10 Questions for Professional Photographers

[Kombi]

If there was ever a "Spam" title for a thread that isn't spam, this is it.

Sorry, I am not a professional photographer so I really couldn't answer any of the questions except #3. The answer would be that I would have to take a cut in pay.

Yes-- I think I'll rework the thread title.

Online research points towards $35k as a base for photography which would be about $17.50/hr based on 2000hr work year -- Local McDonalds is offering $17.80 so this is not a career I am going into for the money. However I would like feedback from people who are making a living at it to get a wider perspective.

ah.. can't change title-- If a moderator happens along this thread perhaps new title could be..

"10 Questions for Professional photographers"

[peety3]

Online research points towards $35k as a base for photography which would be about $17.50/hr based on 2000hr work year -- Local McDonalds is offering $17.80 so this is not a career I am going into for the money. However I would like feedback from people who are making a living at it to get a wider perspective.

Except photography isn't a 9-5 job. As a self-employed "one man band", you're "never" going to be able to fill your schedule with any regularity - in most areas of the US, people get married on Saturdays (church is on Sundays, and the guests are at work M-F, so Saturday it is). If your first client on a given Saturday has a 2pm wedding, there's no way to pack another wedding into the day, even if they only do a 5-hour gig (1pm getting dressed photos, 2pm ceremony, 3pm reception, cake cut etc. by 6pm for a wrap), you won't find anyone with an 8pm ceremony (an hour to drive & eat, 7pm getting dressed photos, 8pm ceremony, 9pm reception, wrap at 1am) nor would you be doing good work at that hour. So...you can book at most 52 traditional weddings per year. Will you be able to book a wedding every Saturday in February? I doubt it. And so the cycle goes.

I'm in no way making a living of photography, but wow the schedule is crazy. I do on-call portrait work for some hospitals through a group, so I end up on-call 5-6 days per month, 6am-10pm, for a quick 40-minute gig. Still it means checking the bag the night before (do I have enough forms? the right lenses/triggers/etc.?) and editing tasks done in the evenings when I'm not busy with my day job. Then occasionally my day job asks me to shoot an event, so repack the bag for the right stuff, set up early, stake out a good seat, shoot the gig, wait for the crowd to disperse, and pack up. Ugh.