I want to be a photographer. Tell me everything! Please! Thx

amother

Chocolate

Wed, Dec 14 2016, 9:35 am

Your work is gorgeous and I am so impressed at how you built yourself!

I'm in marketing and took a look at your website - it is a masterpiece from both an artistic and marketing perspective. Outstanding work!

Laiya

Wed, Dec 14 2016, 9:38 am

Those pictures are precious, and your daughter is adorable!

cbsp

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 7:27 am

I opened this thread because I am where you were three years ago (down to the CreativeLive courses!) and the title caught my eye.

I hadn't realized the original post was from the years ago and I was so disheartened by the initial discouraging (and condescending?) comments and advice. I'm super glad I finished reading the entire thread and even happier that you presented your stunning work and bli ayin hora beautiful daughter.

Can I PM you?

amother

Blonde

Sun, Dec 18 2016, 5:02 pm

you take beautiful pictures! HOw did you learn which kind of camera to buy and camera equipment? What kind of camera do you use?

Simple1

Sun, Dec 18 2016, 5:15 pm

cbsp wrote:

This thread turned out nicely. But I don't think it's condescending to warn people of the pitfalls. It's a fun job, but a lot less financially secure than say accounting.

cbsp

Sun, Dec 18 2016, 8:35 pm

Simple1 wrote:

This thread turned out nicely. But I don't think it's condescending to warn people of the pitfalls. It's a fun job, but a lot less financially secure than say accounting.

Your advice on page 1 was actually not condescending. Neither was cbsmommy's. But the tone of the amother's posts between yours was another story...

I do thank all of you for your input...

amother

Oak

Sun, Dec 18 2016, 8:55 pm

My 15.5 year old sister is very into art, photography. She research a lot online for months & she went to B&H & they recommended the camera she saw had the best reviews. She got the canon rebel T6s for 850$. Thats the camera itself we obviously got insurance & stuff so it probably costed a little more. Its 24 mp & Bh shes very happy. Also you have to decide if you will be into new born pictures or family or simchas. Also no two photographers are the same. Its an art & each artist has his own strokes.

TranquilityAndPeace

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 5:29 pm

I just noticed that there were more replies here!

Rubber Ducky wrote:

What an inspiring thread! Great that you found a creative field where you can pursue your passion and get paid for it!

Thank you so much Rubber Ducky! I know how much you value creativity in your work!

glamourmom wrote:

your website is breathtaking. stunning photos and such fun and happy posts.
following you on insta. thanks for sharing.

all the photos in the floral wreath are out of this world.

Thank you very much, Glamourmom! I love the flower wreaths too! I usually mix real and faux flowers. I have a gorgeous one I just took of my friend's baby which needs a lot of editing, so I'm not sure when I'll post it! (It was a free session as a gift, so I can take a while to edit it for her, and it's going to be a composite - I have to Photoshop away Mom's hands, as she was holding the baby in a dreamcatcher with flowers.)

Laiya wrote:

Those pictures are precious, and your daughter is adorable!

Thank you! I carried her for 9 months, then she turns out looking exactly like my husband's family Smile

cbsp wrote:

cbsp - sure you can PM me!

Simple1 wrote:

This thread turned out nicely. But I don't think it's condescending to warn people of the pitfalls. It's a fun job, but a lot less financially secure than say accounting.

ITA, Simple1! So many people think it's all about clicking that shutter button and collecting money. Photographers can make good money, but most don't.

Business skills are very different from photography skills. I see some mediocre photographers who are earning 5 figures net every month. And I saw fabulously talented photographers, whose images make me gasp with amazement, who are earning pennies.

And every business takes enormous amounts of skill and discipline, and 92% of small businesses fail in their first 5 years according to the Small Business Administration!

I also got the following PM, and she gave me permission to post it anonymously so that the answers can benefit more people:

Quote:

I saw your post on here and if you don't mind I would love to ask you a few questions.

1. I always loved photography and wanted to learn it for about fifteen years. I decided now that I want to learn it professionally I'm not sure if ill go into it as a business but I want to learn it and also be able to take stunning pictures of my own kids.

is there a camera that you can recommend that I start learning on? Also, how much realistically is start up to learn photography, basic lighting, courses?

Is it worth it to learn it for fun and if I really enjoy it then maybe I would make it into a business?

I would love your honest answer.

Thanks so much,

My first recommendation would be to read the book The E-Myth Revisited. It's about a woman who baked amazing pies, so all her friends encouraged her to sell them. So she decided to open a bakery. Suddenly, less than 10% of her time was dedicated to baking pies! She was busy remodeling the bakery, advertising, accounting, dealing with repairmen, and buying commercial equipment, etc.

The lesson: Talent in an area does NOT translate into a successful business in that same area.

It can. But not necessarily will it.

Running a photography business is vastly different from being a hobbyist photographer.

Only 10% of my business time is spent taking photos. The rest of that time is spent:

Dealing with inquiries
Communicating with clients
Upgrading my education and improving my skills
Marketing offline through displays in OBGYN clinics
Marketing online through social media (follow me on Instagram!!!)
Marketing my website
Marketing in other ways
Updating and improving my website
Editing photos
Backing up photos in multiple ways
Researching new investments in my business
Bookkeeping (boring but necessary!)
Ordering products (prints, canvases, albums, etc) for clients
Doing laundry for peed and pooped blankets and props!
etc!

That being said, learning photography for fun is very valuable! Especially if you have kids and would enjoy taking photos of them! Hobbies are wonderful! Do you have any other current hobbies? Are you thinking of this as a potential business because you can't let yourself have a hobby just for the sake of a hobby?

I'd recommend the Nikon D700 - it's a great full frame camera that can be had for a great price, compared to similar cameras. And it hasn't been made in a few years, so you can only buy it used. Look at B&H and KEH.com's used departments. Or ebay, at a reliable seller. Or a local camera shop.

The lenses are much more important than the camera!

You date your cameras, you marry your lenses! You'll end up upgrading your camera every few years, but you'll use your lenses for life!

The 50mm f/1.8 is really affordable and a decent lens to start out with.

The 85mm mm f/1.8 is fabulous, and more expensive.

Some people like zoom lenses, some people like fixed, prime lenses. I like zooms and use the 24-70 mm f/2.8 and the 70-200 mm f/2.8 most of the time.

I can't answer how much it should cost, anymore than I can answer "how much does a house cost?"

It depends on so many different factors!

Will you be photographing with only natural light outdoors? Will you have a studio? What kind of marketing will you do? How much will you need to spend on studio renovations? What genre of photography speaks to you? Weddings? Families? Newborns? Commercial? Food?

Good luck!

Coffee Addict

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 6:11 pm

I just read through the entire thread. You're AMAZING! the pictures are BRILLIANT. I'm so happy it's working out for you. Where can I follow you on instagram?

Simple1

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 6:12 pm

You really went all out with the props!

TranquilityAndPeace

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 6:27 pm

Coffee Addict wrote:

I just read through the entire thread. You're AMAZING! the pictures are BRILLIANT. I'm so happy it's working out for you. Where can I follow you on instagram?

Thank you Coffee! Instagram.com/chaya_braun_photography

Simple1 wrote:

You really went all out with the props!

Ya think??

I'm learning to knit now, so I can make my own! Sometimes I order props online and the color is different than what I'd expected from the photo.

Funny story - someone told me that she saw a commercial where a grandmother was teaching her granddaughter to knit. The girl said, "Grandma, did your grandmother also teach you to knit?" And the grandmother responded, "No, honey, I learned from an app! Get with the times!" (I'm learning from youtube, lol!)

amother

Aubergine

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 6:56 pm

Can I ask a question?
When you take pictures of babies not wearing any clothes and diaper
Is that something you decide or the parent asks?

TranquilityAndPeace

Thu, Dec 22 2016, 12:53 pm

amother wrote:

Can I ask a question?
When you take pictures of babies not wearing any clothes and diaper
Is that something you decide or the parent asks?

Clients booked me based on my portfolio, and I show lots of babies without clothing! They see my portfolio at OBGYN office displays, on gift cards I have around town, on social media, or my website.

I once had a client request no naked photos.

myself

Thu, Dec 22 2016, 2:11 pm

Wow T&P, great to have you back! And what a grand entrance you've made... your work is absolutely astounding! It's so wonderful to hear the sequel to your OP, and it's amazing to see what you've achieved. Kol Hakavod to you for openly discussing the steps it took to get there, thereby giving others hope that they can reach for the stars too.

(I think about you every now and again whenever I think about Bar Mitzva planning Smile

)

amother

Sienna

Wed, Sep 27 2017, 3:41 am

Hi. Another amother here that would like to go down the photography route but not sure if it's for me... maybe just as a hobby? This thread just gave me a lot to think about!

TranquilityAndPeace

Fri, Sep 29 2017, 6:13 am

amother wrote:

Hi. Another amother here that would like to go down the photography route but not sure if it's for me... maybe just as a hobby? This thread just gave me a lot to think about!

Hi!

I'm happy to answer your questions.

I just finished a catalog that I've been working on for a long time: https://www.instantflipbook.co.....age=1

Success as a photographer is 90% business skills and 10% photography skills.

I've seen photographers with mediocre skills who have thriving businesses. And, extraordinarily talented photographers without any clients.

Both skills can be learned, and there are great online resources out there.

However, I'd suggest that you like studying business and reading books about entrepreneurs. If you hate the business aspect, you'll be hating 90%, and that won't take you very far!

Gemar chasimah tovah!!

amother

Oak

Fri, Sep 29 2017, 2:03 pm

Canon EOS rebel T6s
We watched videos on YouTube and thats it

amother

Oak

Fri, Sep 29 2017, 2:05 pm

TranquilityAndPeace wrote:

I have to say you should be ashamed of yourself.
Posting naked photos online is really not a Jewish mentality. Please stop doing it. It gets me very upset.

amother

Oak

Fri, Sep 29 2017, 2:30 pm

Regarding the people who post or even shoot pictures of naked kids. You are probably the same people that are against brit milah since you need the child's consent. Taking a picture of a minor like that is illegal

imasoftov

Sat, Sep 30 2017, 12:27 pm

Oak amother wrote:

Regarding the people who post or even shoot pictures of naked kids. You are probably the same people that are against brit milah since you need the child's consent.