How Much Do You Make Shooting Pictures?

bland

Reading the different threads and seeing how many want or are making money being a photographer, I think it would be interesting to see how much a photographer makes on here annually, not including expenses.

I think this would be good for people to see where the money is made and were it isn't.

Myself, I shoot motorsports and concerts. With perks included I make around $5,000 a year.

jimo

Now that I am retired and can take photographs any where\anytime is priceless.

dissent

No dollars, but on rare occasions I do manage to make a few smiles.

Golf007sd

This is an easy answer for me: Big Fat Goose Egg :P

PB_PM

Since photography is not a primary source of income, I don't mind sharing. I do one or two paid gigs a year. So $500-$1000.

autofocus

I have a seven figure business. $0,000,000

sevencrossing

I am somewhat retired, so just enough to satisfy my NAS ( Nikon acquisition syndrome)

heartyfisher

I just get the perks .. ;-)

kanuck

I will earn $16,000 USD by years end stringing for 2 papers here in South Korea, and doing some occasional magazine and advertising work in Seoul. Unfortunately this is not enough to survive completely on so it will have to continue acting as a supplement to my teaching at a local college still. My dream is to get picked up fulltime by Yonhap News Agency, but it is extremely difficult to crack just like back home.

I am pretty happy with my current state of affairs because I never would have gotten my foot in the door in the business had I remained in Canada. A lot of unique opportunities can be had for anyone willing to chase their dreams abroad. Too much competition from great photographers like you guys in North America.

South Korea has a lot of great artists too, but they are more willing to give a foreigner a shot it seems.

Msmoto

I am about $25,000-50,000 in the red......depending on how one looks at the figures......oh, no wait, that is called a hobby...LOL

Rx4Photo

For me, this started as, and still is, a hobby. Fortunately, word of mouth has come into play and I've now got 2 paid gigs on the books in the next 4 months. That would come to $1500 USD. In addition to those I've volunteerd to shoot pro bono for a Kids Safety Fair next month. Lots of moms with their kids & families will be there.....hmmmm

proudgeek

I once sold two photos for a grand total of $700. That puts me only slightly in the red when the cost of equipment, time, opportunity cost, and other costs are factored in.

Vipmediastar_JZ

Same here couple paid gigs a year

I am somewhat retired, so just enough to satisfy my NAS ( Nikon acquisition syndrome)

That's been me since 1995. Started as a teenager shooting film at the car shows. In 2007 picked up a d80 doing everything to learn the art. From there on a gig or two to pay for the next piece of equipment.
Last weeks shoot I was -20 parking -20 dinner plus -on gas. It was a practice session to see how I did technically and also my personality.
I got good feedback from the volunteer. I need to compliment more often and be less shy she said.

My goal for this year is to hook up with a makeup artist for weddings and book portraits by next year.
So for now everything has been a learning experience and a costly one too.

I have also sold a few photos.

Last year due to unexpected complications during my wife's pregnancy and expenses I was a little short on money. Furtunately I had scored a gig for an album. That helped with the money flow but it also was a difficult experience with the client.

Symphotic

Enough to cover the costs of the equipment. I finished a job for the Navy. If I pull out the time that was used for photography and post and factor that out of the total invoice I suppose I have enough to buy another lens, but not a 300 f/2.8. I'm with msmoto: over the long run I'm in the red, but my current cash flow is adequate enough to justify buying bits and pieces of new gear here and there.

I couldn't do what I do for a living without shooting pictures, but I can't make a living just shooting pictures.

fishguy

My annual income from images varies wildly. I use my images to illustrate magazine articles and books that I write. Typically, I get $25 to $50 per image for a total of about $400 per year + royalties for the text itself.
The contracts for the images are poor: they get permanent, non-exclusive rights to the images, but they don't want images that you've sold anywhere else before.
Back when I was shooting slides, the pay was the same AND they would return the slides to me! Digital photography has certainly cheapened my field -- anyone with an I phone and a fish tank can undercut me.

~Fishguy

kyoshinikon

Anywhere between $300-$2500 a month... It really varies for me....

bland

After reading all of these comments I think it's easy to say we shoot for the love of photography and make our living elsewhere!

kyoshinikon

I love it but as Fishguy said it is getting hard. I do graphic design too to keep my living. Last month was a good photo month with over 2K in profit. This month I am anticipating to be slower... Even If I wasn't making part of my living off it I would still be out with a camera...

TaoTeJared

Feast or famine for me - finally went full time and I have had months at $5k+ and others at $500.

I actually read an article that gave the "average" for (registered business/tax paying) photographers in the states at $24k/year which seems about right. I keep bumping into more and more who trade services and push money around to keep their personal income low to cover the Family bills. Depending where you are at and the type of photography you do, that can really swing majorly in any direction - on any given year. It also depends on a person's costs. One photog I have gotten to know had a $100k/yr income from his business - nice studio, all the lights, camera's etc. who is now working part time (30+hrs) at a photo shop. He lost everything due to business drying up when the economy tanked and then got dragged into bankruptcy which kept his focus away from getting work. Someone mentioned that he didn't pay taxes either. I have heard a lot of stories like that where photogs (and other small businesses) do not to the correct business practices and roll it under their own personal finances and finely it all catches up with them. If you are under $10,000 per year (on your best year) you are probably fine and my accountant said as long as you are under 40% of your total income the IRS doesn't look too hard. But none of that matters if your expenditures are way over your profit and you are carrying a lot of debt.

Benji2505

After reading all of these comments I think it's easy to say we shoot for the love of photography and make our living elsewhere!

We are successful in our jobs so we can afford a frustrating hobby ...
:-c

NSXTypeR

Diddly squat, haha.

I'd probably be one of the worst photographers in the business as I refuse to edit my shots. Okay, I do the occasional crop and white balance adjustment, but that's about it.

Msmoto

There are a few folks who are making money in the industry. And, some are good sales persons and less blessed with photographic skills. And some are extremely talented photographers. But...

I attended a presentation by a so called "expert" and before the show I was discussing my experiences years ago, and asked who his clients were.....well, some very big names came up. When i checked his website, the only images were of marginal quality and his client list had no names I had ever heard of. His presentation was mostly smoke and mirrors, almost nothing of any photographic quality. Yet, this individual has workshops where presumably folks pay good money to attend.

My conclusion is that snake oil is still for sale.

proudgeek

Not to bash him, but a certain photographer that we all love to hate seems to manage to feed his "growing family" through photography. I've looked at a lot of the stuff on his site and I can think of numerous contributors on NRF whose work is far better. I'd venture to guess that he doesn't make his money selling pictures, but rather from selling advice on how to take pictures.

spraynpray

It is the new photography business - telling the hoards of snapper how to get great shots then how to process them followed by how to market them. Seems kinda dumb on one hand, but then what else can you do if there isn't a conventional professional photography business anymore?

I know a lady who knows right next door to nothing about the technical side of photography (can't un-box and set-up studio lights), she uses her camera in P for professional mode, and yet has blagged the local council into paying her to shoot shots for local tourism.

It seems 'front' beats skill any day.

sevencrossing

Not to bash him, but a certain photographer that we all love to hate seems to manage to feed his "growing family" through photography..

KR does make money from photography; he is professional Blogger who writes about photography.
Using photography in your profession can certainly pay

obajoba

I recently "sold" my first photo to a major wakeboard manufacturer for their 2014 catalog. My compensation was a wakesurf board and travel bag (retail value ~$600.) That aside, I've not made a single dime. So I guess I am about $20k in the red.