Still don’t understand how photographers are doing this

One could make money from PP by offering photoshop retouching services 

HarryK said

One could make money from PP by offering photoshop retouching services 

Assuming, of course, that one has that skillset to offer?

Feel The Passion said

HarryK said

One could make money from PP by offering photoshop retouching services 

Assuming, of course, that one has that skillset to offer?

That has never stopped the unskilled offering their services on here.

indemnity said

Feel The Passion said

HarryK said

One could make money from PP by offering photoshop retouching services 

Assuming, of course, that one has that skillset to offer?

That has never stopped the unskilled offering their services on here.

guilty as charged :o 

indemnity said

Feel The Passion said

HarryK said

One could make money from PP by offering photoshop retouching services 

Assuming, of course, that one has that skillset to offer?

That has never stopped the unskilled offering their services on here.

But it probably stops them getting paid work too! 

Im not being rude as I guess its personal taste but as a model honestly I see nothing in your portfolio that would be worth me paying you for.

Its a fairly average entry level port (nothing 'wrong' with that and Im sure plenty of people would say the same about mine but plenty of models will be happy to TFP, its just no where near the level you need to be at to get paid for 'modelling' shoot which really would have to be top level because we can get TFP from a hundred other photographer offering the same level your currently at and even some higher).

I have never paid a photographer for my modelling and I have had the good fortune to work with some utterly increadible photographers who could easily charge, I also have happily shot with newbies and allsorts inbetween just for fun when I have had free time and have made some good friends from that but it was for fun not money even though I could have charged.

In answer to your question as a photographer I make my money from my photography business shooting events (entirely different style to model photography, I can capture fantastic repotage moments at a wedding/christen/birthday but its not the same as producing a fantasticly lit high contrast art nude studio shoot etc...) not from models and while my business 'looks' new because I am returning after taking time to have a family I have been wielding a camera since the early 2000s when we still shot on film so Im actually an old fart and not in anyway 'new'.

TFPing with models on sites like this is what I do to practice or build my portfolio in area Im lacking in and it would cost me on average £250-£300 not including petrol to travel the 100s of miles to attend a photography 'portfolio building' day in the specific styles I would be looking to add and I would be limited by other photographer shooting the same thing so if a models willing to TFP it actually SAVES me money/time and the results are more unique so why would they pay to help me?.

There has been a heap of good advice offered on here so far. Particularly the bit about looking outside of model photography to create revenue streams. I have been approached a handful of times by models on here and elsewhere with the offer of paid work, and I mean like, less than five. I have declined on each occasion. My primary reason was that I think as soon as I made that transition to being paid for model photography I would move out of an environment of shooting what I want to shoot, be it good, bad or indifferent into a scenario of having to shoot what someone else wants me to shoot. I envisage that the enjoyment and interest would just evaporate almost immediately. I think if your idea is that you can continue to shoot what you want to shoot on your terms and have models queuing up to pay you £500 (you choose a number:)) a time is probably something of a pipedream. However an idea where you can spend your days shooting ecommerce, ornaments, furniture, food and if you can cope with the pressure, weddings would allow you, if there is still room, to save developing your model photography for your downtime, escapism . Call it what you will. I declined to comment on your thread in the portfolio review group because again, I think everything that needs to be said has been. All I could offer would be my opinion. Nothing more. You have to be the judge of your own output. That is a process, a journey which can be long and fraught, not necessarily with any proper conclusion. Good luck!. 

Here are the obvious things (photographic edition):

- purpleport is not really a marketplace for photographers to sell services to models; as a fundamental mechanism it works the other way round. A few photographers do make money, but these are extreme outliers.

- there is no low-end barrier to entry as a supplier in the photography market. This means you're free to make as much money at the low end as everyone else is: approximately nothing

- there are threats to the market for low end bespoke photography: free stock, an arty and clever niece with a camera, mobile phones, preference for video

Here are some less obvious things (freelancer edition):

- the problem of freelance selling and pricing is one of chickens and eggs -- it's easier to get paid if you know you've been paid before, so you ultimately have to seize on any small chicken or egg to start with

- the challenge is only ever to get that particular chicken to lay, or that particular egg to hatch, get paid and then on to the next one

Here are contentious opinions (Unfocussed Mike edition):

- in the absence of someone to do an apprenticeship with, if you want to get paid by someone for a particular kind photography, then getting paid for any photography is a better first step along that road than having given away that kind of photography to someone else before. Because it's about getting paid.

- you should ignore people (particularly the person you're doing an apprenticeship with) telling you there is no money in a particular product: it's essentially always motivated reasoning. There's money in almost everything. But not much. 

Edited by Unfocussed Mike

Repzee Photography

Hi Rapzee, a lot has been discussed around your post. Contrary to what has been said I have been paid, I have paid models and I have shot TF from this site.

As mentioned above there are plenty of good photographers and models that will shoot TF with one another if they add to their portfolios.

‘ The way to make money as a photographer is to shoot things and people that other photographers don’t want to shoot for free’

Alternatively be really amazingly good have lots of contacts with commercial brands and magazines etc. Hope this helps?

I'd say if you hope to make a living out of model photography you're about 30 years too late.

David Bijli said

Repzee Photography

‘ The way to make money as a photographer is to shoot things and people that other photographers don’t want to shoot for free’

^This.

Photowallah said

I'd say if you hope to make a living out of model photography you're about 30 years too late.

Yes - I think the key thing to focus on is that to make a living, or indeed just some additional income, from anything nowadays you need to first establish that there actually is a market for it - NOW. The fact that there once was a market for it some time ago isn't much help. And if there is a market for it, it will most likely be highly competitive and you have to be confident that what you are offering is as good or better than what your competitors are offering.

As the man said - don't suck.

The bar to being a professional photographer that makes a living from photography is set very very high.

I worked for 40 years in the film, TV and Commercial market and our clients were at the top of their game. People like Rankin, Rathbone clients like Dior, Yves Saint Laurent or Sports personalities. It takes years to earn a reputation and ever more years to keep it.

The photographers and cinematographers had a certain style that attracted them to directors, production companies and clients. Most successful wedding photographers have their “look” a signature style and until you have found yours earning money will be an uphill struggle particularly in portraiture.

Repzee Photography said

I’ve seen......other photographers come in and start charging after doing it for a month.

If true thats beyond my understanding also.

Perhaps they are just geniuses. Is their work amazing?

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?

You've been at it for a full 11 months, and still not been able to make a downpayment on the Ferrari? That's pretty shocking mate. I think the best way forward is to increase your rates massively, and if that leads to a short-term drop in bookings then so be it.