NAME:
Grant Lewandowski
LOCATION:
Indianapolis, Indiana
WEAPONS OF CHOICE:
Mamiya 7 and iphone
WORDS TO LIVE BY:
Measure twice, cut once
LINKS:
https://www.instagram.com/grant_lewandowski/
Author: RZZ
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How to Make Money as a Photographer
Photo by Ray Potes
DISCLAIMER: I am still figuring this out. I am not saying that you will be guaranteed any type of money if you listen to what I say or write. What I will say though is that if you do most of these things in a professional manner, for a few decades in a row, then maybe your chances of a career in photography move up a quarter of a percentage point or so.
This writing hopes to provide photo futuristic simulations in your mind if you are indeed following a path of photography.
As I said in the previous post, most photographers are running combinations. Just like having multiple camera setups, processing recipes, and print recipes we have money making recipes.
1. SERVICE – Shooting photos as a service to clients in exchange for money. Weddings, real estate, headshots, advertising, commercial, editorial, commissions, assignments, studio, documentary, etc.
2. PRODUCT – Selling your photography as a product to customers. Your photos in the shape of prints, books, tshirts, calendars, coffee mugs, fine art hanging on the walls of mansions and museums, etc.
3. SUPPORT – Creating services and products that support other photographers. Camera companies, photo labs, photo retail, publishers, gallerists, agencies, representation, design, etc.
4. EDUCATION – Creating services and products that support photography itself. Teaching classes, workshops, seminars, trainings, courses, speaking events, discussions, writing books, etc.
It’s not that complicated. Some are lucky and they find their place just doing one of these things and get really good at it. As mentioned earlier, most photographers, sometimes organically sometimes purposeful, find themselves running a bunch of these things simultaneously and/or falling into certain categories and then evolving onto other ones.
People often ask about how to get their photography noticed and I want to say match your current output to what current path that you want but I don’t say it because usually that person is not sure, hence the purpose of this blog post.
But I am not sure that is good advice because of randomness.
Like if you want to shoot basketball, then all of your front facing output should be all basketball and you should be reaching out to basketball media outlets for paid gigs and/or making basketball books, hanging photos in basketball museums, or starting your own basketball photo agency. This is simple and obvious and normal. But we have also seen it go random, where a person who shoots underwater landscapes happens to shoot his cousin’s basketball game and it turns out great and gets hired as the team photographer.
I think it is just appropriate to know all of this stuff and have some concept of a direction but also be open to all the possibilities. I started out wanting to shoot assignments for magazines and newspapers. I dreamed of splunking caves and getting portraits of a newly discovered species for National Geographic. I had a few good gigs, but mostly rejection. Meanwhile, people liked the zines I was making. So I kept making them.
Once you consciously decide to “get money” with your photography and put yourself out there, opportunities arise. Follow the white rabbit.
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JAI TANJU
NAME:
Jai Tanju
LOCATION:
San Jose Ca
WEAPONS OF CHOICE:
Pentax Honeywell Spotmatic
WORDS TO LIVE BY:
Be patient
LINKS:
http://booksbyjai.bigcartel.com
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CASEY JONES
NAME:
Casey Jones
LOCATION:
New York City
WEAPONS OF CHOICE:
Celly, Sharpie, Rico GR1v, Nizo 156 Macro
WORDS TO LIVE BY:
There is no spoon
LINKS:
https://www.instagram.com/c.a.s.e.y.j.o.n.e.s
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Money
Photo by Ray Potes
When it comes to my photography/publishing practice I like to think it is a 50/50 split when talking about time space and energy. In reality though, it fluctuates. The swings can be as big as 90/10 in either direction.
The system is sensitive and swings can be caused by various circumstances like economies, romances, injuries, insecurities, moon phases, etc.
To re-balance it, I self-advise, “Shoot more.” The photos feed the zines, and the zines create more zines which are hungry for more photos. It used to be the same with darkroom printing, shoot then print then shoot then print, one informs and shapes the other.
My weird logic is to tip the scale on the shooting side so much so that the printing/publishing side is forced to catch up. This is why if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ve seen me say it 1000 times, “Shoot more.”
But this post isn’t about balance. It’s about purpose.
You start with a photo curiosity, then a photo passion. Then a photo purpose. That purpose can be simple and exploratory like self expression with photography, or it can be complicated like influencing geopolitical policies with photography.
After photo purpose comes photo commitment. This is where you consciously decide to make photography your full time gig. Intrinsic drivers evolve with extrinsic drivers. That is things like passion and mastery grow and multiply with things like achievement and paying rent.
You are somewhere along this path in your photographic journey. “Shoot more,” is only good advice if you are in the curiosity phase. In all other phases, shooting a lot is basic. Or more like it is a life style choice.
So me saying, “Shoot more,” is as if your photography is without purpose which is presumptuous and asshole-ish of me. I think my new advice to any one at any phase of development would be, “Get money.”
This is a better presumption. It presumes that you are already committed or, even better, it motivates you to be on your way. Also like weather patterns, we cycle through all of these phases, sometimes stuck in a rut, sometimes hyper with no where to go. So it is supportive, “Get money.” It conjures potential. It sparks action.
Photography isn’t about money. But all the stuff you need to do photography full time costs money. Gear, rent, food, car, computer, etc. It is time to start figuring it out if you are feeling it is time to level up.
I get questions about how to get noticed, or how to get more followers, or how to blow up. In other words, how to get money. I only know what has and hasn’t worked for me (and I am very much still figuring it out), it is different for everybody so it is impossible to say in any type of formulaic way. Of course there are generalities, but each path is so specific and unique. This is one of the reasons why I think photography is so cool, it is both relatable and unrelatable at the same time, including and especially between photographers.
Sure, there are some who are happy enough with photography as a weekend hobby, but there are also a lot of us at the crossroads looking for direction. Stay tuned for the next post. It will be about all the different ways different photographers make money. Most are doing it in multiple combinations of ways. Let us count the ways.
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TODD R. DARLING
NAME:
Todd R. Darling
LOCATION:
Hong Kong
WEAPONS OF CHOICE:
Whatever the situation calls for
WORDS TO LIVE BY:
Can’t catch fish if your line isn’t in the water.
LINKS:
https://www.toddrdarling.com/
https://www.instagram.com/toddrdarling/
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BEN GORE
NAME:
Ben Gore
LOCATION:
San Francisco, Ca
WEAPONS OF CHOICE:
M6 and Tri-x
WORDS TO LIVE BY:
Shoot now, edit later.
LINKS:
https://soundcloud.com/user-456303012
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OLYMPUS TG-6 REVIEW
During quarantine, a friend had been eye-balling a piece of property for a while and finally pulled the trigger. It is on a beautiful river and I went there as much as my stimulus would allow while the world was shut down. And I still go often.
I needed a waterproof camera for all the fishing kayaking canoeing swimming floating jumping bbqing and chilling we were doing. So I bought an Olympus TG-6. I like Olympus. This one is the latest in their line of “tough” series cameras. I got the red one. I now use it for everything and it is very close to being my most used camera since I got it.
Here is what is wrong with all digital point and shoot cameras ever made except for this one – they are very easy to break. All of them look and feel and are janky. Every single one. Also, they are slow. Very slow. From powering on to firing off a shot, you already missed all of the action. Like an hour ago.
Not this camera, it is fast. And sharp. And water proof and shock proof. It has flopped out of my pocket and onto the street multiple times and it is still going strong. This alone is my number one reason to recommend it.
Also, I like how there is zoom and the lens stays internal, there is no extending of the lens from the body. I like how there is a macro mode.
This camera will miss focus sometimes, but I’d rather have a soft photo than no photo. Most digital point and shoot cameras will prioritize focus over shooting, meaning they won’t fire until focus is locked. This only adds to the feeling of slowness.
Overall, it is just fun to use and I never worry about it. The only worry I have is that if I do break it or lose it, will I be able to get another one? There may be an upcoming shortage of them which will make them more expensive. Olympus has recently sold their entire camera division to another company. That company started a brand new camera company and it is called OM Digital Solutions. Kinda lame sounding and who knows if they will continue with this series of camera.
Yes, you might need larger sensor, you might need lots of things. For me and what I am doing (zines), this camera went from a nice piece to a crucial piece of the camera collection.
All photos here are shot jpg with the Olympus TG-6. They are then converted and seasoned to taste in Photoshop. With the smaller sensor, the image breaks up in some areas. It resembles grain to me and I think that adds to the vibes.
I also like the flash, great coverage and more than enough power.
Lastly, you’ll notice there is some “blooming” in the highlights of some of these photos. There’s a softness and a glowy-ness to the highlights.
This camera does not come with a lens cap, nor does it have one of those self closing ones. You can buy one separately among other accessories. (Another reason I like this thing, many cool accessories.) The lens is simply encased in hard plastic.
Over time this plastic has gotten scuffed up and the glossy finish is wearing off. It goes in my pockets or bag and rubs against things. I have since been keeping it in a pouch when in a bag or backpack.
At first I thought I would lose auto focus, I didn’t. What has happened is it has organically turned into a diffusion filter and is creating those effects in the highlights. I like it. Cinematographers pay lots of money for vintage lenses or fancy filters or post production for similar results.
I have no affliation with the company and am not getting any commission or compensation for my recommendation. I just like this camera a lot and if you are like me and like to have a camera on you at all times that is not your phone, this is a great one for that. It’s durable, snappy, and weird looking. It’s affordable, fun, and easy to use. 100 thumbs up, A++, 5 stars.
Photos by Ray Potes
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DAVID CATALANO
NAME:
David Catalano
LOCATION:
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
WEAPONS OF CHOICE:
Whatever iPhone I have at the moment
WORDS TO LIVE BY:
Let your intentions be pure
LINKS:
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MATHIEU VAN ASSCHE
NAME:
Mathieu Van Assche
LOCATION:
Brussels, Belgium
WEAPONS OF CHOICE:
my open eyes
WORDS TO LIVE BY:
Don’t take it seriously but do it seriously
LINKS:
www.mathieuvanassche.com
https://www.instagram.com/mathieu.vanassche/
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HOODIES
Did you get one of our new hoodies yet? I’m psyched on them. It’s a new chapter for us, new logo, new city, new vibes, etc. Celebrate with us. More colors coming too. Stay tuned.
