I didn't realize how long it's been since I've last blogged. Things have been busy so I have completely neglected blogging, which is a good thing right? Maybe not... I must admit, before I started reading, and putting in entries on Active Rain, I would hardly see my Real Estate Photography company in the top 10 spots, heck, not even on the first page of Yahoo or Goole search engines. Since that point in time, I've come to find that we'll be in the top 5 almost at all times. I feel a great deal of gratitude goes out to the whole AR community, so thank you Active Rain-ers!!!
Now, here's a question for some of you photographers: Do you do RE photography in addition to other gigs? Such as weddings, special events, corporate events, etc...? I know there are many "entrepreneurs" out there who picked up a camera for the first time because you saw the craigslist ad for a "Photographer needed ~ no experience required!!!" So if that is you, and you added event photography, how are you balancing? To the photographers who added I'm just curious as to how many photographers out there added RE photography to their existing repertoire.
~Curious
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;)
Well, 22 years ago I majored in Photography (Latin for "Writing With Light") and started my own business. I did weddings, corporate events, model portfolios, custom portraiture, school portraits, etc. I had my own dark room and business was okay until someone (Martha Stewart maybe) told people not to spend thousands of dollars on Wedding photography. By placing those disposable cameras on all of the tables at the reception, everyone was supposed to snap away and by doing so, it would create much of the wedding album material. Sort of like that thing where you put 100 monkeys in a room with typewriters and eventually they will bang out some Shakespeare.
Since the weddings were the most lucrative part of my business providing the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time, it was a huge hit to my wallet. Add to that the beginning of the digital photography age, and I was behind the eight ball a bit. I still have much of my film equipment, but digital has improved vastly. As for my realty business, on average I spend 90 minutes shooting a property (with lights). I've picked up a few side jobs from colleges that may be short on time to do their own photos, but as a rule I am not in the photography business anymore. I've even been so busy lately as to find the need to hire someone to shoot properties for me.
Bottom line, if you have the talent and the time, you are missing out on some income potential if you don't explore paying photo gigs outside of your niche market. You've got the equipment, so get that NFL sideline press pass for the Falcons home games.