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So, a bit of a brag here, or an inspirational story. I have been photographing for 8 years or so, all self taught from the many available online sources. While I consider myself a professional at this point, regularly shooting events and weddings, it's not something I can make a living wage with, yet (?). Perhaps this is because my main subjects are wildlife and landscapes, not exactly the money-making kind of shots.

 

I sell my wildlife and landscape shots through stock photo agencies after being actively recruited by them. The secret to stock photography success appears to be quality as well as quantity, and with only a few dozen shots out there, I'm not set up for any kind of profit at all. I get a commission on every shot sold. Usually my cut under a dollar per sale. I make about $90 from it every 3 months.

 

Until today! When some ad agency picked up one of my landscape shots for a ridiculously high price. My cut could buy me a decent used car, meaning they paid even more. Which makes me wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper to just send a photographer out on a plane to and take the shot on location themselves.

 

Anyway, keep on shooting, keep on getting better, keep learning, keep on getting your work out there, keep investing in the right gear (sadly I consider that essential) and even though it may seem that everyone's a photographer these days, it can still pay off!

 

(Check out my work here!)

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So, a bit of a brag here, or an inspirational story. I have been photographing for 8 years or so, all self taught from the many available online sources. While I consider myself a professional at this point, regularly shooting events and weddings, it's not something I can make a living wage with, yet (?). Perhaps this is because my main subjects are wildlife and landscapes, not exactly the money-making kind of shots.

 

I sell my wildlife and landscape shots through stock photo agencies after being actively recruited by them. The secret to stock photography success appears to be quality as well as quantity, and with only a few dozen shots out there, I'm not set up for any kind of profit at all. I get a commission on every shot sold. Usually my cut under a dollar per sale. I make about $90 from it every 3 months.

 

Until today! When some ad agency picked up one of my landscape shots for a ridiculously high price. My cut could buy me a decent used car, meaning they paid even more. Which makes me wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper to just send a photographer out on a plane to and take the shot on location themselves.

 

Anyway, keep on shooting, keep on getting better, keep learning, keep on getting your work out there, keep investing in the right gear (sadly I consider that essential) and even though it may seem that everyone's a photographer these days, it can still pay off!

 

(Check out my work here!)

Well done! Also you're so lucky to be in San Fran where it's overflowing with wildlife.

 

It is very difficult to make money from your work, especially when entry level dslr etc are so much more accessible to own and people think that because you take photos on an expensive camera you don't need the skills of an actual experienced photographer. So photographers aren't valued for their work.

 

I'm so impressed with your hummingbird shots, they're such speedy little things I only got 1 single shot when I was on holiday before they just disappear.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Nice idea, Ro - it's a little bit late now, but this is probably my favourite shot from last year...

 

Favourite_Butterfly.jpg

 

Apart from that, I'd probably say these too, though I didn't take that many for most of the year really...

 

Bee_In_A_Flower.jpg

 

Coral_Fish.jpg

 

Turtle_Sunset.jpg

 

I'm pretty happy with my start to 2017 so far too - this was taken on New Year's Day...

 

First_Sunset_Of_The_Year.jpg

 

I'm a sucker for sunsets and reflections so I was pretty excited to get the chance to snap both together, haha!

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I just bought my first "proper" camera - seocnd hand Nikon D5100. I'm a total beginner, shitting myself slightly at the technical gobblydegook, and kind of excited too :D

Nice, I'm using a later version of that so if you have any questions I may be able to help you (or not :LOL:)

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Will try and remember that for if I ever have a chance to go to Iceland or somewhere. I live in the tropics at the moment so I'm in completely the wrong kind of place for anything like that, haha! BlueEyedFloozy, I also have a D5100 which I've had for about five years now, and it's served me really well so far. Enjoy it, and remember that you'll learn things most of all by actually getting out and using it. It will help to have a bit of an idea about the technical things though - it took me ages to understand what ISO was all about for example, haha! It comes with time though, and as I said, you'll learn a lot about your own techniques and things just by getting out there and taking as many pictures as you can in different kinds of circumstances. Best of luck! :)

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