Still don’t understand how photographers are doing this

I find its useful to get feedback on how I am progressing in any endeavour.  Messrs Dunning and Kruger can explain why.  I have looked at this site and the rapid critique section - Rapid Fire Critique | Fro Knows Photo 

I have to admit to being an hypocrite here cos I haven't had the nerve to ask about my photos.  I have looked and listened to the comments made and tried to relate them to my efforts.

As to making money as a photographer - being in business isn't just about being good at a particular thing there is a whole mess of stuff to consider - I found this video very interesting.

Anyway that's it from me - good luck in your endeavour

Repzee Photography said

Gothic Image basically told I couldn’t charge for my photography

Who would you charge? If if you have a good product you might find a market for it. If!

I'm one of the 'can count on fingers on one hand' photographers group. Not so much anymore as the fun of being paid to photograph models does wear off quickly. I do however make a nice income from PP by not photographing models.

Edited by Tabitha Boydell

Repzee Photography said

Gothic Image basically told I couldn’t charge for my photography

You can charge if you want.

The trick is to find someone that's buying what you are selling.

Repzee Photography said

I’ve been doing photography for 11 months. I’ve seen models and other photographers come in and start charging after doing it for a month. When I put my rates up 4 months into photography I was shut down. How on earth are people making money so quickly from this I really don’t understand?

1. Pay models here to make - with them - a portfolio of the very best portrait pictures you are capable of making.

2. Show that portfolio to potential clients who will be persuaded by it that you are the photographer they should pay to make a portrait - of - them.

3. Profit.

I'm here to have fun.

Today I took a thousand photographs some of which will be bought by the people in them*, a couple of those people I'd love to do a TFI shoot with but that is unlikely to happen.  The sun shone, the spot I was in was nice, my cheese and pickle sandwich... but I digress.

* not enough to live on, enough to reduce the cost of my expensive hobby.

1. You pay the models (and a MUA, Stylist, Location, etc.)

2. You take some pictures.

3. You sell the pictures and hopefully make a profit.

Repeat 1, 2 and 3.

It's not brain surgery.

Alan Ewart said

You have been told on several previous threads that very few photographers on PP get paid.  Those that do produce outstanding work.

Models are not a target market for photographers.  

2nd reply to the thread. And very little more needs to be said. 

Figure out who is going to buy from you what it is they are paying for and concentrate on delivering that.
If people aren't buying the reasons are normally simple. The product isn't what they want or not at the quality / price they want

'You' are unlikely to ever make any money on this site as a model photographer based on your portfolio. Even outstanding portfolios don't make money. But you can make money through other types of photography outside of this site.

It's probably, *"technically" quite easy to sign up with large mail-order houses and catalogue producers, even the dwindling glamour mag publishers,  to sell your photography skills. The trick is knowing who to persuade to take you on, whether they like you and your work style, personality, and of course the biggie, the quality of your work. After that, knock yerself out on the fame and fortune!

*Disclaimer; I have made this up, never having worked for a big name buyer in photographic ability. But I have worked very successfully over many years, for as a private service provider for many companies. The technical abilities were the same to get the contracts, so I don't think that achieving your nivarna of profession photography would be that much different for you,  or anyone else.

Stu H said

You can charge if you want.

The trick is to find someone that's buying what you are selling.

CalmNudes said

Figure out who is going to buy from you what it is they are paying for and concentrate on delivering that.
If people aren't buying the reasons are normally simple. The product isn't what they want or not at the quality / price they want

A Shot in the Dark said

All that matters is whether you're providing something someone wants to pay for.

The audience on PP is extremely unlikely to buy photographic services from any but the very best photographers. And by that I mean the top dozen or so, not the top 10%, 5%, or even 1%. This is simply not the venue for it, even if you were in that elite group.

You need to make some determinations:

• What can you offer that others can't offer more effectively?
• Who is the audience for that?
• Where can you reach that audience?

Once you've done that, take CalmNude's advice. 

Silly question perhaps - why do you want to get paid?

If you want to build a business you need to invest. In photography it’s investing in building a strong diverse portfolio with talented professional models that means to pay. Then you begin to build clients (small business, families, parties etc) through that baseline and when you demonstrate that worth. That can take years. However it’s a crowded market and only the very talented will make lots of money from photography. I’m not one of those by the way ! But don’t anticipate you will be shooting for Vogue in a few months.

Start looking elsewhere. Although by no means my main income, I now get paid more than an ever did doing model photography (which isn't exactly hard)

I too for years wondered how I would make any money from model photography and by the time I did, it was so anti climatical, I just didn't bother in the end.

So to offer some advice..

Find a field/niche you are good at and excel at it and build a good working relationship with some clients who will keep giving you return business.

I mean it sounds easier said than done but it does take years of perseverance, so see it as a long game.

From that I've been able to sell my own work and heck even make enough to pay models AND more importantly myself a small fee.

After five years on PP I’m convinced there’s only one way to make money from all the photography gear I’ve collected, and the hundreds of hours mooching about in the forums, watching YouTube’s to slowly and surely learn this craft..

Coupling all that with experience I’ve gained paying for and shooting with some of the best models here I could find whose diaries matched up with mine, self reflecting and gaining feedback from my peers..

And further paying for, travelling to and taking courses in person with professional photographers and photoshop artists around the world.

Here’s the secret…

The way to make some money from all of the above…..

List all my photography gear on eBay and sell the lot!