Photography jobs?

MissDVL

Hey all

At the moment I'm stuck in a job that seems to be getting worse by the day. Everyone's hours are being cut, I get paid just above minimum wage despite the fact I've been there for over a year now and all this because our boss wants to get her bonuses.

Basically I want to leave. I'm fed up of getting trapped in an 'it'll do for now' job which ends up lasting me a year because I get too settled. But I can't leave yet because it means I'll have no money....and there are always bills to be paid.

Ideally I want a career in photography, but I don't even know where to start! I've loved taking photographs from a young age and know I have a pretty good eye for it. I'm in the process of buying my first digital SLR camera (need to wait for the new credit card to turn up first!) but need to know where to go from here!

I would really love to make a living out of wedding photography, but until I can get a portfolio built up I know I have no chance. Unfortunately I don't know anyone getting married at the moment who could give me a go!

Basically I want to know if anyone has any tips whatsoever in how to get into the industry, or if there are any vacancies anyone knows of (don't mind where, I'm planning on moving soon anyway!)

Any help would be much appreciated
Danni x

Oldernotwiser

Unfortunately, photography is one of the most oversubscribed fields around and it's very hard to make a living at it. If you have a look in your local college's prospectus you'll see the kind of part time courses that there are available and which you could undertake in September, which would enable you to develop (!) some new skills and help you to decide whether to take this further.

andygb

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Unfortunately, photography is one of the most oversubscribed fields around and it's very hard to make a living at it. If you have a look in your local college's prospectus you'll see the kind of part time courses that there are available and which you could undertake in September, which would enable you to develop (!) some new skills and help you to decide whether to take this further.

I don't want to put MissDVL off (because i am thinking of the same thing), but these are the hard facts. We have more people studying photography in Britain, than we can use, so many in fact, that there are enough for the whole of Europe.
Having said that, the cream will always rise to the top, and with the advent of digital photography, it has never been cheaper to take loads of photographs.
As Oldernotwiser correctly points out, get yourself along to a course(s), and try to read as much as possible. I am a cheapskate, but always go to our local market stall, and buy the photography magazines cheap (3 for £1.50). Even if they are out of date, there is so much technical information you can use.
Also look at fashion magazines, because portraits and groups are what you intend to shoot, so you can pick up ideas on composition and lighting.
I have been interested in photography for 30 years, and I think that you need to get used to just snapping away at first, then concentrate on taking different pictures (shutter speeds, aperature) of the same subject. You will have to buy some software for your computer - Adobe Photoshop for instance, because this can help with creativity.
Most importantly, learn how the camera works, and how different combinations of shutter speed, aperature and focal length affect the end result.
If you are going to shoot weddings, then remember, it is the happiest day of their life, so you have to be focused (forgive the pun) and confident and organised.
Good luck.
Andy

Zazen999

Not only is it hard usually, during the recession - people have stopped buying photos from the stock agencies, their income is way down. There is alot of competition nowadays as everyone has a 10mp camera, and everyone thinks they are a photographer :rolleyes:

At the very least, you will need a good DSLR, a good knowledge of photography and of photographic history [to avoid copying people without realising it], and some quals to show that you are trained in some way.

You'd be hard pressed [in my opinion] to find anyone willing to let you photograph their wedding, as an inexperienced photographer taking bad photos, or losing the data, or badly editing the images; can ruin a wedding day. If you could find a professional photographer to 'assist' a few times, you'd learn alot from them.

I'd echo ONW's comments about finding a college course, &/or join a local photo club. Cheesy, yes; but you learn the ways of the old boys. Then, you find out that the ways of the old boys really isn't the way you want to do things, and start finding your own way in the huge landscape that is photography and create your own personal perspective on the subject.

[Did you see what I did there!]:rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Before you do any wedding photography, you'd need to buy yourself a couple of dSLRs (you'll need a backup), a good flashgun (with tilt, swivel and a diffuser), spare batteries, spare memory cards, good tripod and most importantly - some good lenses. Those lenses are going to cost you more than your camera does also. Have you got a couple of grand spare to sink into this?

I've got a Panasonic L10, but i wish i'd bought a Canon now, since i've been using a 50mm f1.8 OM lens (£30) for taking portrait shots. It's brilliant, but manual focus. I wish i could justify buying an automatic one, but it costs £360..

Anyhoo.. getting into photography as a Pro will be just as much about your business skills as your photography. Join a photography club, get some experience with an SLR, then have a good think about it

MissDVL

Thank you all for your input

andygb

ringo_24601 wrote: »

Before you do any wedding photography, you'd need to buy yourself a couple of dSLRs (you'll need a backup), a good flashgun (with tilt, swivel and a diffuser), spare batteries, spare memory cards, good tripod and most importantly - some good lenses. Those lenses are going to cost you more than your camera does also. Have you got a couple of grand spare to sink into this?

I've got a Panasonic L10, but i wish i'd bought a Canon now, since i've been using a 50mm f1.8 OM lens (£30) for taking portrait shots. It's brilliant, but manual focus. I wish i could justify buying an automatic one, but it costs £360..

Anyhoo.. getting into photography as a Pro will be just as much about your business skills as your photography. Join a photography club, get some experience with an SLR, then have a good think about it

You are so right about having a back up camera body, and good lenses, and dedicated flash and battery pack, good tripod, umbrella reflectors, assistant to organise. The list goes on.
I took some piccies at a niece's wedding a few years ago in Hawaii, lovely light, nice and warm, and I was being very careful not to get in the photographer's way. Anyway, his assistant seeing me standing back a bit, came over to me and offered to take a couple of shots for me. I said nothing and watched as he went up close to the couple with the lens on maximum wide angle, and took a couple of shots, from a low position. When we looked at them later, they were distinctly unflattering - squashed noses, and bodies which looked like a rugby prop forward. I suppose that is why he was the assistant and not the one taking pictures.
I reckon that I need £5K for starters to take it seriously - 2 bodies, 1 80 - 100 macro portrait lens, Sigma flash, and a couple of other lenses and a battery pack. Once you have all that lot, then you have to get work, and keep practising.
Go to wedding shows, bridal shops, florists, car hire firms, hotels.
Think of anything associated with weddings, and above all, look at other people's websites, to get hints on style and pricing, and be realistic.
Good luck,
Andy.

TizzyDizzy

I would echo the posts about wedding photography. You have to remember that this is one of the most important days of someone's life, there is going to be a lot of pressure to get it right. My wedding photographer (and now friend) is a very talented wedding and portrait photographer (won awards etc.) and she still tells me that she is continously learning everyday. She does earn decent money, but she has had to work very hard to get there.

I don't want to put you off as I think it's a wonderful career to get into, however just be aware and realistic and most of all take the courses and learn as much as you can before jumping in with both feet.

paulwf

At a wedding we attended a while back we tracked down about 1,000 - 2,000 photos from various guests. With many compact cameras edging up to 10MP and even camera phones at 3+MP the sheer volume of shots is edging out wedding photographers. I've heard some people say they wouldn't use an official photographer for their wedding, or maybe just for a few formal shots. Many people use an official photographer at the moment as it is the way it always was, but the trend seems to be diminishing.

Sure there will always be some demand, but my prediction is that in 5 years time a lot of people will just be relying on a Facebook group to collate a few thousand snaps from guests.

TizzyDizzy

paulwf wrote: »

Sure there will always be some demand, but my prediction is that in 5 years time a lot of people will just be relying on a Facebook group to collate a few thousand snaps from guests.

You maybe right, but I hope not. I agree that out of 1,000+ snaps you are going to get some good ones, but to rely on guest photos (even with decent cameras) would be a little ambitious/foolhardy?

I suppose it's like saying that everyone has access to the internet and design software now, so there won't be a need for designers anymore (coming from a graphic and web designer - I really hope not!). At the end of the day, you are not really paying for the equipment, you are paying for the talent and skill of a professional photographer. I for one would not have been without our photographer on the day

[Deleted User]

Quality rather than quantity... I might have 1,500 photos from my wedding but only one gets put in a nice frame on the mantlepiece.

Most pictures from weddings tend to be pretty low quality. Mega-pixels mean nothing - it's all about lighting and the glass in your camera.

When i take shots with my flash, pointed towards the ceiling to bounce downwards, the pictures look so much better than from a '10mp point and shoot' it's remarkable. Same goes with portraits, with a very low aperture that a point-and-shoot can't manage, you get lovely blured out backgrounds with pin-sharp faces.