How many members have a photography related occupation? [Archive]

Al Kaplan

12-06-2008, 12:32

I've earned my living primarily as a photographer for all my adult life. I'd suggest a major in psychology or social anthropology, with maybe a minor in some form of writing like creative writing or journalism, or even business administration. Sometimes I wished that I'd studied political science because of the type of clients I was getting.

On the other hand a lot of very successful photographers never graduated college, or even attended for that matter. They invested that four years working as an apprentice or just learning by doing.

My formal college education consisted of three credit hours one summer while my wife started classes at another college. We wanted to keep our daughter in the day care center through August. Needless to say, I can now brag that I maintained a 4.0 average all the way through, and my major was Physical Anthropology.

Ken Ford

12-06-2008, 12:36

I was a full-time PJ for about five years when I was much, much younger. There are times that I wish I had kept at it, but then I remember the monastic financial lifestyle.

pesphoto

12-06-2008, 12:37

I do commercial photography and went to a 2 year photography school and assisted many photographers to really learn the ropes. IM a staff photographer for an advertising agency. Decide what it is about photography you love and follow that. Commercial, weddings, art, what is your passion? Know that it is very very competitive now, not to scare you. It is possible to be successful with a lot of hard work.

Silva Lining

12-06-2008, 12:37

I am a wedding photographer as well as being generally hire-able for any type of events. It's not my only or main job though as it ain't enough to pay the bills!

JOE1951

12-06-2008, 12:51

Question sounds familiar, but I'll bite.

Studied photography through community college, and my own self training.

Over twenty yr period, I used to work in local film/television industry as camera assistant/operator, also photo-lab supervisor, and photographer for local university.

With a graduating class of about 20 people, 22yrs later, maybe 4 continue make a living at it.

I was never able to make much of a living with cameras. Now, at 44yrs, I work in government as map librarian and have the most interesting job, and best pay, I've ever had!

Still think of myself as a photographer though, but glad I don't have to make a living with it.

I wish you well with whatever path you take.

Keith

12-06-2008, 13:27

How many members have a photography related illness? ... might be more to the point! :p

mabelsound

12-06-2008, 14:25

Nah, I'm an English professor. But I definitely have a photography-related illness.

MartinP

12-06-2008, 14:30

Studied applied physics, but worked for several years in a professional darkroom on copy-camera and black-and-white hand printing. Now it's just a hobby.

newspaperguy

12-06-2008, 16:44

Started as a "cub" on newspapers while still in highschool in the late '40s, played photographer for Uncle Sam, then back into newspapers in the '60s. Still at it... and still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

oftheherd

12-06-2008, 16:53

How many members have a photography related illness? ... might be more to the point! :p

Good one Keith! LOL

I certainly suffer from that, alone with other delusions.

oftheherd

12-06-2008, 17:03

I voted yes, but it may be wishful thinking. I got one week of training on photography using a 4x5 Speed Graphic at the pleasure of Uncle Sam during an investigative school. Used it very little for 7 or 8 years. Then I got to an office with no photographic support and a Kodak Instamatic for a crime scene camera. I decided I could do better. When my Yashica TL Super caught up with me I began devouring all magazines and books I could find and began experimenting.

I soon became the person who was called on for crime scene photography. That lead to a specialty in majore crime scene processing for several years.

Now I only rarely get called on to do any photography. Where I work now we don't do major crime scenes. In fact I don't think there has ever been a major crime.

I wish you luck in your pursuits. I am inclined to think the most valuable training you will get will be your own experiments and actual work as an apprentice it you can get it. That isn't to say some formal education in photography wouldn't help, but a specialized school might be just as good. A well rounded education will give you better insights into whatever you find yourself photographing.

mh2000

12-06-2008, 17:43

I did commercial photography as part of my creative services... but hated it and found that it was the lowest paying so I dropped it... continue as a fine artist...

thomasw_

12-06-2008, 19:08

No, photography is my creative outlet, a hobby that I treasure; nothing I could hope to make a living doing. Even though I do sell a few prints from time to time, I am not interested in every aspect of mainstream photography; the digital processing, the digital-video editing -- none of it takes me beyond a yawn. I am just into 35mm and 120 film and the wet printing process. At UBC I studied for a double major in Mathematics and Philosophy; so nothing to do directly with photography.

bcostin

12-06-2008, 19:11

Photography is part of my job but not my main responsibility. I'm the resident "guy with all those cameras" at work. When events are held that require more than point-and-shoot photography or when someone needs a quick portrait, I'm often the guy they ask. For the big expensive stuff they hire a local pro.

I'm happy with it staying like that for now. I do photography mostly for fun, and I don't want it to turn into just another obligation.

swoop

12-06-2008, 20:11

I work professionally. I got my Associates in Photography, then went on to get my Bachelors in English with a Journalism minor. My senior year I taught the photo 1 and 2 classes while my professor was either away on assignment or sitting in the back sorting through his negatives. After college I worked as a staff photographer for a magazine in Milwaukee, WI. I moved back to NYC in May and have been freelancing at two community papers. One of them called me in the other week and said they wanted to start using me for the majority of their assignments, that they've shown my work to the publisher and that in time it would lead to a staff position.

I work on my own personal projects when I have the time. In an effort to get a book together.

I still apply for for other freelance gigs on occasion. Hoping to build a portfolio strong enough to get me in with some of the major papers. Or an assignment with a large magazine. After some review I think I'd be happier working at a monthly magazine than a large daily paper. Somewhere where I can take my time with an assignment and show it love. Rather than run around town, quick snap, get it edited and submit before the sun rises.

35mmdelux

12-06-2008, 20:46

I have degrees in Political Science and Management. Did a tour in the US Army, and worked more than 25years in the professional business world thus far.

Frank Petronio

12-06-2008, 20:53

I work at marketing my photography. There is no time for actually doing any ;-)

stuken

12-06-2008, 20:54

I teach photography and I do the occasional portrait, wedding ect. Do some interior work now and again.

sonofdanang

12-06-2008, 21:35

I was my father's lab rat when he was a PJ. He would bring me into the darkroom with him - mostly because I was somewhat mischevious unsupervised - starting around the late sixties. Next thing you know, I was in charge of the timer. By the mid-seventies, I, ah never mind... it hasn't stopped since then. Ever. I work. Mostly commissions. Portraiture of a non-conventional sort. Fine art.

On Training:

You can often identify a painter who cannot draw well by looking at their paintings. Learning to draw well is a basic requirement, often overlooked. The actual craft of photography is easily learned - it's very similar to learning how to stretch canvas and mix colour. The ability to "see" is not as easily learned. That is what life-drawing classes are for. Being able to draw reasonably well is a good place for a photographer to start their aesthetic training. Their philosophical training may be obtained elsewhere; read Epictetus. Or Mamet, for that matter.

If you go to school, might be a better idea to study art or, as Al says, journalism or poli-sci. My background and training (besides working for my father), was in music. Composition, arranging, etc. I made a living at that for a while. But I always made a bigger living with visual art - often pure photography.

You don't actually need to know a whole lot about your equipment other than how to make it work well and what it does near its design limits and how to compensate. You certainly don't have to give a lot of money to a school to learn that. What you really really really need to have is what someone once described as "a sense of design" or a sense of the aesthetic - in the classical sense. Knowing some of the principles behind design (and these can be borrowed from other disciplines) will make a huge difference. The world of near-photographers is full of gear-wallahs and tinkerers (neither a bad thing) but if you focus on content and just pick a body, pick a lens, pick a film, and pick a developer, and stick with it, resisting the desire to shuttle back and forth from this system to that and D-76 to HC-110 to ... you will find that the name on the front of the camera is largely irrelevant to content. Yes, at -50 C, it's a good idea to have a rugged camera so choose wisely. But wheather you have a Leica or a Sinar is utterly irrelevant. If you can't produce a decent photograph with an instamatic, you won't with an M8 or a Makina or a....

Irony in all its forms should be required study for any artist/PJ/whatever.

All the above reflects my personal bias.

There's the timer. Gotta go look.

Best,

S

Carlsen Highway

12-06-2008, 21:59

I sell magazine articles on the side, mostly outdoors magazines, but also the occassional general feature sort of thing.
I dont make enough money at it to survive, so it's a hobby I enjoy and it pays for itself easily.
I cant sell articles without being able to provide pictures, but I really started out with photography in my teens wanting to sell pictures to the papers. I soon found I could sell pictures easier if I could write as well....

...training? You know, I would go and study art history. The relevant technical side of photography can be learnt in a very short time, but if you want to know about pictures, go and study the Masters...Delacroix, Rubens, Davide, Carravagio, Raphael....

LADP

12-06-2008, 23:01

Motion Picture cinematographer here.

payasam

12-06-2008, 23:29

I've made money from teaching, writing, editing and photography. I no longer teach.

brainwood

12-07-2008, 00:18

I made money early on in my career as a photographer both stills and cine working for my fathers company making sales films.I fairly quickly moved into editing and have spent the last 20 years as a Documentary film Editor for mainly British TV.
Playing with cameras is now very much a hobby.

Chris

Roger Hicks

12-07-2008, 01:07

Jumped in at the deep end at 16 as an amateur with 800 feet of outdated FP3 and a darkroom. Since: law degree (no intention of practising); secondary school teacher (a result of taking the first job that came along after university in order to be near my dying mother); articled clerk with a firm of accuntants after she died; back to teaching because I couldn't take the excitement of accountancy; interspersed this with working as an assistant in a London advertising studio; moved into audio-visual production; last job as an employee, technical brochure production (mainframe computers); freelance writer/photographer since 1982.

Usually I produce packages of words and pictures but sometimes I just do the words and sometimes I just do the pictures. I've done about 50 books, far from all on photography, and I earn most of my living from magazine articles, almost all on photography, plus my web-sites.

Most of the older people on the forum (certainly 50+, maybe 40+) will give you the same advice as Al: photography isn't that difficult to learn, and other subjects -- even law -- will probably teach you more about Life, the Universe and Everything. The main purpose of university, after all, is to keep the wolf from the door for a few years while you grow up, and to disguise the unemployment figures.

Be wary of the advice from the old guys, though. Increasingly I am told that employers demand (substantially worthless) pieces of paper as a passport to a job: a qualification, even though that does not necessaruly correspond at all closely to an education. If you can, try for both.

Cheers,

Roger

parsec1

12-07-2008, 02:40

Astrophysics and Cosmology at Cambridge and Princeton and then straight into press photography.
Would have been strangled if my father could have got his hands around my throat but he would had to have stood on a chair.

OurManInTangier

12-07-2008, 06:18

Been a pro since leaving Uni. Hard work , great fun and it is possible to make a very good living from it. I'd also agree with Roger about getting a certificate of some kind (i.e degree, masters or whatever) simply because far too many employers will simply sift out those without a degree whilst still at the application stage - I've seen it done plenty of times and you know some good photographers are being passed over. Here in the UK the various 'media' courses have proven very popular in the last fifteen years or so and as such you will need to be truly outstanding to get noticed without the same bit of paper as many others.

Of course you can always go your own route, knock on doors, assist other photographers, get an internship at a photo agency etc etc etc. There is no one path.

mabelsound

12-07-2008, 06:33

Having spent a decade making a living exclusively off of my creative output (not photography), I have to say that I have mixed feelings about it. I miss not having to go to work, but I don't miss events like my son hitting his head on the coffee table and having to decide whether it's worth taking him to the emergency room or not, given the absurdly high deductible of my absurdly expensive private medical insurance. My life was freer then, but I was always anxious.

These days, I have great benefits and get a regular salary, and often must postpone indulging my creative impulses. But on balance, and given the ongoing recession/depression, I think I like it better this way.

dazedgonebye

12-07-2008, 06:34

I joined the Navy in 1980 with a guaranteed placement as a photographer.
They got me in to boot camp and changed my mind...ended up on a submarine.

I've likely made a better living off of the training I received, and the subsequent degree, but I often wished I'd not swerved off that road.

Gumby

12-07-2008, 06:57

Most of the older people on the forum (certainly 50+, maybe 40+) will give you the same advise...

Be wary of the advice from the old guys, though...

I once would resent words like this, but now that I am one of "the old guys" I don't feel so bad about it.

35mmdelux

12-07-2008, 08:36

The world of near-photographers is full of gear-wallahs and tinkerers (neither a bad thing) but if you focus on content and just pick a body, pick a lens, pick a film, and pick a developer, and stick with it, resisting the desire to shuttle back and forth from this system to that and D-76 to HC-110 to ...

Right On! Best advice ever.

aizan

12-07-2008, 09:21

we have photography books at the library. does that count?

ernesto

12-07-2008, 09:27

Have worked as photographer, doing wedings, advertising, and cientific photography, while I was at the university, but I am architect, and of couse I did architectural photography too.
I find photography a valuable tool for architects. Nowadays we can do CG images that are like photographs,

and rendering softwares works as real cameras. Finnally a good training as photographer not only helps to handle CG softwares but what is more important: is a great creative training that helps mentally visualize the architectural spaces and volumes during the desing process. Learning how we (as people) see spaces, and perceive their atrubutes is a must for an architect, and photography is a great tools, at least cheaper than building to find a spacial mistake!

E

mcgrattan

12-07-2008, 09:29

I'm not a photographer but I work for a library department [at a very old, very famous library] primarily concerned with photography [images of rare manuscripts, primarily]. I advise the photographic staff and am involved with the behind the scenes technical/development stuff. I have taken the occasional photograph and scanned the occasional glass-plate, too, but that's not my job.

WoolenMammoth

12-07-2008, 10:35

I work in the motion picture industry.

jeff laitila

12-07-2008, 23:43

I'm not a pro, but I do sell about $20K worth of images per year.

Not nearly enough to quit my day-job, but it does pay for my gear and vacations.

Rick Waldroup

12-08-2008, 00:45

I started out as a PJ over 30 years ago. I did that for several years and then changed paths and became an architectural photographer shooting commercial real estate. I did that for about 20 years. Then I went back to photojournalism for a few years. I just retired from that work in May of this year. I now sell some work through a stock agency and sell a few prints here and there.

jody36

12-08-2008, 01:55

Im a wanna be artist. I am in reality a retired fire fighter who is a nurse.

tensai

12-08-2008, 02:15

Vaguely related, I work as an illustrator and composition and visually communicating a concept or narrative etc. are similar elements of the job. I shoot a lot of reference for my work and have the occasional pure photography assignments, but luckily not that many. I really like photographing, but love drawing.

Adam

12-08-2008, 05:47

...the camera's in space? I'm a programmer on a team performing calibration of an Earth observation instrument.

That's a bit cheeky, so I answered 'no'.

literiter

12-08-2008, 06:06

When I was a young'n I had a job at a daily newspaper as a "cub" photographer. We used Speed and Crown Graphics. That was a while ago, now that I look at it.

Then much later in the '70 and '80s there were "multi image" productions with lots of slide projectors synchronized to audio tape. This paid quite well for a while.

I think PJ work is very valid today and someone earlier suggested video as well which I agree would be a good idea.

Kozhe

12-11-2008, 02:00

I hope to do it some day! I´m currently a 3d artist and hope this will help me somehow, but I have to LOT to learn so far.

Baldadash

12-11-2008, 02:29

ham,
I have bachelors in art with a minor in journalism, while my wife has her bachelors in photography. my wife and I have a successful wedding photo and portraiture business. we have both been at it for over ten years. In the last couple of years Nor Cal has become flooded with wedding photographers (buy a DSLR with an 18-200 variable aperture VR lens, turn the nob to P "Professional" and click away).
digital camera's are always becoming more user friendly. think about kutch as Nikon's new spokesman... if kutch can shoot a wedding, so can your uncle, you don't need to spend $3-6K on pros, he can probably do your family photos too. I also have cohorts who are PJs. That has also become very competitive here.
I'm trying to scare you a little, because if you plan on a house and kids, a PJ's or studio photog's salary will hardly pay the bills here. I'm worried about business next year, who knows what it will be like in five or ten years.
this is just my experience, you could be happy working as a PJ at the star tribune or content as the lead white house staff photographer.
all that said, become a doctor or nurse...
keep photography as a hobby, shoot film, RF, SLR, MF, LF, pinhole...
make a dark room in your garage...
and lastly, annoy your wife and kids by talking about gear all the time.
-b

mabelsound

12-11-2008, 03:23

Im a wanna be artist. I am in reality a retired fire fighter who is a nurse.

Hell, now you've got two amazing opportunities for some documentary work!

pachuco

12-12-2008, 21:09

Hmm...occupation seems to imply that it is some sort of gainful employment! I've been at it full time for a few years now and it is difficult and a life style choice that is not for everyone. Money comes in spurts so you have to be careful. If you love it, there is nothing else you can do but do it.

aizan

12-12-2008, 21:36

as hermes of futurama says:

when push comes to shove
you've got to do what you love
even if it's not a good idea!

Praxis Unitas

12-26-2008, 15:41

I'm a writer and grad student, but I have used some photography to compliment my shorter published pieces.

My advice on the photography major-- study what you love, but diversify enough to leave your options open. You might be surprised to find that photography makes you a better journalist or vice versa. Also, you might be horrified to learn that you don't like photography when it becomes your 'work' instead of your pleasant hobby.

Separation between work and fun is very important to me.

Praxis Unitas

12-26-2008, 15:50

Did they have rangefinders on the periscope when you were aboard? My submarine went to an SLR on the mk18 scope! It sucked, optically, and we had to guess the range to other ships using mental trigonometry (ugh!). I longed for those elegant old rangefinders form the World War II movies!!!

cmogi10

12-26-2008, 15:59

Eh you don't need college. You just need to convince people you're good enough for them to give you money to take your pictures. ;)

mabelsound

12-26-2008, 16:11

I'm a writer and grad student, but I have used some photography to compliment my shorter published pieces.

Hey, a fellow scribbler! Praxis, you served in Iraq? In what capacity? I see you've got a book coming next year...

kkdanamatt

12-26-2008, 16:13

I studied marketing and advertising in college and during my post-grad years, but I always had part-time jobs using my photographic skills. Then I became the marketing manager for a major photographic importer in the late '60s and '70s during the hey-day of the 35mm SLR and the compact 35mm autofocus cameras. After that photo retailing became a way to combine my love of photography with a need to earn money for my family, and this continues, even today.

Now more than fifty years later, I would advise any young person to learn a skill that is marketable, but don't rely on photography to earn any real money. Very, very few can lay claim to achieving this.

topazbullet

02-06-2009, 17:19

I'm an undergrad in college, but I work part-time at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, working on digitizing 35mm archival slides of architecture

colyn

02-06-2009, 18:13

I was a Navy photographer back in the 70's. Afterward I worked in manufacturing for many years before taking retirement in 06. I now work parttime for a company that does event/sports/youth/etc photography as well as offering photo services for working photographers around the country.

Gordon Coale

02-14-2009, 22:01

I worked in photo labs in the mid 1970s and did some weddings and portraits. Went back to a job that paid enough to live on. Now I live on making camera straps. That's photography related.

sepiareverb

02-15-2009, 07:47

I've had all kinds of photo-related jobs. Started out in the darkroom of a big Dept. Store printing for newspaper ads and circulars. Shot lots of publicity & performace pics of bands through the 80's for a bunch of unknowns, record labels and magazines. Assisted editorial & commercial photogs, and printed for them and a couple of labs. Then did stock photography for a long time, had a blast till that went digital only and packed it in. I teach photography now at a state college. All along I've been making my own images, and have been moderately successful in the gallery world.

photogdave

02-15-2009, 09:43

I studied Journalism and Communications in college and immediately went to work at weekly newspapers as a reporter/photographer, sports editor and acting editor.
I climbed the ladder in a very short time and discovered that slogging it out for years at weekly papers to eventually become editor, or just to start at the bottom of a bigger ladder at daily papers, wasn't for me.
I then went out to sea and worked as a cruise ship photog for a few years. I saw the world, learned about studio lighting and color printing and saved up some good money while doing it. I quit when they tried to promote me into management. The money was too good and the job too easy - I knew I would never be able to leave.
At the dawn of the digital age I found myself traveling across the U.S. and Mexico shooting quicktime virtual tours for expedia.com and other clients. Really brutal work capturing and editing hundreds of digital images per day, every day for a couple of months at a go. I burned out on that after a while.
In between some of these gigs I've worked at photo labs, shot weddings and was even a bowling league photographer! Now I'm doing consulting in a photo/video-related business.
My three or four photography courses in journalism school has allowed me to remain steadily employed in photography-related jobs for the last 15 years or so!

martin s

02-15-2009, 10:51

Sorry to hijack this thread - are there any photojournalists amongst you guys? I'm applying for photojournalism (major) and my portfolio is due in about two weeks. If there's anyone who's willing to help me a little, _please shoot me a message, you might be able to save me from a stress induced stomach ulcer ;)

martin

colker

02-16-2009, 17:15

I worked in photo labs in the mid 1970s and did some weddings and portraits. Went back to a job that paid enough to live on. Now I live on making camera straps. That's photography related.

hey! i need a camera strap.;)

mabelsound

04-07-2009, 07:37

anabasis

04-07-2009, 07:43

I've done some freelance work and assisted a couple pros as a second shooter or plain assistant, but I would not call myself a pro.

My profession is a merchant mariner which is far removed from photography unless I need to document some injury or damage/repair.

JCA

bidnez

04-07-2009, 09:05

I´ve been working as a free lance journalist, taking my own pics (mostly) since some time in the early 80s - when I´ve not been doing radio.

colker

04-07-2009, 16:33

i am a professional photographer and i teach photography.

Vince Lupo

05-01-2009, 01:53

I've been running a commercial photography business in the Baltimore Washington area for the past 13 years. Overall doing pretty well, especially nowadays considering the economic situation.

Education-wise, I have a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Still Photography from Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA. Been into photography since I was 12.

It was interesting when I was in grad school, as most of my fellow classmates took up photography relatively late, and they all seemed to have undergrad degrees in other disciplines (Biology, English, etc). So I was the oddity because my background was primarily photography, though at Ryerson I took a lot of Psychology and Philosophy electives.

I like to think that 'formal' training helps you with your problem-solving skills, which is what much of commercial photography is, with a bit of creativity thrown in!

oldoc

05-11-2009, 09:55

My photography involves X Rays... I am a radiologist.
I like to think I recognize image quality, since I evaluated it daily.
That is why I will always be a Leica guy..

retnull

05-11-2009, 11:11

I am an art professor, but only an amateur photographer. I often am asked to give critique to grad and undergrad photography students, so it's part of my job to stay knowledgeable about contemporary fine art photography.

Darkhorse

05-11-2009, 15:41

I'm a numismatic photographer. I photograph coins... not just pocket change but stuff that can be worth millions of dollars. My company is having me do more and more video lately. I'm wondering about other ways I can branch out over the course of my career.

kievman

05-11-2009, 19:57

This has turned out to be one of the more interesting and entertaining threads that I have read on RFF in a while. It is surprising to read about all of the ways one can make money from photography! It is truly amazing! I got into photography late in my life, I didn't pick up a camera till I was 26, but shortly after that I fell deeply in love with photography and it has been my first love ever since! Often to the displeasure and pleasure of my many girl friends!!!!!!!! (some are now patrons of mine now!) After 4 years at the Univ studying photography, art and philosphy, I took the deep plunge into the world of photography as PJ for the local weeklys and dailys. I did that full time for 8 years till it got too predicable and a little boring.
Never the less it was a great ride for 5 of the 8 years and the experiences ( I photographed presidents etc, super bowls, disasters, movie stars, murder scenes, you name it!) I wouldn't trade it for a millon bucks! OK maybe 2 miillion bucks!! Unfortunately PJ is often at the bottom of the photography PaY Poop heap. But I did support myself for eight years off of my earnings and I know a number of PJ's that support families off of what they take home, so contrary to some advice found here, it is possible. I had a blast, but it was time to moved on. After hanging up my PJ hat, I went back to my first photographic love- nature- landscapes, wildlife and travel, and I am learning how to make a living off of that, and for the time being it's only a part time gig, but some day I might take it full time again. It certainly is much more interesting than selling cameras for a living, plus the benefits are much better and so is the scenery! I wish you well in your quest on deciding which path to take with you education and life and please remember- there isn't a right path or wrong path to travel thru this wondrful experience we call life- only your path, and I suggest taking the path less traveled - Michael

chut

06-08-2009, 22:53

I am an architect. I learned how to use photography as a tool to create architecture in school. We would photograph building sites and put together Hockney-esque photo collages as a visual reference. After creating building models out of cardboard, we would photograph the models to help visualize the spaces within and the forms of the exterior. And as students, we would visit important buildings and photograph them to learn from the masters. I spent a summer driving around Europe visiting and photographing some of the greatest works of architecture. Up to today, whenever I travel, I seek out the finest buildings and photograph them.

Later on, I learned about other genres of photography such as Street and Portraiture and now enjoy practicing that type of work as well.

lorenzo.ferrarini

06-08-2009, 23:25

Currently photographer for this university lab (http://www.leav.unimi.it/eng/index.html) and archivist for this archive (http://www.aess.regione.lombardia.it/index.htm).

emraphoto

06-09-2009, 17:25

I am a test mule for cheap malaria drugs

When not in a fog from mixing apo mefoquine and star beer I have been known to snap a few

Bike Tourist

06-17-2009, 02:55

I was a photographer/writer during my army career in Germany in the 1960s. I photographed for the Public Information Office and the division newspaper. Later, I always moonlighted in photography while pursuing other, more dependable, employment. Still later, I was self-employed in two simultaneous fields, one of which was photography.

Now retired, I use internet stock to generate a little extra income.

rogerchristian

06-18-2009, 19:06

Own a camera store.

Matus

06-19-2009, 03:45

It is sad, bu my aswer is "No". I did shoot a few portraits for one guy, but actually it was his friend who paid the expenses (basically one studio flash and some little stuff) so I do not take that as money I have made with photography.

But I would like to - and it is one of the driving forces (not the only one) to improve my photography. Would be nice to have a "mini-job" from time to time. But I would probably not consider to make it full time. Too far from nuclear physics ... ;)

mabelsound

06-19-2009, 05:34

Own a camera store.

I believe I just met you Tuesday morning, Roger, while visiting Iowa City--I was the guy who asked to see the Contaflexes in the window. Your store is fantastic!

blindlemon

06-19-2009, 05:50

I have my own art gallery selling mostly paintings and ceramics. I do however put a few of my own photographs on the wall. These are aimed at tourists , golden sunsets and pretty landscapes etc. it is like selling my soul to the devil but helps toward paying for the gear . ( I just sold another one as I was typing this)
A large part of my business is also as a picture framer. Recently I framed an exhibition for a group of students who are studying photography at the local art college, and to be honest , I was amazed at the appauling low standard of their work. I see better from our local amateur camera club.

blindlemon

06-19-2009, 05:51

DGA

06-22-2009, 05:32

I'm slowly making my way towards putting myself in the position of a
professional, but I cannot say I'm a photographer in profession,
as for today :(
I did have paid projects and sold some photographs, but these do not feed my family.

But I am, and continue to, work hard to getting there.

DrLeoB

09-02-2009, 08:52

I've been a Failure Analyst since the early 1970's and most of the descriptive work is with a camera/lens combo and take anywhere from 2k - 5k photos a year. Sometimes the camera body is augmented with various Macro lenses or microscopes.
It continues to amaze me how well the old glass can perform when properly setup and matched to the problem area. An especially good performer is the Leica 60mm/2.8 Macro on my Panasonic Lumix body.

MatthewThompson

09-24-2009, 03:16

I work as a photographer, though it's a grind in my area. I find myself doing a lot of graphics and layout to keep the weeks moving, even some web work.

ChrisPlatt

09-26-2009, 03:04

My first job out of technical school was in camera service at Olympus USA. I worked there for about a year.
Prior to working there I was an enthusiastic hobbyist, but for ten years after I lost interest in photography.

Chris

cnphoto

09-26-2009, 03:45

I've shot for a number of music magazines and press publications here in Sydney (4-5 years in total) stopping recently and selling all of my digital kit. Never felt an affinity with it.

I've worked for a large international photo agency / stock library for the past 12 months ( managing client accounts and developing new business).

No secondary photographic study aside from my own self-taught experiences. In my experience it was 100% of who you know and then when given a chance proving good when it comes to gaining any photographic work or job(s) too.

At the moment I'm also an 'acting photo editor' for a new e-press music magazine a friend is producing (and shooting the covers :) ).

Mephiloco

10-01-2009, 01:17

I'm in the IATSE Local 600 (cinematographer's guild) and work as an Assistant Camera. I'm slowly working my way towards becoming a director of photography.

That being said, all the still photos I take are for fun or favors to friends/family. I've never sold a shot or tried to sell a shot. I've not even gotten around to putting any of my decent shots on flickr. :)

Steve Karr

11-21-2009, 15:39

I'm a Shooter & sometimes Tech. for others ... Fun way to make a few... (sadly) bucks.

But FUN!!

SteveKarrShoots.com
SteveKarrAssists.com
SteveKarrWalksYourDog.com

NIKON KIU

12-04-2009, 14:32

I use to work in Fotomat!

http://framingham.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/fotomat1.jpg

Does that count?

Kiu

JPresley

12-04-2009, 17:24

I have done absolutely huge amounts of photography with a light microscope as part of my job (cell biology). None of it has involved a conventional camera since I was a graduate student, when I actually clipped a Nikon to the microscope that was loaded with Tri-X. I was 100% digital from 1990 to the present. Of course, none of this had to be well composed or even slightly artistic, although avoiding dead cells could be considered a good idea:D.

I shoot film and sometimes digital for fun, no other reason. I've had photos published in newspapers twice. First time, they screwed up the credit line and put my father's name :bang:. Second time, was a small community newspaper, but I did get a correct byline:).

CorreCaminos

12-04-2009, 22:38

I'm the photo editor for a motorcycle travel magazine called RIDE TEXAS Magazine; most of my work involves photo selection and post processing other photographers' pictures but I get to shoot special projects occasionally. The last month has been particularly busy and I'm shooting lots of film (no digital for me).

As one of the owners of the magazine, I'm also responsible for a lot of other stuff that's not related to photography(from supervising the ad sales force and billing to writing custom computer programs); all these other responsibilities allow me to look forward to the photo work as a fun thing to do, not just a job, which is very important to me.

ron1945

12-07-2009, 06:28

How many members have a photography related illness? ... might be more to the point! :p
i totally agree mines mostly gas,although i do see in rectangles if that counts.:)

ed1234

12-07-2009, 06:54

The only relationship between my job and photography is that my job provide the funding...

I used to work as the photo lab in Boston when I was in college, the place is call Photo Quick at 198 Tremont Street, anyone been there, is it still around, at that time the owner is Harry, very good man, but I lost his contact.

malkmata

12-07-2009, 07:49

I work as an in-house photographer for a small toy company. I shoot professional child models and toy products for packaging design, company catalog, advertising, stores display and company website. I used to work as a freelancer but I feel much secure with a full time job in this present economy. I don't have to worry about finding clients, chasing after them to get paid. Also having health and retirement benefits is very important to me.

clachnacuddin

12-07-2009, 11:58

I worked in a camera shop at 16 years old before moving into photo labs, that was 20 years ago....now I fight crime for a living!

Dwig

12-31-2009, 06:58

I spent nearly 25 years working in and managing camera specialty stores. For most of that time I was the buyer for at least a portion of the inventory and handled all of the repair work (diagnosing the "faulty" item, routing it to the proper shops if real repair was actually needed, and explaining the estimates to the customers).

After a stint as a software feature designer for Macromedia FreeHand, I now work for a sign company in Key West. My current job isn't heavily photo dependent, but I design signs and do quite a number of mockups of the designs. The mockups require a bit of shooting knowledge and a bit of Photoshop skill (a lot of PS skill when I have to work from the rather poor images of the site that the sales contact or the customer bring in).

I learned photography on my father's knee as a young child. He was a skilled amateur with good darkroom skills. By late elementary school I was doing my own darkroom work independently. I repaired my first shutter, on a Kodak Vigalant 620, in the 6th grade with only basic instructions from Dad on how to take it apart. I never had any classroom photo education. The closest I came to that was some cinema and TV courses in college when I was a film and TV major (I started college aiming for a degree in Physics).