Posted:
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Making
Money with Digital Photography and Live
Events
A
Little Initiative Leads To a Fun Career
A few years ago I became
interested in digital photography,
mainly for web publishing and personal
reasons. Do you know how nice it is to
NOT have to deal with film, scanning
pictures, and the costs of developing
all of those "not so great" photos that you
didn't know were so bad until you paid
to have them developed?
|
|
|
Related Photography
Articles |
|
|
|
About
the same time I got my first digital
camera a friend of mine was playing in a
rock band. They needed pictures for
the band's
web site to be used in promotional printings and
ads. When I first began to do their
photography, I had NO IDEA what it all
would lead to... but it eventually paved
the way for me to make a very lucrative
income in the live events industry.
Now, at the clubs my friend's band
played in, a lot of the time they would
be in a line-up of 3 bands for the
evening, of which I shot live pictures
of my friend's band's performance. Then
I got another idea: I'm here already,
usually to finish the night with the
band, so I started to take pictures of
the other bands. Afterwards, as they
were breaking down their equipment, I
introduced myself as the other bands
photographer, and explained that I liked
their music and look, and took
pictures of them also.
I got the names of the band members,
jotted down notes about which
instruments each one played, and then
got a mailing address to reach them. I
told them that I was going to print up
some proof sheets and send them to
them. All were very agreeable and
willing. And why not? It didn't cost
them a thing.
Then I printed the proof sheets and
selected three of what I thought were
the best photos. Of these, I made a little
bigger on a separate sheet and used
Photoshop to refine and enhance the
images prior to printing. I used
my little inkjet printer for all of
these photos.
I composed a form letter that I could
customize for each mailing explaining
details like:
I
would professionally print any
pictures they wanted for XXX
cost (taking into account
mailing costs, printing costs at
a local printing shop, labor for
digital enhancement, and healthy
profit margin)
The second one with the larger
images was digitally
self-enhanced
For any order I would give them
a CD with ALL of the photos in
digital form for them to use any
way they wanted
My
contact information
My
availability to book shootings
with them in the future
Now I had a form letter I could personalize and send with the proof sheets to the
band. Next, I would call them about 8 days
after I made the mailing to ask them if
they received the proof sheets and which
ones they liked. I always made
sure to tell them the ones I likes - and I
simply asked for an order.
It was amazing how well this worked and
I expanded the idea.
I would go to fund-raising events,
marathons, special events hosted by
radio station
personalities... always getting the
contact information for reaching whoever
is in charge of promotions and following
the same system!
As you go along, you realize some other
benefits to you new "business".
For example,
free
admissions and no club cover charges,
press passes, exciting opportunities to
meet
interesting people and celebrities,
discount drinks, and much more! It's
amazing what people will GIVE you, if
you just ask!
Then there are the home-business tax
deductions that are eye-opening in
themselves! Make sure to consult
your tax advisor or accounts to know how
to take advantage of these.
As soon as you can, upgrade to more
professional equipment so you can not
only "play"
the part, but also "look" the part. Print up business cards, and
put together a portfolio of your "best"
digitally-enhanced photos with all kinds
of subjects and previous shootings.
Seriously, this could turn your love for
digital photography into an exciting
lifestyle and an income that could
surpass your present one!
But then again, I know I have only just
scratched the surface with professional
digital
photography. And I'm sure you now have
just entered a "think-tank" that will
spur many more ideas for you to make
digital photography more than just a
love. Make it a great life!
About
the Author
Mark
Hamberg has been in event photography
since his freshman year of college. He
has traveled with many events and bands
including GB Leighton, Green Day and
Incubus. He mainly works out of
his home in Tampa, Florida and also
enjoys sailing when not on assignment.
