>>4467257
I do mostly weddings, but also adjacent stuff like engagement, family, boudoir, branding
First paid stuff was senior portraits and small concerts / events

>>4467261
How'd you get into boudior? That seems in stark contrast to weddings and family photos, so I don't see how you'd connect to that kind of clientele through those.

>>4467257
I have tried it but I discovered that I will lose my passion for photography if I keep doing this shit so I stopped doing it.

>>4467263
Boudoir is commonly done as a gift to a new husband, it goes hand in hand with wedding photography. It's pretty common and not as salacious for most as you'd think.

>>4467281
I think it depends on what kind of photography you enjoy and what the job is. For doing real estate, I never did anything like it prior, so it was a form of photography I had no previous interest or experience in.

>>4467282
Really? So at some point the wife just emails and says "btw I want some lewds for my husband"? Odd but I kinda get it, I just wouldn't of figured it was so common.
Is boudoir exclusively tied with the wedding world then?

>>4467625
Redpill me on real estate photography

>>4467695
What would you like to know?

>>4467696
How to get your foot in the door? From where do you start?

>>4467704
Basically just try and build up a portfolio of your own (even abandoned buildings can work, it's about showing your understanding), then take a look for entry level roles in your city. Most real estate agents use established companies that have teams of photographers and editors, nobody does the whole thing alone, as the volume would be too high for one person (turnover for some properties is literally same day or very next morning in most cases).

Upskill yourself in everything Adobe too (including video) as that's what every company will be using.

>>4467707
Can you post some example of great real estate photography? Or can you give me a link to a website which uploads that sort of work?

Thanks anon

>>4467708
Unironically just go on Zillow and look at listings for really nice houses, not crap shacks, as agents will tend to only hire photographers for the really good listings that need to stand out.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/11502-Keeley-Ct-Orlando-FL-32837/46143051_zpid/?imxlb=g,9

Here's a pretty good example. You'll also always be doing HDR, it's a standard in real estate since people want to feel like its a well lit space, so strong shadows are a complete faux pa.

>>4467709
I can pull it off. I do have formal photos of buildings exactly like these. I think I am going to straight up apply, kek.

>>4467710
Yeah just go for it bro, make sure to attach some examples of your work to the application and you'll do fine. They constantly get applications from no-photos and they just trash those immediately.
Oh and people skills, emphasize those. You'll be constantly talking with agents and home owners and need to be good with people.

>>4467711
>need to be good with people.
OOF, this is the department where I lack. But I am going to shoot my shot. Thanks anon.

>>4467720
If you've ever worked in anything that involves people (even just at Wal-Mart), you're good. You don't need to be some master salesman, you just have to not be a massive autist (being slightly autistic is okay though since that is just a part of photography).

>>4467257
> real estate photographer
are there any other photography jobs? this is the only one that comes to mind besides taking pictures of fashion models

>>4470477
news papers maybe although I get the distinct feeling the journalists just use their phone these days

>>4467696
Roughly how well does retail photography pay and do you have to travel a lot for the job? It feels like the ind of job where you'd need to constantly be on your feet visiting houses

>>4467625
>>4467263
Realizing I never replied, but the other anon is correct, most come from weddings.
Often they'll schedule something beforehand to have a printed book available as a surprise gift for an album. I've done one the morning of too, basically as part of the "getting ready". Otherwise, usually done as a gift for husband's birthday or anniversary present.
Weddings are great because you can get engagement, wedding, anniversary, maternity, family, etc all from one client. Weddings themselves also offer about the best opportunities from word of mouth you can get, from both clients and other vendors.

>>4470555
During the trainee/probationary period, it pays utter dogshit but then improves once that period is over (likely to weed out people that don't give a fuck about photography or the hours needed). It's definitely not a massive high paying job ever after that and you're on your feet the majority of the time, but I guess it depends on how you feel about driving a lot, walking a lot and carrying a camera on a tripod for about 8 or 9 hours a day. I started to lose some weight doing it which was nice and depending on your schedule, you can take an hour or two for lunch (not paid obviously but it's good to rest between jobs).

As far as travel, there can be a lot of driving, which is fine since you get paid for all the time it takes to travel anywhere. I've done some jobs where it was an almost 3 hour round trip and I was paid for every minute of it, and the actual job itself was just the basics of bedrooms, kitchen/living, bathrooms and the front of house photo.

School photographer here
Oh yeah, you don't need me to confirm it but absolutely it sucks. But the facilitation involved in getting freelance clients is even worse for me.
That said, I'm glad I get to take portraits and I get to be semi-creative sometimes. I don't like nature/landscape/still-life photography as much, the human body and face are the most interesting possible photos to take for me.
I'm torn on the whole getting-to-work-with-kids thing. It keeps me young and can be very fun, but then of course, it can also be utterly infuriating, and you're always at the absolute bottom of the list of people the school cares about on any given day.
Also, I rarely think about photography outside of work. I love it and respect it, but I want to be a filmmaker really, so I almost never find myself taking photos for fun. Only at those fleeting times I really want to get serious about improving.

It's been my job the past 15 or so years, over the past couple years though I've cut out the wedding work that I was becoming less and less fond of, and replaced it with more video work in the non-profit real estate / development space, and that's been going great. I'm procrastinating finishing an edit right now actually. But last year my income from videography crossed over to being more than my income from stills, so I'm chasing that growth because I think there's potential for a higher ceiling there. My stills work has gone from mainly corporate event capture, think conventions and conferences, to more headshots / portraiture and brand identity work, so more in the lifestyle space. I've been trying to level up my lighting capabilities and that's beginning to pay dividends.

Number one thing is never get complacent, always focus on improving your skills and equipment. For a long time I didn't spend enough on my camera bodies, in part because I wasn't making that much, but I think it partially held me back because I was missing good shots because of poor autofocus and yadda yadda yadda. Getting a pro body meant there was no longer any excuse for blaming poor capture on bad technology. Now I have the best and only myself to blame. But legit the photos are better also and I have more time to focus on making good imagery.

I think having it as a job is diminishing my enjoyment. Instead of loading up my gear on the weekend to drive around and see what I find, now it's just what I do every weekday and I'm pretty sick of it.

>>4475868
My job has lately been leaving me too exhausted and impatient to bring the camera out like I used to. I don't like feeling like I'm bringing the bag out of obligation, but I also can't use it if I don't have it with me.

>>4475869
It's a bit of that too. I have a small bag that has just the camera, but even then I second guess grabbing it and think "Will I actually bother to take photos or will it just sit in the car again?" and leave it at home. My free time ends up only being used for shopping or maybe seeing friends (and even that is just to vaguely maintain a social circle).

I kind of want to just find some other job and make photography my hobby again, or even just have it as an occasional job thing. Doing it full time hasn't been what I thought it would be.

>>4467257
I did, & it got boring AF. Then I pressed all my contemporaries to see what disciplines they were interested in personally outside of work. Only one actualky did photography at all outside of work, and she just shoots & prints large format macro shots of flowers. Yawn. Everyone, and I mean EVERY ONE, said if you want to pursue photo as an art, don’t do it professionally bc it absolutely kills your passion when it’s your day job. I followed their advice & do not regret it at all.

>>4475928
What did you do exactly? I'm starting to think I should drop it and get something normal. I've been trying to go out and do photos for fun lately, but I'm just not feeling it like I used to and it feels like a chore.

>>4467709
The pictures look like CGI

>>4475963
It's the poor use of HDR. Using HDR is standard in real estate photos, but not everyone implements it in a nice way.

File: chrome_vVcri81mli.png (1.64 MB, 1730x1152)

1.64 MB PNG

>>4467709
>that layout

wtf

>>4476430
I imagine it's a blind wall to make the dinning party feel fancier/less distracted but it's done in a very small place it might as well break the harmony, doesn't help the fancy chandelier is in the kitchen spot either

>>4476430
There are some real weird places around. Last week I photographed a place where downstairs just had two bedrooms and one bathroom but the upstairs was a bedroom, big bathroom, massive kitchen and massive living room. There was no reason for it either, it was a completely normal looking two story from outside and was just weirdly designed inside.

>>4467257
I work in commercial photography for almost a year but ended up quitting and going back to a normie job. Like others have said, it starts to zap your enjoyment of photography. I probably only took my camera out for fun maybe 2 times during my entire tenure since I just didn't feel like going out and taking more photos after spending the whole work week taking photos.

I think the only photography job that might be enjoyable is one that is very creative (cars, models etc) while anything like products, buildings, real estate etc would be more for someone that doesn't have much interest in photography to begin with.

Almost nobody works in photography on /p/? Fascinating kek

>>4484716

I did, but I am retired now.

>barely any posts from people that work as photographers
kek so nobody on /p/ is a pro then

>>4484716
I did, and unless you are masochistic or soulless enough to live traveling between major shitties it is a hobby-ruining middling to low income "job" that splits the difference between customer service and the light trades (painting and stuff)

Most successful people benefited from nepotism as well. Many steins bergs mans and witzes.

>>4484716
Did some contract retail and property shit but quickly realised I dont want photography to be my job

Paid photogs are on e-z mode: Comp'd gear so you get whatever is needed even if it's expensive and big. Standards are relatively low since everything is set by policy and standardised (i.e just don't fuck up exposure. Set lighting equipment here and here. Take X amount of photos from X angles etc.).
Paid photogs are the least sovlful photogs you could ask for. Maybe an exception can be made for nat geo stuff since it's relatively impressive some of the stuff these guys can produce but most of the time they're freelancers anyway from what I know.

Anyway. 4 dollars a pound.

>>4485449
>it is a hobby-ruining middling to low income "job" that splits the difference between customer service and the light trades
Real estate felt that way. Soulless and ruined my interest in photography, I didn't touch my personal gear for months when I started since I didn't want to go out and take photos anymore. Absolute garbage pay too, you'd make more money bussing tables at a fucking Denny's.

>>4485450
There’s this cult on the internet that tells people
>u haf to be a profeshunal
If they dare want gear that doesn’t easily get mogged by a phone more than 2 stops past base ISO so sadly people keep trying to enter this shitty oversaturated field

If you like portraits do those as a side gig. Nothing else. No one here likes social climbing and all the narcissistic and sociopathic games it involves so forget fashion and "real art". Photography is a hobby first and foremost.

>>4485455
>shitty oversaturated field
This applies to so many fields that people would "love" to work in, and photography is a great example of it.
It's oversaturated because being paid to take photos 95% of the time requires nothing more than "click the button, anon". I'm starting to think any moderately interesting field/job draws these mediocre morons to them by simple viture of the fact they they're unqualified and unskilled but want something other than a retail job.

Photography is a hobby that supplements other hobbies/events* that you go through in life. Even if you claim to like tinkering with manual cameras or developing film or whatever, they're seperate hobbies. Photography itself cannot be sustained on its own.

>>4467257
Why the fuck would I want to ruin a good thing by going pro? I already did it with digital arts and in 10 years ran into ground what I once loved. I hate it now. Fuck no. Never.

PS. Wedding photographers have to be the biggest bunch of self-hating masochists out there. Why can't you just love yourself and be good to yourself? Let it go, you're a worthy human. Stop it.

>>4488726
best advice on this board. never turn your hobby/passion into a career. you will fucking hate it (with a passion lol). been there, done that.

>>4488755
It's funny how so many gurus and people in your life say to make your job your hobby. Same thing with cars too, I knew a guy that loved cars and then fucking hated them and never did shit to his own car ever again after he started working as a mechanic. He let his car pretty much rot because he couldn't stand doing what he already did for work as an after work project.

>>4488758
Entry/mid level jobs require you to sell your soul to excel spreadsheets or lung cancer for pennies over minimal legal wage with unpaid overtime. Anything that can get you away from today's hellish market is desired

>>4489009
>he thinks the photography/filmography industry isn't also soul crushing or pays more than pennies
Lol

>>4489141
I meant that market of regular jobs is so unbearable to people any escape plan is giving them hope. that means escaping right into the trap of even more competitive and ungrateful industry or hell of getting contracts for small buisness survival

>>4489179
Gotcha. Same thing I did, I was in a normie regular job and jumping into a full time professional photography job sounded like a dream come true, but it just meant getting fucked in pay and essentially being told I was really lucky and other people dream of getting the job.
I've no doubt they replaced in me in seconds but who knows how long the new guy will last, the industry rotates through normal people fast while only the people who are willing to be shit on will remain.

>>4488755
/thread

>>4475870
This reminds of when I worked in a guitar store for many years. Every time I met a colleague who stopped working there, they all said "I love playing guitar again!"
It was the same for me. The last thing you want to do after working in a guitar store all day is pick up a guitar.
I have a job opportunity right now to start doing video work for a car company where I'd be doing Top Gear style videos for their social media, but I'm worried it'll end up being the same with music. Although to be fair I was trying to make music my job and photo/video has always just been a hobby to me outside of some small jobs here and there.

Still, I don't really work in an office environment sitting down all day and doing something I enjoy for potentially less pay is better than the opposite to me.

>>4488726
Wedding photography can be extremely lucrative in the right location. I'm sure there's a lot of competition in the field, but look at Utah as an example if you're in America. Hot spot for weddings.
A lot of the guys who get $10k for a wedding use ai to cull their photos, slap a preset over the rest, upload them to a gallery page (where the couple can also buy prints of the photos from a third party so they don't even have a hand in that either) and call it a day.
They do put in a lot of hours on the wedding day, but still.. Their use of technology saves them a shit ton of time

>>4488755
>>4488758
Work is fucking work. Its name is self explanatory, no one is going to pay you to do things that suck (ie require effort). Unless you're the rare lucky one no one's going to pay you to frolick with a camera whenever you damn please. Even the most laid back job that doesn't optimize productivity out of your suffering is going to have shit moments.
The meta for normal people is and has always been finding the most tolerable day job possible to support your hobbies after you clock out. It's either that or eating shit as an underpaid photographer hoping to get to that 0.0001% with recognition someday.

>>4495499
What about that saying "pick what you love and you'll never work a day in your life"
I think I got it wrong, but it's definitely achievable for normal dweebs like us and not just people born into luxury.
I've done both office work for better pay and hobby as work for lower pay and while the better pay was nice, the other scenario gives you more joy in life. You don't just live to work.
There's of course lots of pros and cons in both scenarios, so I'm not being oblivious.

>>4495490
You'll probably be alright if the video thing was only secondary or sort of a passing interest, while you'd be completely fucked if it was your main hobby. I think your job also being your main off the clock hobby leads to issues probably because the line between your work life and personal life vanishes as a result of combining it.

>>4495499
>The meta for normal people is and has always been finding the most tolerable day job possible to support your hobbies after you clock out.
I realized that after going through what it seems like everyone in this thread went through. My job is just there to pay the bills and it doesn't interfere with the enjoyment of my hobbies in any way.

>>4495507
>What about that saying "pick what you love and you'll never work a day in your life"
I think this thread sort of shits on that idea considering all the stories seem to say the same thing about how much that idea sucks in practice. I used to believe it myself but no way will I do it again.

>>4495580
I hear it a lot from people who turn their hobby into their work, but I also hear from a lot of people that. Coming more from the music world, the people I know that have become successful were all people who just couldn't do anything else. It had to be a borderline unhealthy obsession to make you work through the hard times. Video and photography work seems a lot more universal and easier to make a living from than music. I also think MANY aspects of the photography world is AI proof. It'll be years before you can just slap a camera on a drone and say "take photos of this wedding/event/concert" etc.
I'm not saying the anons sharing stories here aren't telling the truth either. I said the last thing I wanted to do was play guitar when I got home too, although my job was to sell guitars and instruments, it wasn't to actually play/write/record music.
But still, on this site you need to take it with about a million grains of salt from so many angry and bitter people here with zero positive mindset.
I've come across so many people whining with absolutely horrible and negative mindsets about life only looking for approval and then CONSTANTLY shoot down any advice or pats on the shoulder you give them.
Anyway, I'm pointlessly rambling now.

>>4495588
I meant to say that I also hear people say the thing about doing what you love makes you not consider it work.
But then again, I heard rockstars say that life also turns into a day job sometimes.

>>4495588
>I've come across so many people whining with absolutely horrible and negative mindsets about life
Not me, I went in as bright eyed as you can imagine and I couldn't wait to get started. To me, it was the dream come true and nothing could sway me from it. Then after about 6 months I was feeling total misery and my personal gear gathered dust in a closet, and my girlfriend really noticed how my camera never appeared on any vacations anymore.

It can be this way for musicians as well. There was a pretty infamous Scottish band in the 80s that recorded a stellar debut album and it was played in record shops to show off the sound quality of products, as it was made with pure and meticulous love. When they got a label deal and a follow up was demanded, all the drive disappeared as they kept getting squeezed for more tracks and more progress. The label gave up on them eventually and when the pressure to make more vanished, they put an album together in just a month from scratch and it was even better received than the debut.

That's something I think about a lot with anything creative. The best results are when people are left to their own devices, while pressure and things having to be a certain way ends with disappointing results for all involved. Popular musicians discographies are plagued with cases like this where it's obvious some albums exist just to meet obligations.

>>4495684
That's a smart observation. Productivity culture is 150 years old now, and while it works for some things, it utterly fails for a lot more. People don't grasp that economic booms have been built on lies and money stolen from future generations. That made it look like really broken things were working great. Music is a great example. Photography is trickier.
In all cases civilization went from prioritizing morality to prioritizing physical results, so everything non-immediate became twisted and results are more important than humans, who are supposed to benefit from them in the first place!

>>4495684
Yeah, you can't force creativity and it's good to also know when to quit or at least give it a rest. Not everyone becomes successful, even people who work extremely hard for it, so it's good to know when to quit so you don't kill your passion at the same time.
That being said, I still hear a lot of people (especially here, because let's face it, you're not where you want to be in life if you're here) who do nothing but whine, bitch and talk down to people who have the drive to give it a shot. I'm just saying life isn't so fucking grim and some people do succeed too. So do what you can to make sure it's you when you have the time/means to pursue it.

Creative and documentary aspects of photography are basically polar opposites. You can't force creativity, but you can still have a decent living as a photographer being a "documentary" photographer (weddings, events, gigs, journalism etc.)
Like with music. I don't like playing cover songs, but when I have writer's block or just don't have any creative juices, then I can still find fun in playing some cover tunes. Learn some new styles and stuff. You can always evolve.

I forgot to add
>>4495684
>The best results are when people are left to their own devices, while pressure and things having to be a certain way ends with disappointing results for all involved
Sometimes yeah, but not always. Necessity is the mother of all invention or breeds creativity or however that quote goes. It's very true. Some people stall and get burnt by pressure, while others find a way to meet the deadline or demands in a creative way they simply wouldn't have thought of if they just had to sit in their room for five years.
But it also depends on the individual how you best work, although being a hermit will make it difficult for somebody to actually get paid jobs or any jobs no matter how good you are.

>>4495739
I'm very glad I gave I tried it, as I'd forever wonder what could've been. It didn't work out but it also means I can move on and find something new, with my love for photography and cinematography being retained. It did take a little time to pick it up again after leaving but I'm feeling good about it all again.

I don't want to put people off making it their job; but just politely warn that it might not be all it's cracked up to be and it's definitely not for everyone. I really don't know where I want to be career-wise now either but I'll just work a day job while I figure it out.

>>4495740
>Some people stall and get burnt by pressure, while others find a way to meet the deadline or demands in a creative way
I think there's confusion about pressure or deadlines being the same as limitations. When dealing with just what tools you have, that can breed a lot more creativity than if you had all the tools in the world. And in those circumstances, I'd still expect everyone under no pressure from someone else would produce better results whether they're limited by their equipment or have everything they'd ever need. Someone above pressing you to get something done by a deadline rarely has the best results and that's something seen constantly with things like cars, tech, movies and videogames where the time crunch leads to issues that could've been avoided with just a little more time.

I think there probably was a time where the balance was just right for pressure and limitations, but the last 20 years or so have just had things like videogames for example being pushed out before they were ready because executives wanted to make returns for stock holders and get things out for the holiday season.