to use my work for them to approach other watch companies, two of which I spoke to beforehand who want to hire me but couldn't do so without proof I have photographed watches commercially before.

I have real ups and downs with confidence, but I'd say I'm generally satisfied with how things are going. I anticipate that my lack of studio experience might halt the pace I want to move at and I'm not sure how to resolve that quite yet.

So, I haven't updated for a few months but I will try my best to remember and continue to keep this idea going for what use it may be.

November was indeed a pretty good month. I earned enough to cover my outgoings and save a little. December was a big month for my restoration work as people wanted it for Christmas presents and I had a record month but restorations accounts for 75% of the income. I had mixed feelings about this as I want to build up photography but I'm certainly not ever going to turn down paid work. January has been very poor in terms of income but very rich in prospects. I'm confident February is going to be my new record month as I have two invoices out which equate to more than my current record.

The wedding photography has gone bizarrely well. I booked 1 small wedding and then off the back of that I got an enquiry for a full wedding. I did an engagement shoot for them, as I mentioned in my last post, which they paid for. From this they decided to book me. The engagement shoot photos then lead to another wedding enquiry which I treated the same way and booked an engagement shoot with them so they can see my style, find out if they like me and if they trust me to be their photographer despite no wedding experience. Just like the first engagement shoot, they booked me for their wedding as soon as they received the pictures from the shoot. This wedding is split over two days and is worth well over my record month on its own so I'm pleased (and nervous about that). Then from that engagement shoot I booked another 2 smaller weddings. I never dreamed people would want me to shoot their wedding as I have never shot a wedding but my portraiture and engagement shoots seem to suffice for them.

The watch company that contacted me really liked the work I did for them, gifted me several more of their watches and then booked me to shoot their newest range this month. From this work I then got a job with a company that makes fountain pens to do the same sort of commercial macro-stacking photography for them that I had done for the watches.

I also have countless irons in the fire about collaborating with companies to do all sorts of things but nothing concrete to report. I'd say I'm fairly pleased about how it's going. This will be my 6th month of business and I'm already on track to make the same amount of money as I did in my (rather st) full time sales job. That's not a large amount of money and this is in no way bragging, but it's a good start I think and encouraging.

If anyone has any questions (or suggestions), I'm all ears.

[RobbieKB]

Simpo Two said:

To be honest I can't imagine a better start. Well done Robbie.

Thanks Simpo, I couldn't have had the confidence and the theory knowledge of weddings without your help.

RobDickinson said:

Yeah well done, you are producing some quality work so not surprised its going ok!

Thanks Rob, congrats on the Buzzfeed exposure by the way!

DibblyDobbler said:

Well done mate - keep it up!

Thanks Mike, I'll do my best.

theboss said:

I looked at your website a week or two ago Robbie, based on something you'd posted here, and automatically assumed you were a fully seasoned pro with a very good website. To sit and read this thread now and to my surprise learn that you've only recently embarked on the venture makes your achievement all the more impressive - well done.

I was wondering what mileage there is in simply offering to assist a pro with a wedding shoot, on the basis that I'm a 'well kitted' amateur with an interest in portraits and candid photography and could offer to turn up FoC, shoot with my own gear and just turn the results over for whatever use or value they may hold.

Is that a good deal for the pro potentially, or would I be presenting myself as a total liability?

Thank you, that's really kind of you to say and it means a lot. With regards to assisting, I think it has worth. I've had an opportunity to ease in to wedding photography but I know a lot of people prefer to assist for a few to get started. Incidentally, I'm actually taking an assistant with me on my first wedding to see how much it helps. She's an amateur with average kit but she's very personable and (without sounding like to much of a pretentious sod) she's got a real eye for portraiture. If she comes away with even 10 shots I end up using, I'll take her with me to the next wedding after that. I'm not in a position to really know how worthwhile having an assistant will be, but I plan to use her to wrangle people for group shots and maybe help with lighting and then I will instruct her to shoot the day as it happens. I.E, shoot whatever I'm not shooting so I get the widest coverage and maybe capture a nice candid moment that I miss.

With regards to assisting portrait shoots and fasahion shoots, I've outright turned it down for the time being. I know a photographer who works as an assistant for a top, top photographer in London and he's very talented himself. I just can't see what he gets out of it. Once he's au fait with the settings and direction, he's just getting a basic wage. He can't poach clients, he can't build his own reputation too easily; I don't know. Maybe I'm missing something.

4Lmike said:

Well done! Sounds like you're off to a flying start

Thanks Mike, it's going better than I expected I must say.

thelittleegg said:

Has anyone got any good advice on how to manage licensing of work? I've been through the AOP's business forms and it understand the terms they suggest to adhere to, and how to charge for extending the licence, but is that how people find it works in reality?

I'm afraid I don't know much about it, but I'm sure someone on here does. You might want to start a thread and see if it catches anyone's eye.




On Tuesday I took a very exciting job which I got through word of mouth and that I'm highly under-qualified for but they know that and don't care. I'll save the details for my next update in case it doesn't work out and I look like I talk rubbish.

[RobbieKB]

Congrats ExPat!

Blimey, it's about time I updated this.

Since my last post, a lot has happened. My income is still too low for my liking but it looks like it's rising. Highlights:

• I'm now a staff writer at Fstoppers which is another form of income and something I'm proud to be a part of.
• I'm now the go-to headshot photographer for a marketing agency who go in to companies and revamp their site/image/brand.
• I'm now the go-to photographer for the watch brand I worked with in the previous posts.
• Yesterday I secured a new job with a German watch company
• I may have a monthly wage from a watch reseller who want to send me a few watches per month to photograph for their social media.
• I've shot quite a few headshots for actors/presenters over the last few months and it has seemed to have started a chain reaction with enquiries.
• My social media following is growing faster than ever before.
• I built a new portfolio that allows me to set up private client sections which I'm really liking.

That's all that I can remember right now. At the moment I feel fairly opportunity rich and cash poor. The job at Fstoppers is an important addition as not only does it bring in a fairly stable income month-on-month but the exposure it has offered me has been impressive. I get a lot of emails these days from people I don't know which is a sign that my name is growing (from nothing to marginally above nothing ).

All that said, I have really bad days where I want to throw in the towel if I'm totally honest. For example, on Wednesday this week I was chasing people for money and was struggling financially with no obvious pay-day pipeline in sight. Then my car failed its MOT and I lost my st a bit. Then yesterday I picked up 2 new jobs and noticed my first Fstoppers article was doing well and it rallied my morale a bit! My biggest nemesis at the moment is the fact I work 70+ hours per week almost every week and I'm still not bringing in much money. April will be my 7th month of full-time employment and I started with (literally) £0 in the bank to invest so I can't whinge too much but it's tough working hard for no obvious return.

Anyway, onwards and upwards. If you're interested in reading my first article for Fstoppers the link is below. My second one goes up tomorrow. I don't really care much for feedback other than from the editors and the people in this thread, so please feel free to give me your thoughts.

Seven Things About Being a Photographer I Wish I'd Known Earlier

[RobbieKB]

Thanks everyone. That made me laugh Steve. I said the same thing. Getty and a few other companies I do absolutely no upkeep on my work for occasionally deposit £100ish in to my account for various things and it feels very much like money for nothing. Quite the illusion!

DibblyDobbler said:

Well done Rob. Quite insightful actually because it appears to me you have done exceptionally well in terms of the work you have done but clearly it's not translating into big money... worth thinking about for anybody considering this line of work!

I enjoyed reading the article - quite a chatty/jokey style but I guess that was the brief. Maybe a bit over enthusiastic with the punctuation but just my 2p worth, take it or leave it...

I'm going to tread carefully now on the basis that I am just an amateur and what do I know... but the skin tones look a bit funny to me on a couple of these portraits you posted - were the subjects very heavily made up? Kate (who is very lovely) looks almost zombie like to me.

Just my thoughts and sorry if they are not wanted/appreciated

You're hardly an amateur Mike. The money is improving and I can see that from my first 6 months. Also, which I particularly like, my jobs are starting to be with brands and non-local companies/people. Don't get me wrong I work hard but then I love what I do and it doesn't feel too much like work. I really need to evaluate after a year but I would hazard a guess that I'll certainly continue for at least 2 years and then decide whether I'm wasting my time. I'm in a fortunate position with not having kids or a project car to worry about!

Thanks mate. Yes, sort of. I told them I don't write super-serious articles unless it's a guide or informational piece and they seem to like that. It's done better on views than I expected and I've had so many emails, tweets, comments and messages about how much the person liked reading it that I guess I'll keep writing in the way I prefer to. With regards to punctuation that was more a result of my university module in journalism and their <20 word per sentence 'rule'. I'll tone it down!

Actually, Mike, you've done me a bit of a favour. I did two slightly different tweaks to the Kate image. One felt like her skin (which is naturally ice white by the way ) was a bit too drained of colour and the other was much warmer but a bit disingenuous. I decided to go with the warmer image but now you've said that I can see I've uploaded the whiter one. The problem is, the warm tones in the background highlight her British pure white skin tone! The two images are so close together that the thumbnails are impossible to distinguish and my eyes aren't to be trusted. As you know, after a few hours of editing the colours of an image don't even look real anymore.

[RobbieKB]

DibblyDobbler said:

Well done for not taking the hump. I'm never sure whether giving unasked for feedback is a good idea but I thought you'd be ok with it

You know how to frame constructive feedback and you're an experience 'tog, it'd be silly not to listen!

ExPat2B said:

I recently bought a Datacolor Spyder Checkr - best 35 quid I ever spent in photography. Just gets the colours right no matter the lighting or lens or camera.

I used to borrow my friend's Dad's all singing, all dancing Spyder calibration equipment as he used to shoot sports for publication. I do need to invest in my own but I didn't know you could even get one for £35! I thought they were well in excess of £100. I'll have to look that one up.

RobDickinson said:

Great article. Never put much time in on fstopers I just dont get the site ethos or whatever.

Thanks Rob. It's a bit like Petapixel in that it's spread betting with content rather than focused to a particular area. That said, it does have some interesting stuff on there.

My second article is up and in a similar list format (coincidence). It seems to be doing well again and I'm getting nice comments and messages once more. I think the reason that most surprises me is that the editors warned me not to read the comments as people will just tear me apart no matter what I write.

Eight Portrait Photography Rules You Should Try Breaking

[RobbieKB]

Well, blimey; it's been 3 months since I last updated this!

Everything has been going very well indeed. I'm fully booked for July with work spilling over through to around mid-September even if I were to get no jobs between now and then which makes a change from scratching around for any work I could get my hands on.

Photography wise I've had a lot of watch jobs (both fashion and product) and now companies are contacting me rather than the other way around which is great. I completed my first wedding which was daunting but I'm pleased with how it went. I actually learnt a lot about me as a (potential) wedding photographer. The couple are in their 50s and they weren't interested in contrived poses and cheesy shots which pleased me as I hate that sort of stuff. If you're interested, you can see the private album here: http://www.robertkbaggs.com/dawnandpaul -- I've noted down some areas to improve for my next wedding which is the 9th July so not long! Finally I have teamed up with a media agency and they now recommend me for corporate editorial and headshot work and it has lead to two jobs of that nature in July which is very promising.

The writing side has perhaps been a bigger triumph. My work at Fstoppers has been doing better than I'd ever thought it would and my average views per article is currently ranked 3rd out of all their writers. I achieved over 100,000 views in 2 months (I haven't told anyone that actually) which I'm pleased with. My writing for Fstoppers has then landed me a small gig with FAULT Magazine where I interview actors and musicians. It's lead to some pretty great contacts and events (I'm meant to be reporting on a private exhibition with Lionel Richie next week ) and I've been promised some photography jobs with them for editorial. It doesn't pay very well at all but I think it's worth my time for now at least.

The big topic is of course money. This month was the first month I earned more than my old full-time job (in which I didn't earn a great deal anyway to be fair!) and it felt like a very big step. I have a lot of work on for the next few months so I predict I will retain or exceed this income threshold until October which will be my 1 year anniversary of being a pro 'tog/writer. I'm feeling much more positive than I was last time I posted even though I work an enormous number of hours.

I hope that wasn't too self-indulgent as I really wince writing some of this stuff; it sounds like I'm boasting. I really hope this works as encouragement to anyone on the cusp of making the leap. I should note, however, I was (and am) in a fortunate position with property/girlfriend/support in that I don't have any dependents or huge pressure to bring in lots of money outside of my own relentless ambition. My biggest difficulty by far has been not being able to afford equipment though and I seem to be unable to get start-up loans. You can't win them all I guess!

Edited by RobbieKB on Thursday 30th June 14:37

[RobbieKB]

Pickled said:

RobbieKB said:

I hope that wasn't too self-indulgent as I really wince writing some of this stuff; it sounds like I'm boasting. I really hope this works as encouragement to anyone on the cusp of making the leap. I should note, however, I was (and am) in a fortunate position with property/girlfriend/support in that I don't have any dependents or huge pressure to bring in lots of money outside of my own relentless ambition. My biggest difficulty by far has been not being able to afford equipment though and I seem to be unable to get start-up loans. You can't win them all I guess!

Edited by RobbieKB on Thursday 30th June 14:37

Very well done! Definitely doesn't come across as boasting, be proud of your achievements. - I've read your Stoppers stuff, maybe it because your not American it comes across very well.

Have you tried approaching any of the equipment manufacturers and asking about being a brand ambassador? Surely with the exposure (no pun intended) your now getting they might be happy at chucking some gear your way.

Thank you, that's very kind to say. What's funny is seeing quotes from my article on how Brexit will affect photography and videography being used in news articles as if I have a clue what I'm on about.

Yes, I did think about do that a few times but then I recoiled back in to my shell! I just don't feel worthy of brand ambassador and sort of expect to be laughed out of the proverbial room. Perhaps I'll have a think on how I can frame it the proposal and try.

[RobbieKB]

Thank you everyone. I may be slow in replying but I promise you I read every word of every comment. It's great to hear encouragement and I'm glad others are doing the same thing! I had another wedding this weekend which was hard work but went well and I have so much on in July I've barely been able to check PH.

Thanks LongQ -- I did mean 'booked for July' but yes, sloppy from me! FStoppers is surprisingly hot on grammar which I was pleased to see.

[RobbieKB]

RobbieKB said:

Well, blimey; it's been 3 months since I last updated this!

Everything has been going very well indeed. I'm fully booked for July with work spilling over through to around mid-September even if I were to get no jobs between now and then which makes a change from scratching around for any work I could get my hands on.

Photography wise I've had a lot of watch jobs (both fashion and product) and now companies are contacting me rather than the other way around which is great. I completed my first wedding which was daunting but I'm pleased with how it went. I actually learnt a lot about me as a (potential) wedding photographer. The couple are in their 50s and they weren't interested in contrived poses and cheesy shots which pleased me as I hate that sort of stuff. If you're interested, you can see the private album here: http://www.robertkbaggs.com/dawnandpaul -- I've noted down some areas to improve for my next wedding which is the 9th July so not long! Finally I have teamed up with a media agency and they now recommend me for corporate editorial and headshot work and it has lead to two jobs of that nature in July which is very promising.

The writing side has perhaps been a bigger triumph. My work at Fstoppers has been doing better than I'd ever thought it would and my average views per article is currently ranked 3rd out of all their writers. I achieved over 100,000 views in 2 months (I haven't told anyone that actually) which I'm pleased with. My writing for Fstoppers has then landed me a small gig with FAULT Magazine where I interview actors and musicians. It's lead to some pretty great contacts and events (I'm meant to be reporting on a private exhibition with Lionel Richie next week ) and I've been promised some photography jobs with them for editorial. It doesn't pay very well at all but I think it's worth my time for now at least.

The big topic is of course money. This month was the first month I earned more than my old full-time job (in which I didn't earn a great deal anyway to be fair!) and it felt like a very big step. I have a lot of work on for the next few months so I predict I will retain or exceed this income threshold until October which will be my 1 year anniversary of being a pro 'tog/writer. I'm feeling much more positive than I was last time I posted even though I work an enormous number of hours.

I hope that wasn't too self-indulgent as I really wince writing some of this stuff; it sounds like I'm boasting. I really hope this works as encouragement to anyone on the cusp of making the leap. I should note, however, I was (and am) in a fortunate position with property/girlfriend/support in that I don't have any dependents or huge pressure to bring in lots of money outside of my own relentless ambition. My biggest difficulty by far has been not being able to afford equipment though and I seem to be unable to get start-up loans. You can't win them all I guess!

I can't believe it has been nearly 9 months since I updated this thread, I honestly thought it was about 2 or 3; I don't know where the time has gone!

I'm not sure where to start, but I'll try and update on what was going on last time I posted.

Writing: I've been writing for them a year this week and my articles have continued to do well. In fact, in December I was promoted to Editor which although it doesn't pay vast amounts, is a positive step in the writing side and an achievement I'm proud of nonetheless. I still write for FAULT magazine on occasion and I did indeed go to the private exhibition for Lionel Richie and ended up eating expensive (but free) food at The Dorchester with him and his girlfriend. One of the most surreal nights of my life. In addition to this, I'm writing a book and a series of photography tutorials but these are early days.

Weddings: I shot a further 2 weddings since the one mentioned above. My 2nd was a lovely young couple and it went very well, albeit utterly exhausting. From 11am until 11pm I didn't sit down for longer than 2 or 3 minutes, didn't eat and only had a small bottle of water to drink. I got in and backed up my work and collapsed next to my uneaten kebab. From then on I made sure to get a proper schedule down and have food and drink with me whether I'm promised a meal or not; a valuable lesson learned. The next wedding was a two day, multi-faith affair split between locations reasonably far apart. I worked 11am to 9pm on the Friday, backed up and went to bed and then worked 12pm until 1:30am on the Saturday before driving an hour and a half home from central London and then backing up all my files until it was light. I do no advertise for weddings anymore . That said, I've got 2 booked this year as everyone has their price and it seems mine is rather low!

Product Photography: This is where it got interesting. My watch photographer went from strength to strength and before I knew it, I had monthly work for Henry London and from that I was hired for a campaign for Orla Kiely. Now pretty much every week I have watches arriving at my door as gifts in the hope I'll photograph them and share on my Instagram and some rather nice enquiries to go along with it. I'm not going to name drop but there are several career making clients I'm in talks with so fingers crossed! This work is my bread and butter by some distance now.

Portraiture: My headshot series is still going and I still get hired nearly every month for a shoot of some variety; most commonly bands. It's a really difficult area to make money as I've learnt that far too many photographers -- some of them extremely talented -- work for free. This includes full-time photographers too who will shoot celebrities and bands just to say they've worked with them. If you're a full-time fashion/portrait/editorial photographer I tip my hat to you.

New Ventures: This is still fairly under wraps, but I've turned my old blog in to a brand. I've been meaning to do this for years but a chance encounter with a successful entrepreneur helped me down the right path. I have co-designed a camera bag (rucksack) that's more focused on fashion than function over fashion like most. It might not have widespread appeal, but it fit what I was looking for so hopefully others will like it too. It has a function to it I hadn't seen really which might serve as a secondary USP. The first unit -- my sample -- is being created at the moment and if it's up to scratch, I'll be ordering my first stock. I already have a high-end website built with a great shop, so I'm just waiting on manufacturing really. This whole process has been very complicated, very long-winded and rather expensive but worth it. I'm hoping to use the knowledge I gain from developing this company to create more down the line.

Money: Ah, the topic no one can speak about, but the only section anyone will really care about I suspect! The cold, hard truth at present is I'm not making a great deal of money. However, that's a little misleading. Every quarter I've earned more than the previous or thereabouts and this trend is still continuing. My bank balance is increasing slowly and I'm even able to save again now but this is quite recent. I'm now quoting big jobs and what I used to consider as decent sized jobs are now little filler roles. My biggest quotes haven't been invoiced yet but are looking positive and I feel like everything is moving in the right direction. It's a slow process getting known, developing as a businessman/photographer and making the right contacts. It's hard watching my friends buying nice houses and cars when my girlfriend and I aren't in a position to, but at the same time, I only need speak to them for 5 minutes for them to tell me how much they wish they A) had something they loved enough to build a career on it and B) could do it. I'm lucky to be in the position I'm in where I've got the space to breathe in terms of low outgoings but it doesn't stop me putting pressure on myself. I worked 7 days a week and 50 hours would be a low average I suspect.

So there you go, I'm sorry for waiting 9 months in updating this; if anyone cares about my progress in the interest of doing the same as I have, my tardiness would have no doubt been annoying. I apologise again if this post is as self-indulgent as it feels to write but I've attempted to offset that as best I can with brutal honesty. Any questions, feel free to ask and I promise you won't be able to have a baby in the time it takes me to reply!

[RobbieKB]

DibblyDobbler said:

Great stuff Rob - dead chuffed for you

Cheers Mike! Who knew that macro thread would end up being so important to my career?

LongQ said:

Soooo, if I read that right Rob, you mainly do the equivalent of 50 hours a week of clock watching and get paid for it?

Not bad going ....




I'm not quite so sure about meeting old people in Hotels, but I suppose someone has to do it.

Very impressed with your wedding day stamina though. Tough days.



(Should I read the post again? Have I missed anything?)

Haha, you wouldn't believe the number of watch/time/clock puns I get on a weekly basis.

When I started reading your reply I thought you were going to say I work 50+ hour weeks as an average and yet "don't earn a great deal of money". This would have been a fair criticism and one I think about regularly!

Haha, hanging out with old folk in hotels is certainly one way of putting it!

RobDickinson said:

Nice to see its building up well Rob. Good work.

Hopefully still keeping that passion for photography too?

Thanks Rob. You know what, I am actually. That was a concern of mine; that it'd get stale and just become a job. There are days when it's boring of course, but I still very much enjoy it and I hope that continues for some time.

Simpo Two said:

Robbie, you should change your name to 'Midas'. Hope it keeps rolling for you.

Haha, I don't know about that Simpo! A lot of missed shots and the first year I spent struggling to keep my head above water at times. I'm not complaining though, you've gotta roll with the punches. Thank you though.

Dogsey said:

What he said. Well done mate, your watch shots in particular are very impressive.

Thanks mate, they are what pays the bills! I was quite shocked how well received they were really. What was interesting was that the major players have in house teams for photography, but the start-ups and mid-range companies don't and there is a small demand. I have no idea where it goes though. I'm trying to branch out in to other jewelry and I'm working with a company who make unique rings at the moment.