Professional photos with budget camera?

To answer your original ‘paraphrased’ question “with time and patience is it possible to use my existing kit to get professional quality photographs” yes it is.... but many of the somewhat negatively worded responses above are accurate and worth considering carefully. It’s not easy, consistency is important and your skills will require constant work, there are many, many factors involved in being a successful photographer - perhaps the most important one is a realistic evaluation of your own ability. I’ve been shooting for over 10 years with professional equipment, I’ve had images published in magazines and won a few industry competitions too - But - I can count the number of print sales I’ve actually made on two hands, maybe I’m crap at marketing, maybe my niche is too focused, maybe I’m not as good as I think I am, maybe I don’t network the right way etc. The end result is 10 years of practice hasn’t developed into any form of regular income. That’s not to say it isn’t worth trying, it totally is and you should be celebrated for your enthusiasm - as with most things though, the people who succeed are the ones that set realistic goals and are driven to achieve them. As said above the theory is one thing, putting theory into practice is something else entirely :) good luck
 
i mean, calm down lads, yes I'm sure you can absolutely get some nice pictures of dogs with your camera. Good luck with it all!

Absolutely

The Pistonheads of photography , that's what this place has become , no encouragement just told you'll be crap if you haven't spent 5k on gear , but wait, professional photographers were using 3MP digital bodies like the Nikon D1 not so long ago so they were good enough then but a 24mp D3300 isn't good enough now

Photography is art not equipment
 
And of course the only risk to your business is someone with only a months experience undercutting you...

Less sarcastically, if your business plan depends on being cheap because you’re not good enough, it’s a s*** plan. Would you go to the cheapest restaurant in town if you knew there was a risk the food would make you ill? Have a cut price mechanic fix your car but he’s not very good?

The obvious answer is that to go into business you have to produce a product people want, not because it’s cheap, but because it’s worth having. IMHO it’s not important how long you’ve been shooting or what gear you’re using. What’s important is that you know exactly how to produce images people would want to buy, but that is strongly helped by knowledge, practice and decent quality kit.

Spot on as always Phil.

OP: loving your ambition, but as folk have said, walk, then run. Good luck.
 
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OP: ignore most of the stuff in this thread.

Go take lots of photos. That's what really matters. The rest may follow, and that's totally awesome. But go for now, go take lots of pictures.
 
Yes; go take pictures. A lot of them. 2 months with a camera is no time at all. By all means, have an ambition but listen to the people on here; Grumpy perhaps but experienced. Can’t beat it, experience. Also, if you do start charging, your insurance provider will need to know....
 
If you're struggling to get a good picture of a baby that has limited movement, how can you do dog pictures?

If I was you, I'd take my camera to a local park and speak with people asking if you can take pictures of their dogs - in return you'll send them free pictures of their dog .
In regards to this, thanks for the comment about going to the park and taking pictures of people's dogs, and the question about babies. With him been 4 month I can't take him to a scenic place and take a shot with him just sat up because he's not too great at that. The shots I have got are with my wife and Henry, and he generally goes flat out asleep when walked outside so I can either get sleepy baby, or a woken up baby crying.. And I don't have the equipment for backdrops or any props to achieve decent baby portraits. I feel dog photography is more suited outdoors. I live in an area close to a lot of fields, countryside and beaches so the environment is ideal for dog photos.

If you're shots are good, it shouldn't be difficult to sell them.
Your kit is capable, if not ideal.
If people want to pay for your photos, go for it. The rest of it is mostly down to your ability to sell yourself and promote yourself.
Thanks, I know I read up on photography and hear, invest in glass quite a lot of the time. So my concern was is my entry level camera not going to perform how it needs to. I know in a professionals hands my camera will wield greater results than me Obviously.
Another one going against the flow here. Nothing wrong with you having an aim to work towards..
the photography is actually the part I want to develop most. I do work for a small local business with a turnover of 12,000 a year, I deal with the e-ommerce
side of this company, including marketing social media and the running and designing of several websites operating by this company with a turnover of £300,000+ a year. So I do have a good understanding of online marketing. Like I said the reason for Me wanting to work with people is for the extra experience and challenge it will bring.

Absolutely

The Pistonheads of photography , that's what this place has become , no encouragement just told you'll be crap if you haven't spent 5k on gear , but wait, professional photographers were using 3MP digital bodies like the Nikon D1 not so long ago so they were good enough then but a 24mp D3300 isn't good enough now

Photography is art not equipment

Thanks.



To summarize, thanks all of you for your excellent feedback, some of it a lot more constructive than others. I do appreciate you guys have a lot more experience. So I take your constructive criticism. And if I've seemed arragant or seemed to think photography is easy. I know it's not, it is a patience and an art form
Which I do actually love. I'm not expecting to get inundated with requests or bookings. I' wanting to expose myself to start off working in different environments with different people to get more time under my belt. I'm wanting the new challenges, and if I am lucky enough to get some free work then I'll be happy with the experience. If someone's friend sees my work in their house and contacts me I'd be over the moon. If this eventually turns into a small amount of money to go to a new lens then it's a bonus. As a new father with a wife on maternity pay I have the disposable income to buy expensive kit. It is a luxury item I have to save for and wait for Christmas to see if Santa brings me enough pennies to buy a cheap semi decent lens. Making a Facebook page, making a website, and meeting new people and their pets costs me only time on a hobby I love. If I make something then it's a massive bonus.
 
Absolutely

The Pistonheads of photography , that's what this place has become , no encouragement just told you'll be crap if you haven't spent 5k on gear , but wait, professional photographers were using 3MP digital bodies like the Nikon D1 not so long ago so they were good enough then but a 24mp D3300 isn't good enough now

Photography is art not equipment


I completely agree with you. There's nothing wrong with the kit that he's got. What's missing is experience and knowledge.
 
Absolutely

The Pistonheads of photography , that's what this place has become , no encouragement just told you'll be crap if you haven't spent 5k on gear , but wait, professional photographers were using 3MP digital bodies like the Nikon D1 not so long ago so they were good enough then but a 24mp D3300 isn't good enough now

Photography is art not equipment
The only people telling him to spend more on gear were clearly being sarcastic.

And whilst most posts weren’t full of ‘positivity’ no one told the OP not to bother, there weren’t masses of encouragement, but absolutely no negativity either.

He was advised to be realistic about his experience and to go out and practice and learn. And to go for it when he’d done so.
 
Removed... I think I replied to the wrong thread.
 
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Go for it you have nothing to lose ,over the years I have seen far to many all the gear and no idea toggers and many with outdated gear that produce stunning stuff ,in fact I can think of several aquaitences that have tens of thousands of pounds worth of cameras and lenses and shoot in j.peg because they can’t grasp basic editing skills .,
If you fall flat on your face ,pick yourself up ,dust yourself down and do it again till you get it right
 
the only people interested in the gear you take the photo with is other photographers and forums
the person you take the picture for won't care one jot what equipment you used, their only interested in the result

it's been said many times in this thread by people who know, practise and more practise is the best advice to be given
once your satisfied with the result consider selling them

good luck with you ambitions if you don't try you'l never know
 
A friend of mine is making money selling prints on etsi. He said me he has been making enough money to cover is rent for a good while and saving his penny he earn in his full time job. He sells prints from film taken with some very random very outdated rolls of film that people give, and he uses some old free film camera that people gave him. So you see there's scope?

Maybe don't try do do your money from the kind of picture where your camera can be a limitating factor but from other area where your camera do not matter.
 
Rather than repeat other things.

You want to spend time with people to build up experience and a portfolio - try a camera club
You don't have the facilities for a decent backdrop for baby photos - try a camera club

Camera clubs generally have a diverse range of people with a wide variety of equipment available. They organise competitions and shows as well as themed shoots. All of those things will help you. Photographing things and places that don't necessarily interest you or seem to be related to your goal will still make you think about ideas, composition, equipment and ultimately make you better photographer (probably).

There are plenty of examples within the bulletin board where people have taken excellent photographs in their own homes and improvised studio set-ups and 'budget' equipment.

Good luck on your journey.
 
As with any business it's all about presentation , 25 years ago I knew a guy starting out in satellite communications , he had an old transit van and used equipment but balls the size of coconuts , he had some very professional brochures printed and went touting for work with multi million pound companies

They never actually saw the equipment just the results , same guy is now a multimillionaire running a company employing 100s of people

Just go for it , Joe public thinks any DSLR is professional equipment , all I'd suggest is if you dont have one a 50mm 1.8 should be in your bag
 
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I'll not say it is the best thing to do or if it is going to be easy but I know a local person to me that did similar with new borns. Took a course at local college for 12 weeks night class, finished course and started up as business straight away with 2 sessions in first week. She quickly got a reputation for it and continued with a steady 2-3 sessiosn per week and since she started in April does very well out of it, booked fully through. She's very good, that is the key. She invests a lot of time into it outside of the sessions too.

The first sessions were shot on kit camera and lens but she had a nice lighting set-up too and has upgraded now too.
 
Quite frequently in my local supermarket there are a couple of ladies (20/25 ish) doing baby photos.
They have a basic Canon camera with kit lens, a couple of studio flashes with umbrellas , baby chair surrounded with blankets , toys etc and camera tethered to laptop.
The system is >pose baby>take photos ( which is easy as the camera is already set up on tripod)>show doting parent/grandparent photos on laptop>take order for prints( and money) ,save photo's to file >arrange printing and despatch.
As they say Robert is your mothers brother.
 
We are all often too quick to pass judgement because we have seen many, many, many posts like this before including myself. However, I guess everyone needs to start somewhere.

About 8 maybe 9 years ago I bought a Nikon D5000 I have always had camera’s from a young age but I remember buying this and at the time thinking wow this camera is amazing and to be fair it was. I had bought it with the idea of photographing my kids as I had found the normal point and shoot type camera’s a bit lacking in terms of focus speed and the guy in jessops had highly recommended it. Within a couple of week’s I was no longer just using it to photograph the kids. It started with taking the camera along on trips out, before too long trips out where arranged to suit taking photographs. Within a couple of months I knew that photography was something that would be staying with me and if it was something I could get paid for even better. Within maybe 3 or 4 months of buying the camera I was shooting stuff for friends for small amounts of money, I also did plenty of unpaid stuff for a couple of local charities I am involved with.

Roll on a couple of years and while still doing the odd little thing and getting the odd photograph in the local paper etc. photography became about having the best gear, talking about gear changing cameras and lenses on a constant basis. Would buy something then be looking at replacing it for something better within a few weeks. I dabbled with a few things at this time including landscapes, boudoir, family portraits, still doing things for a couple of local charities etc.

Roll on another year or so and I started worrying less about equipment and learning about lighting and interacting with the subject. Photography became about learning new ways of doing things, improving what I was doing and enjoying it a lot more. It was around this time I started to plan for moving into photography full time. It was hard though, there seemed to be an endless amount of other better photographers around and I really didn’t have any belief that it could work for me.

I hated the job I was doing at the time with a passion, it was killing me doing it, absolutely soul destroying. I hated the majority of the people I worked with, the managers and the company. It started to effect things at home, but still the bills needed to be paid and while I looked at other options it just would have been more of the same. This carried on for a couple of years until a few things happened that changed the way I looked at things. A close relative committed suicide, the one guy I worked with who I really got on with got cancer and within weeks died, someone who I worked with for a long period of time also committed suicide. Around this time my brother was also seriously ill. I just decided life was too short to be miserable all the time. I set down with my wife and we worked out a way for us to get by while I worked towards moving into photography but it seemed such a big risk to take. Work became unbearable I dreaded going in every morning, I switched off from it completely and spent every moment I could in work learning about setting up a business, making contacts with other businesses and preparing for moving on.

Before too long things came to ahead in work and I went on sick leave for 6 months. The entire 6 months was spent preparing to work for myself. Once the dust was settled, I ended up with enough money to pay the bills for a further 6 months or so. I decided to give it 6 months to see what happened and if it didn’t work out then I planned to just pick up another crappy job similar to the one I had before.

I am 4 years or so on down the line now, in that time I have tried a few different things but pretty much settled now doing commercial photography by myself and wedding photography which I do with my wife. I also occasionally work with another photographer who shoots fashion, it’s been a great creative outlet and has given me the opportunity to travel to places all round the world.


In terms of the financial side of things, we have no major worries although I will not be buying a Ferrari anytime soon. It’s been a lot of hard work, compared to a normal job were working for 8-9 hours a day is the norm I often work 12-14 hours a day and haven’t had a free weekend in I don’t know how long and its harder than you think to switch off. But it’s all good. Working for yourself also has some advantages, choosing when and where to work for one. I get to spend a lot more time with my family than I did before even with working more as a lot of things can be done working from home. Even with all the headaches that comes with running a small business, can honestly say I have never been happier.

I dare say there are quite a few working photographers that could tell similar stories and a lot of them probably started with being enthusiastic about the cheap dslr and kit lens they once bought.
 
These type of threads are always interesting because of the different thinking of hobbyists and pros.

I can see where @AndyG123 is coming from with the idea of making a little extra money from photography but mixing getting experience with making money is whole new ball game and one with so many pitfalls. The problem is as soon as you start charging upfront, whether that's £50 or £500 people will be expecting professional output. Unfortunately if you dont deliver the goods thats where the problems start and 'I'm only a beginner and cheaper than everyone else, what do you expect' won't cut it as an excuse.

I've personally heard this so many times where someone buys a camera and after a few friends/family say you should sell these they get the idea of starting a business with very little photography experience. Whilst there may be some success stories there are many more that never make it and a few that get into legal battles and into the papers.

A good comparison for the OP would be 'I've just bought a new computer, I've had it a month or two but I've built my own square space/zenfolio etc website. I've decided I'm now going to charge people to build their website as I need to gain further experience of building websites and why not get paid for it whilst i learn?'. I know what would happen if I did that and didn't deliver a functioning website at the end of it.

To gain experience you don't need to charge money to do so. Why not offer photoshoots for free to friends and family and if they are happy with the results sell them some prints or digital files for Facebook etc. If you charge any money just make sure you are fully insured for any potential eventuality just in case.

There has been some good advice on here and whilst some have taken it negatively it's covered the current state of photography seen in the different eyes of hobbyists and professionals. Listening to the Togcast is an eye opener about the current state of landscape photography and to be honest it's very similar across other genres aswell. The value of images on their own has plummeted to basically nothing. There is very little value left in image photography other than portraits and weddings. I guess that's why pros tell it like it is when a beginner asks a question that suited to the business section.

And to answer the actual question, yes your camera is more than good enough to take images that could be sold. Just remember it's not the camera that takes the image, a good image is created by the photographer not the camera. Cameras may help in certain circumstances but the photographers skill and knowledge that has the most bearing over whether an image is good on not. You could give some on here the most basic camera and they could make a better image than someone else with the best top of the range camera.
 
Take shots for nothing to build experience and your portfolio.

Spend money on decent lenses.

Practice.

Practice.

Practice.

Forget about making money out of a 2 month old hobby.




As soon as you start charging be prepared to be able to handle pressure and lots of it.



As quoted above
 
I'm not sure if I've missed some posts in this thread, but wasn't the original idea that the OP would NOT charge anyone for the session, and offer them the images for free for the price of the memory stick?

As a way of practicing, it gives the OP the chance to learn on live subjects - and a variety of them - which is important for building a portfolio.

Comparing it to letting loose an untrained mechanic on your car is ridiculous. Clearly, if that goes wrong, then the bill could end up being thousands of pounds. If the shots aren't great, they lose nothing but an hour of their time if it doesn't work out. So long as they go into it with that way of thinking I don't see who loses out?

The best advice is practice, but as @Phil V said, it's hard to attract subjects of any description if you can't pay them for their time. Offering them free shots is a way of getting a variety of people and dogs coming your way.

The thing with an idea like this is that it doesn't cost you any more than you've already spent to start doing it, and it may take off. Why not give it a go and see who takes you up on your offer?

AND post some pics here...
 
Agree, why not give it a go - call it market testing? if it works out for you and people like the results then work out your price list and go for it. Good luck!
 
I'm not sure if I've missed some posts in this thread, but wasn't the original idea that the OP would NOT charge anyone for the session, and offer them the images for free for the price of the memory stick?
He started by saying 1 hour session free, but they could purchase a USB stick. Later said £30 for the stick as a possible price. I suggested a presentable stick costs less than £6, give it away free... whatever. There is a long road ahead.
 
Hi guys, I do love my photography since taking it up in September with my d3300 and kit lenses (sigma 70-300) and 18-55 3.5. I want to try and earn some spare pennies with photography... How hard is this to do with my camera if my shots are good.
I do have free access to website hosting and actually make websites for a living. So it's not an issue getting a website set up.
I've thought about building a portfolio of doggies in the family and getting some nice shots of pooches.. Have thought about using these images to Build a Facebook page and website. Then offering people a free 1 hour session with access to purchase a memory card with all of the images at cost of the memory stick. For liking and sharing my page. To boost traffic. Then starting to see if people would actually buy this service (at very little cost in comparison to others) . My only problem is Im not a professional photographer and my kit is limited.

Do you guys think with time and practice this could be possible to do with the kit I have?.. (the reason I say dogs is because I am an animal lover and animals do seem to listen to me) more so than children. (still failing to get a fantastic picture of my 4 month old baby)

In truth, if you have a flair for taking good pictures then an iPhone will be good enough.
I have a 1dx mk2 and a collection of L series lenses but I still can't reliably make good pictures.
 
Not as easy as people might think regardless of what kit you have.

If your doing photography for people many will expect to be able to buy sets of prints in various sizes and have no interest in digital files.

Those prints need to be professional and a cut above what average joe with a dslr and local printers can do.
Ironically one reason why I don't buy the school photo of my son is because they don't offer it as a digital file without paying a fortune and get every single possible print. I prefer digital as I can back it up.
 
I'm not sure if I've missed some posts in this thread, but wasn't the original idea that the OP would NOT charge anyone for the session, and offer them the images for free for the price of the memory stick?
...

It’s a shame that these type of threads often do that, they give the impression that the OP is just trying to build up expertise and work for free...

But the reality is that they mistakenly believe they’ve spotted a gap in the market, and they want advice from pro’s whilst they’re happy to undercut them whilst using their lack of experience as an excuse for their naïveté.

What happens next is very predictable, some experienced photographers give the benefit of the doubt and tell the OP to go practice and research the market properly. And then some posters decide that the pros are clearly trying to protect a closed shop and slag them off for that (even though it didn’t happen).

The fact of the matter is that there’s a great business to be had shooting pets, and as he’s a marketing expert he will quickly realise that, he can invest in some training, get out and practice and make some really good money.

Who’d create a ‘business’ shooting for £30 a day when they could be earning 10x that or more?
 
As with any business it' all about presentation , 25 years ago I knew a guy starting out in sattelite communications , he had an old transit van and used equipment but balls the size of coconuts , he had some very professional brochures printed and went touting for work with multi million pound companies

They never actually saw the equipment just the results , same guy is now a multimillionaire running a company employing 100s of people

Just go for it , Joe public thinks any DSLR is professional equipment , all I'd suggest is if you dont have one a 50mm 1.8 should be in your bag
The 35mm 1.8 is on my Christmas list. The nikon d3300 has a 1.5 crop so gives me close to a 50mm. Just with a 2.7 due to crop.
 
The 35mm 1.8 is on my Christmas list. The nikon d3300 has a 1.5 crop so gives me close to a 50mm. Just with a 2.7 due to crop.
Whatever the maths. Do you like large noses on your portraits? There again will you be doing portraits?
 
The 50mm is better suited to portraits and is usually cheaper
 
The 35mm 1.8 is on my Christmas list. The nikon d3300 has a 1.5 crop so gives me close to a 50mm. Just with a 2.7 due to crop.
I have the D3300 and the 35mm 1.8 lens. But the 35mm is very rarely on the camera, as I much prefer the kit lens set to 24mm. I am getting photos that I am very pleased with, and some photos that I could not have gotten with the 35mm.
 
Whatever the maths. Do you like large noses on your portraits? There again will you be doing portraits?

He's shooting dogs isn't he ? Large noses are a given...
 
He's shooting dogs isn't he ?
That is cruel. I hope they bite him before he shoots them :police: I photograph my large hairy friends (horses) there is a long nose and face if you want one close up with 18mm ... ready for the bin.
 
The 35mm 1.8 is on my Christmas list. The nikon d3300 has a 1.5 crop so gives me close to a 50mm. Just with a 2.7 due to crop.
Andy
Please take the advice you’ve been given in the spirit it’s given.

You’re a little too new to even realise that any post with a ‘what gear for professional photography’ question effectively means ‘I’d like to be a pro photographer but I really know nothing about photography’. There are very rare exceptions when a pro has a very specific need and wants some advice from existing users. But the general rule is that when you know enough to be charging, you don’t need to ask questions about gear.
 
Andy
Please take the advice you’ve been given in the spirit it’s given.

You’re a little too new to even realise that any post with a ‘what gear for professional photography’ question effectively means ‘I’d like to be a pro photographer but I really know nothing about photography’. There are very rare exceptions when a pro has a very specific need and wants some advice from existing users. But the general rule is that when you know enough to be charging, you don’t need to ask questions about gear.
Hi Phil, I do appreciate the advice and do take it in good spirit,and I do value your posts, I do understand that photography is an art form and is something to be mastered. The reason I asked about the equipment was because I simply didn't know if I n was possible for a professional to make professional shots with this kit I have. In anything in life I've always gone at things and never strayed away. I've made things out of pallets before and sold a couple of smaller items, and I have very very little woodworking experience. A lot of the stuff I did make didn't sell, but I enjoyed making it. But I knew that the tools I had were basic, and the tools didn't matter in what I did, because the tool wasn't a direct representation of the finished product unlike photography. If I am lucky enough to have someone want to pay me for my work I'm happy. But I do take everything in good will. I wasn't trying to rub anyone up the wrong way with this post. It was more of a "could I make money with the kit I have or is the kit going to limit me" I understand that the kit I have is better than I am as a photographer and at the moment I potentially am limiting what the kit can do.
 
Hi Phil, I do appreciate the advice and do take it in good spirit,and I do value your posts, I do understand that photography is an art form and is something to be mastered. The reason I asked about the equipment was because I simply didn't know if I n was possible for a professional to make professional shots with this kit I have. In anything in life I've always gone at things and never strayed away. I've made things out of pallets before and sold a couple of smaller items, and I have very very little woodworking experience. A lot of the stuff I did make didn't sell, but I enjoyed making it. But I knew that the tools I had were basic, and the tools didn't matter in what I did, because the tool wasn't a direct representation of the finished product unlike photography. If I am lucky enough to have someone want to pay me for my work I'm happy. But I do take everything in good will. I wasn't trying to rub anyone up the wrong way with this post. It was more of a "could I make money with the kit I have or is the kit going to limit me" I understand that the kit I have is better than I am as a photographer and at the moment I potentially am limiting what the kit can do.

That’s exactly proven my point, the camera matters as much to the photograph as the tools you used for your woodworking.

You believe that to be untrue, thinking that somehow cameras matter more, and until you ‘get’ it, you won’t really understand the advice here or photography more generally.

Cameras, lenses, lights, filters are all tools. A selection of good quality tools allows me to create a wide variety of different images, and most pros like to own a selection . But one simple camera and one lens would allow any pro to produce a body of sellable work. It’s not about ‘what’s limiting me’ it’s about ‘what can I do here with this?’

I’ve said this many times, but photography both artistically and scientifically is about light:
scientifically, Photography is the capturing of photons either on a light sensitive film or a sensor
Artistically, Photography is about manipulating or capturing an image created by the light reflected off a subject.

Beginners think it’s about cameras
Enthusiasts think it’s about lenses
Photographers know it’s about light.

It’s easy to overlook light, but until you learn to ‘see’ light, you won’t be a photographer.

The work I’ve seen of yours so far ‘looks good’ but that’s it’s problem as well as it’s strength, you’ve found a ‘look’ (which is a commercial requirement) that completely misses the point of the photograph, which is to say something about the subject. When you’ve worked out how to keep your style and emphasise your subject, you’ll be onto a winner. It’s a good thing because beginners usually concentrate on the subject with totally soulless ugly results.

Take the positives, but also grasp the reality of what you still need to learn.
 
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