making a hobby a business

woody12

woody12

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paul
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Hi, i really enjoy my hobby and have learnt and still learning after 18 months of being serious. Everyone i know, friends, family work people all are begging me to make money and some kind of business of what they think are reallly top photos. Here's the problem - i'm getting better not up there by a long shot. I mainly shoot landscapes, hate taking pics of kids and i'm no where near good enough or have the equipment for weddings. Is there a avenue for landscapes or should i just enjoy what to me is a hobby which i'm slowly getting better at. After all we all want to make money at something we enjoy!! I just wish people would leave me alone to enjoy it. Thoughts please
 
I don't think it's very easy at all to make a living from landscapes, unless your work is really, really amazing. Most landscape pros seem to do of running workshops etc too in order to make a living. Sometimes doing things for a living can take the fun out of it as well.
 
Enjoy. Your. Hobby.

I cannot stress that enough. Yes, your shots are clearly good if folk are making these suggestions but they know nothing of the practicalities of photography as a business. It irritates me a bit that most hobbies when you are good folks say 'well done you'. But photography the response is nearly always 'you should make some money from that!'. I have a lot of nice gear, and a reasonable eye for a shot - but like you I have no desire to do kit photography and weddings... ugh. But so many people who see my wildlife and landscape stuff then follow it with - 'there is loads of money in wedding photography' not realising I don't give a rats ass because that is not my hobby!

Now, rant over, maybe some useful advice. Keep doing what you enjoy, and do it because you enjoy it. Maybe approach a few local business such as cafes etc and see if they want your photos up with a price on them. Same with local galleries. It is hard work making any money from landscapes but if you are willing to put the work in it is possible.

Point to note, a few years ago I did a lot of dog photography.
Starting making that into a business took the enjoyment right out of it and I pretty much burnt out. I'm a photographer, not a businessman. I now keep it that way.
 
As above!

Keep it as a hobby, if you can sell the odd print here and there great, but when it becomes a business you spend less and less time actually taking the photos.
 
I agree with what has been said above keep it as a hobby.

Yes I make some money from photography but I use it to fund the hobby with nice new equipment. If someone asks you to take some portraits great take them and charge them for doing it and any prints you sell if things progress great but you don't want to be depending on it to live.

I used to enjoy "playing" with computers, building them fixing them etc for freinds. I did it as a day job anyway I continued to work for others untill I was made redundant people had always told me to do it for myself so I did. I enjoyed it for a few years but the enjoyment wears off quickly when you start thinking of it as a business how to bring in more work etc 8 years down the line I returned to working for a company still doing the same thing in IT but without the added stress of running a business and I enjoy it again and it allows me to enjoy photography as well so all is good. I don't care if I sit at the side of a football pitch for 2 hours and make no money from it or a cricket pitch for 7 hours and sell nothing as there is no pressure to sell anything but it is nice when you do.
 
As above, the problem with making your hobby a business is that you'll need to find a new hobby to relax and enjoy after work.
 
Definitely given that you dont appear to have sold much (anything?) you dont understand the market enough to amek a decision now!

Many landscape photographers make their money from workshops, magazines and stock (the last of which doesnt provide good money for many people at all). Print sales are challenging to make profitable. It all comes down to business skills. I suggest you continue as a hobby and maybe try to sell your work through various avenues before even contemplating 'going pro'.

From my own perspective, I would find it extremely challenging to do this professionally. I would estimate that in my first year I might be able to turn over 12k, not exactly a good wage!
 
I would say that it depends how far you want to take it. If you want to develop it into a business as you sole form of income then I’d say no as then there is the pressure to make money and pay the bills. Reading between the lines of the above posts this is how they have taken your original question.

If however you just want to make the odd few quid here and there to supplement your existing income then I say go for it. I would get a great buzz of people wanting to pay money for my work but I wouldn’t want the pressure of relying on it. I would just look at it as a way of getting a like extra pocket money to spend on more nice gear.
 
I think you should do whatever you want to do. If you love photography so much that you want to do it all day and everyday then maybe turning it into a profession is not such a bad idea, BUT, if you are against the idea than don't do it. Committing to a business is a massive decision to make and you need to be 100% sure that is what you want to do.

None of us can tell you what you should and shouldn't do with your life.

P.S. Could you post up some of your images or a link to your images for us all too see :)
 
I sell quite a few photos actually to friends and from my website, I do not push any sales, but if they come to me wanting a photo then I will sell it to them ( For some reason I sell a lot to the states from my website, payment via PayPal). But it is still a hobby to me, I am registered with HMRC and fill in a simple tax return form every year, but never had to pay anything as yet.
 
No harm in setting up a website and selling images from there but the market for landscapes is not the same as for portraiture/weddings and the skills are different.

We've all had friends and family say our images are great and the unfortunate thing is that although great as a confidence boost, they are slightly blinded by the friendship/relationship they have with you and rarely have the skills to recognise good from not so good images. At least that is what I found.

Try selling but if you are venturing into portraiture/weddings the skills are very different, the equipment required is diffewrent and the training you would need is different.

Keep it as a hobby and if you get a few sales great. Venture into business when you feel ready.
 
As above, the previous posters have given a lot of good advice. Just one thought though, you may may be very good indeed, but family, friends and colleagues aren't always the best critics, particularly from a potential business point of view. Have you asked them how much they are actually prepared to pay now - not hypothetically - for copies of your images? Setting up a website might help to test the water too, without commiting you to anything long term.
 
MartynK said:
As above, the previous posters have given a lot of good advice. Just one thought though, you may may be very good indeed, but family, friends and colleagues aren't always the best critics, particularly from a potential business point of view. Have you asked them how much they are actually prepared to pay now - not hypothetically - for copies of your images? Setting up a website might help to test the water too, without commiting you to anything long term.
Click to expand...

Asking experienced landscape photographers here may assist in giving you a more realistic view of where your photography is at.
 
The first question I always ask those saying 'Oooh you're really good you should do that as a business' is 'How much will you pay for that print there ?' and wait for the long awkward silence.

They all think someone else would pay for it, but they wouldnt give you £50 for a large framed print, in fact most of them would even part with a tenner.

So be very wary of well meaning friends and family telling you how good you are.

its when people you've never met before start telling you the stuffs good and asking to buy it then you know you have a potential business.

As for making money from your work on the side, a range of greetings card or calendars of your landscapes, offered for sale in local gift / craft type places may be a good way to get your stuff out there without asking huge money for prints.

My eldest evil step daughter makes jewellery and she rents a cabinet at one place and an alcove at another and another shop sells her stuff on commission so she gets her stuff out there quite cheaply.

That way its a way of supplementing your hobby rather than risking your shirt on a full blown business
 
If you want to get your photos "out there" get some printed, mounted and wrapped and visit as many galleries as you can. A gallery will usually take a percentage of your asking price. They will also advise you on how much you should be selling them for.
 
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