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How to Make $500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

09 Jul

I am an amateur photographer, but I make around $ 500 in revenue from my photos each month. Photography is a hobby for me, but it can be an expensive hobby at times. This money pays for photography software, computer hardware, and lenses, so the hobby I love doesn’t cost a dime. This article will discuss how I did this with microstock, and provide tips on how you can do the same.

How to Make $ 500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

Making your first buck

In 2010, I wanted to improve my photography so I purchased an entry-level DSLR and started to actively study how to become a better photographer, mainly from resources on the internet. As I tried different techniques, compositions, and camera settings, I posted my photos to sites like Flickr, Facebook, and 500px. In the beginning, I didn’t get very many views or likes but still enjoyed posting and learning from other photographer’s photos on those sites.

After shooting, learning, and posting for two and a half years, a design company saw a photo of mine on Flickr and asked if they could purchase a commercial license. I did a couple of quick searches about licensing and pricing on the internet, then sold my first commercial license for $ 75. This is the first photo I ever licensed.

How to Make $ 500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

Pay for your hobby

Before this first sale, I hadn’t considered selling licenses to my photos. However, I had gotten to the point where I wanted to upgrade my entry level DSLR and lenses to a full frame system but couldn’t justify the cost for my hobby. However, I could justify the cost to myself (and my wife) if the money for the upgrade came from licensing my existing photos.

Microstock

So, I started researching photo licensing and learned about microstock sites. These sites are websites that act as an intermediary between buyers of photo licenses and photographers. They are called “micro” because they typically sell photo licenses for less than where professional photographers have historically set their prices.

As a result, there is a lot of negative information about microstock sites on the Internet. Despite this negative information I decided to try posting my photos on Shutterstock, one of the most popular microstock sites. At the time, I had only made one sale ever so I felt that getting a small payment for each sale was better than no payment at all.

The first month I made less than $ 10 with 55 photos accepted by Shutterstock. However, I kept uploading my photos when I had time. A monthly later I had 100 photos on the site. In my third month, I checked my stats one morning and found I made $ 56 dollars from selling extended licenses from these two photos.

How to Make $ 500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

A work in progress – keep at it

This was a bit of beginner’s luck because after that I didn’t have a day with more than $ 50 in sales for many more months. But it kept me motivated to continue uploading my photos to Shutterstock and even upload to multiple other microstock sites as well.

I also started uploading my better photos to art-on-demand sites like Fine Art America. These sites allow you to upload your photos, set a price, and create a storefront for anyone to purchase prints of your photos. When someone purchases the art, these sites handle the payment, printing, and shipping of the photo and send you money from the sale.

Lastly, I upgraded my photo blog to sell licenses directly from my website. Despite the fact that my photos are available on all the popular microstock sites, stock photo buyers continue to see my photos on social media and purchase licenses directly from my website.

How to Make $ 500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

Realistic numbers – don’t expect to get rich

Two years after my first photo license sale, my monthly revenue from photos was about $ 500 a month. This $ 500 is an average, with my biggest month was $ 1400, while some months have been lower. Now that my photos have been posted, they can continue to get sales indefinitely. In 2016, I did not have much time for photography and only posted eight photos over the course of the year. However, I still averaged $ 460 a month in revenue from the photos I had posted in previous years.

These revenue numbers are for all the photos I have posted online. I only post my best photos from each day out shooting. My current online portfolio of all my photos is around 700 total. Microstock sites don’t accept all of my images, so on some of the sites, I only have 300 photos accepted and up for sale there. Doing the math, my photos earn less than $ 1 a month on average (per photo). And in reality, it is even less because I have one photo that has earned over $ 4000 over the years, while others have gotten no sales.

How to Make $ 500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

However, I am fine with this because I take the photos I want to take and then post to stock sites to see if they sell. Photography is still a hobby and the pleasure it gives me comes first, making money is secondary. Often, the photos I like best are not the best sellers on microstock sites. For example, I prefer the photo of me and my shadow below because I really enjoyed making it, but the snapshot I took of a split trail while on a hike, sells much better.

How to Make $ 500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

What sites work best

Although I have posted a portion of my collection to over 20 sites over the years, all of these sites can be categorized into one of two types; microstock and art-on-demand. 75% of my photography revenue has come from microstock sites, while only 8% came from art-on-demand sites. The remaining 17% is through direct sales from my photography website.

I have tried a number of art-on-demand sites over the years but currently only post to Fine Art America because it is the only site where my images consistently sell. I have also tried many microstock sites. Typically, if I hear of a new one, I will upload 100 of my best photos to begin. If I start to get sales, then I will upload the rest of my collection. Here are my top five microstock sites based on earnings. I currently only post to these five sites as I have found the other ones aren’t worth the time it takes to post the photos.

Shutterstock
500px
Fotolia / Adobe Stock
123RF
Big Stock Photo (Owned by Shutterstock)

How to Make $ 500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

Last tips for you

If you are an amateur photographer who wants to make additional revenue from photo licenses, here are the steps you can take:

Post your photos to social sites. My favorite is 500px, but I have also started posting to Instagram, and I still post to Flickr, which was my favorite a couple of years ago.
Setup your own photography blog. My blog does not get as many photo views as my social sites, but all my social sites link back to my photo blog. It makes it easy for potential buyers to purchase licences if they see them on social media. I used Squarespace for my blog because it was easy to set up in one day.
Upload photos to Shutterstock. Most microstock photographers who post their revenue on the web list Shutterstock as a top earner. So it is likely that if your photos will sell, they will sell on Shutterstock more than other sites, making it a good place to start.
Upload photos to other stock sites. Once you see some success on Shutterstock then go ahead and post your top photos to other microstock sites.

How to Make $ 500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

Conclusion

It has been seven years since I decided to take photography seriously and I have improved a lot over the years. However, I still have a lot to learn, but these days the software, courses, and gear that help me make photos are all paid for by revenue from the sale of photo licenses, rather than out of the family budget from my day job.

NOTE from the dPS team: Check out our Going Pro Kit with more stock photo success tips and other ways to make money through your photography

The post How to Make $ 500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock by James Wheeler appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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10 Reasons Why Photography is a Great Hobby

06 Apr

People start doing photography (versus taking snaps or selfies) for many reasons. It might be a major life event coming up – new baby, wedding, special birthday – or that overseas trip saved up for over many years. It might be that the capabilities of your phone frustrate you enough to want to get real about photography. However it happens, suddenly you find yourself with an empty bank account and some form of camera gear that you now need to figure out how and where and maybe even, why to use it.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

10 Reasons why photography is a great hobby

Recording events and capturing memories
Have fun
Learning is good for the brain
Health and fitness
Creativity
Travel
Meet new people
Join a photographic community
Develop a personal style
It’s all about the light

#1 Recording events and memories

Photography allows you to create images of events, times, and places. To both record what happened and allow you to share them with friends and family, either in digital format or more permanently with prints or photo books. By being able to capture a special moment in time, you carry the memory of that event forward with you, allowing you to share it and remember it with those that were there. Those memories become part of your history, perhaps family lore, not just stories passed down through the generations – but images as well. As the popular idiom says, “A picture is worth a thousand words”.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

Memorable moment capturing the rare NZ Falcon

#2 Have fun

So much fun can be had with a camera. You could be out with the family at the beach or a picnic, local sports games, randomly roaming your city streets photographing strangers without them noticing, stalking wildlife, hiking up a mountain for a stunning view, or standing under the stars at 2 a.m. watching the Milky Way slowly move across the heavens. So many opportunities to do new, interesting, and fun things with your camera that you likely may not have otherwise done.

All sorts of things become interesting when they can provide you with material for photographic adventures. Cultural festivals, parades, sports events, a wander along the beach, exploring parts of your city previously undiscovered, architectural details on buildings, intricate details of flowers, people watching, difficulties of photographing wildlife, meeting people who have different interests and hobbies – just for a few ideas. Most people are willing to share their passion with you if you take some time to talk to them. There are endless opportunities for photographic inspiration – even the contents of your fridge or pantry can be fascinating when viewed through a macro lens. All you need to do is make an effort to look.

Hanging out with the zombies at a Zombie Run event.

#3 Learning a new skill is good for your brain

Research has shown that learning a new skill helps the brain and improves memory, and the more difficult the skill, the more improvement you get. Coupled with exercise, these two things are considered important for long-term brain health and neuroplasticity. Studies show that slower learning over time helps build strong new linkages within the brain.

New knowledge will accumulate over time, as you keep putting effort into learning a new skill. Given that photography has so many elements, the science of light, the technology of the camera and the creative artistic side, there is a lot to learn. So whatever your age, now is the perfect time to start learning photography.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

#4 Health and fitness

Getting out of the house, walking about, or even hiking is often a side-effect of getting into photography. If you are into landscapes then you have to go to where the landscape scenes are, and that often means some form of exercise. Once you have enough camera gear – likely a body, some lenses, and a tripod – it can weigh a reasonable amount and you will need a bag of some kind to carry it comfortably if you are traveling any reasonable distance.

Some people prefer a more gentle form of exercise – for health or mobility reasons. Others may prefer multi-day hikes into stunning mountain scenery. Mountain biking, horseback riding, kayaking and similar sports are often popular modes of transport to get you to a new landscape and allow for photography along the way.

Camera gear is heavy, so it’s important to be aware of any health or safety concerns. Carrying heavy cameras on straps around your neck for a long time can be quite painful. People with disabilities or limited mobility might prefer a lighter weight option and there are many available these days. Although one of the downsides of digital photography, especially if you shoot RAW, is the amount of time you can spend in front of your computer, processing the images, so that needs to be considered into your fitness regime as well.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

#5 Creativity

In her book, “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear”, Elizabeth Gilbert writes a great deal about creativity and inspiration. She says it is good for us as individuals, and that the world is a better place for having art in it. That feeling when you finally get the awesome sunrise photo or the perfect candid, maybe the aurora or a meteor shower, or whatever your passion is, that feeling when you finally get the image, makes it all worthwhile.

Being creative is something we don’t tend to allow ourselves to do as adults. Photography is a very acceptable form of creativity that allows endless flexibility in how you adapt it to your own personal style. That style can grow as you learn more and start to experiment with different things. Creativity is fun and it provides a necessary balance against the stressful demands of the modern lifestyle.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

#6 Travel

Traveling to different parts of your own city or country, and if you are lucky enough to afford it, other parts of the world is a likely outcome of taking up photography. There is so much interesting stuff to photograph in other places including landscapes, wildlife, architecture, and people from other cultures. Travel broadens the mind and exposes you to new concepts and ideas and is an excellent learning opportunity, provides so much creative

Travel broadens the mind and exposes you to new concepts and ideas and is an excellent learning opportunity. It provides so much creative variety and possibilities for personal growth. Taking the opportunity to travel, even just a couple of hours drive or bus ride away, can provide entirely new situations and vistas. Be brave and venture forth.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

#7 Meet new people

Meeting interesting new people in your travel and adventures is often an unintended side effect. Asking the locals for advice on how to find the way to a certain viewpoint may lead to them showing you the way. Chance encounters with people curious as to what you might be photographing can lead to directions to other points of interest. Maybe you organize a meetup with local photo enthusiasts in your area and you make a new friend, a new adventure buddy. A random chat in a cafe might lead to a new client.

If you are friendly and courteous with your camera, many people are often happy to pose. In some cultures, it may be appropriate to thank them with a small cash payment, so research that in advance. Engaging with other people, even with the barriers of language, means you make more of a connection, and the resulting images may be much more powerful and emotional. While keeping personal safety in mind, be brave and say hello.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

#8 Join a photographic community

Being part of the photography community can be very supportive. Sharing your passion with other people around the world, who speak your language, understand your challenges, and have had similar experiences can very helpful. Online forums can be good places to find those secret local waterfall spots, where certain rare birds might be nesting or come to feed. People may be willing to offer assistance with problems, critique on your images, and it’s just generally a welcoming place to hang out and chat about your hobby.

Join our dPS community on Facebook!

Photographer in their natural state at a PhotoWalk

#9 Develop a personal style

There are many different types and styles of photography. Some people prefer to label things, put them into boxes and tell you that you have to fit within their preconceived ideas. Rubbish! One of the great joys of photography is its ability to be adapted to every individual’s desires, needs, or preferred style. There is space for all different approaches within photography from the classic landscape, nature, wildlife, street, portrait, sports styles to all the different variations in between.

Whatever your passion is, you can explore it via photography in whatever creative way you want. When starting out it pays to have an understanding of the basic guidelines for composition, but don’t let them limit you to always stay inside them. Challenge them, break them, and see what happens. It might work, it might not, but either way, it will be a learning experience.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

#10 It’s all about the light

Whatever light you have at any given moment is the light you need to work with. Modification of the light might be required – it may need filtering, shaping or diffusing. You might need special gear to adapt to certain light conditions, e.g. astrophotography has certain types of lenses that are recommended, fast glass is recommended for situations where light levels will be poor – sports events inside gyms, music and stage events, churches for weddings, etc.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

Too much light can also be a problem with harsh shadows and blown out highlights. Differential light where you have patches of bright light and shadow within the area you are working, which makes it difficult to get a good exposure. Learning to use a flash or another artificial light source has its own challenges as well as added costs in buying the hardware required.

Learning to work with the light available and knowing how to adapt to it to get the best image possible is one of the biggest challenges photographers face. Light has color, depth, dimensionality, texture, tone, shadow, and behaves in certain ways, dependent on some fundamental rules of physics. One day there will be a moment when you finally “see” the way a photographer does when you see how light falls, how light and shadow are interdependent, and how you can use them to add depth and drama to your images.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

Summary

Photography adds so much value to our lives, by recording special events, people, or places, as well as helping us learn and grow as people. It allows you to share your life and experiences in more meaningful ways via images, either online or printed and given as gifts. Or perhaps you might be quietly puttering away in your home studio, perfecting the art of the macro lens.

10 Reasons Why You Should Get Real About Your Photography

Photography is a hobby that offers so many possibilities for creative expression, technical expertise, and sheer variety of ways to capture an image. Age is not a barrier to learning a new hobby and you can start with the camera on your phone if that’s what you have available. Start getting real now!

The post 10 Reasons Why Photography is a Great Hobby by Stacey Hill appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Photography: One Hobby to Rule them All

18 Aug

Fellow photographers, let’s reflect for a moment on our mutual passion for this amazing art form, and maybe even do a little bragging about it. Photography is an incredibly rewarding hobby; in fact, it’s so rewarding that I believe it to be the best hobby one could enjoy. Here are five reasons why.

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1. Photography complements many other hobbies

If your other hobby involves any physical thing, well then, you’re able to take beautiful photos of it! Whether it’s gardening, cars, or cooking, being able to skillfully photograph the things you spend your free time doing, only enhances the pleasure you take in those activities.

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This principle extends beyond the photographer too. My mom spends all of her free time in the summer taking care of her numerous gardens (about five different flower gardens, a vegetable garden, an herb garden, and two shade gardens). She loves to see photos of the many plants that she puts so much time and energy into cultivating (and of course I love taking them; the photo below is of a daffodil that was grown by my mom this spring).

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2. Photographers get to beautifully capture their loved ones

Anybody with a camera tends to take a billion photos of their kids, especially while they’re so little and cute – it’s pretty much impossible not to. But only photographers are knowledgeable about window lighting, reflectors, bouncing a flash, or using fast glass to make the best photos in poor lighting situations. Especially for an active little one, it takes a photographer who knows how to take control of the camera settings to get a shot that’s not blurry.

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Aside from the kids, folks are always grateful for the photographer in the family who takes photos during holiday gatherings and special occasions. Unless the photographer corrals everybody into a group shot, it usually doesn’t get taken. There is also the candid photos of genuine moments while families enjoy each other’s company. While selfies and food photos abound, a true photographer is more focused on the meaningful moments.

All of those everyday moments matter, especially when it comes to one’s immediate family. I’m 30 years old, but I still spend Sunday evenings over at my parent’s house for family dinner. None of my immediate family particularly likes getting photographed – but every now and then I sneak in some candids. The older I get, the more these kinds of photos are cherished.

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3. Photographers get to relive their magic of vacation all over again

All of the wonders that we spend our hard-earned money to see make the trip back home, packed up into a few tiny memory cards.

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There’s no doubt that anybody with a smart phone is snapping away their entire vacation. But it takes some specialized gear to really capture the most amazing travel photographs. It also takes some post-processing knowledge to make those photos wall-worthy.

For example, wide angle lenses are crucial in capturing the majesty of a stunning landscape, or perhaps some ancient architecture. Just the right amount of HDR will really bring out a landscape, or an intense black and white conversion might be the perfect touch for an architectural shot. Photographers know how to work their digital toolkit to really make the most of those beautiful vacation memories.

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4. Photographers get to see the world from a different perspective

Photography often propels us forward into new territory, that we otherwise wouldn’t experience. If there’s any beauty to be captured, we’re willing to accept the uncomfortableness that might go along with it.

Getting up before dawn on a weekend isn’t most people’s idea of a great way to start the day, but capturing a sunrise photo makes it all worth it. Dirty hands and knees are often required for getting the perfect floral or insect shot.

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Photography connects us with nature in ways that wouldn’t exist without our cameras. I truly believe that the heart of a photographer is just a little more wild, a little more adventurous.

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5. Photographers are a part of one big, awesome, online community

Whether it’s Flickr, 500px, your favorite online photography forum, or maybe even your local photography club -photographers support each other. For the most part, we are ready and willing to help, to share our process, and to share what the conditions, settings and equipment were for those really amazing shots.

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When you go looking, there is an almost never-ending source of support and encouragement for your photography. It is one of the few creative realms where we’re able to teach one another, even if we’re separated by half the planet. And that, my fellow photographers, is quite the blessing!

Does anybody have any other perks that they love about being a photographer? I’d love to hear some more reasons why photography rocks in the comments below.

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Chris’ Technik – Als Student mit teurem Hobby

03 Jul

Die Auseinandersetzung mit der eigenen Technik kann ganz schön aufschlussreich sein, wie ich beim Schreiben dieses Artikels merkte. Ich halte es für wichtig, sich zu überlegen, aus welchen Gründen man sich für sein Handwerkszeug entscheidet, wie sich Bedürfnisse entwickeln und welche Faktoren bei der Kaufentscheidung eine Rolle spielen.

Bei mir war entscheidend, wie sich meine Beziehung zur Fotografie entwickelt hat. Ich fange mal vorn an.

Mann schaut auf eine Straße

Vor Jahren kaufte ich mir, naiver Weise irgendeinem Testbericht glaubend, eine Bridgekamera. Im Nachhinein frage ich mich zwar, warum, aber eigentlich ist es auch egal. Diese Kamera war mein Einstieg in die Fotografie, abgesehen von einer analogen Kompaktkamera, die APS Filme fraß.

Lange blieb ich dabei aber nicht, weil ich merkte, dass es mir im Vergleich zu einer DSLR an entscheidenden Merkmalen fehlte. Also verkaufte ich sie wieder und legte mir eine gebrauchte Canon 350D* zu, zusammen mit dem 18-55-mm-Kitobjektiv. Das waren schon ganz andere Welten. Ich fotografierte damals einfach alles, was mit vor die Linse kam und verknüpfte auch meine Leidenschaft für Konzerte damit.

Konzertfoto, ein Sänger wirft sich in die Menge

Vor der ersten Reise mit Kamera im Gepäck hatte ich das Gefühl, mich so weit entwickelt zu haben, dass ein weiteres Objektiv dazu kommen konnte. Da ich oft auf Konzerten mit schlechten Lichtverhältnissen fotografierte, fiel die Wahl, auch wegen des Preises, auf das Canon 50 mm f/1.8*.

Ab diesem Moment hielt mich die Offenblende in Faszination gefangen, die Kitlinse verschwand im Schrank und kam auch erst wieder raus, als ich sie verkauft habe. Zwischen Reise- und Konzertfotografie kamen immer mehr Portraits hinzu, immer mehr Geschichten und Konzepte, die ich umsetzen wollte.

Augen spiegeln sich in einer Scherbe

Die Canon 350D habe ich irgendwann, nach einer Auslösezahl jenseits von Gut und Böse, an einen Freund verschenkt und mir konsequenterweise eine Canon 550D* gekauft. Für Landschaftsaufnahmen kam ein Tamron 10-24 mm f/3.5-4.5* dazu, das 50 mm bekam irgendwann ein Upgrade auf die f/1.4-Version*, um meine Tiefenschärfe-Faszinazion zu befriedigen.

Für Konzertaufnahmen besorgte ich mir, des Preises wegen, einen Yongnuo YN-460-II*, den ich komplett manuell einstelle. Der Ultraweitwinkel-Effekt des Tarmron war genau das, was ich für Landschaften, aber auch für Konzerte haben wollte, die geringe Lichtstärke störte mich nicht, da ich auf Konzerten, um kürzere Verschlusszeiten zu verwenden, den Blitz nutzte und Landschaftsaufnahmen ohnehin bei eher geschlossener Blende machte.

Ein Angler im Sonnenuntergang

Mit dieser Ausrüstung war ich absolut glücklich. Bis ich mich, aus der Not heraus, umstellen musste. Während eines Praktikums in Kambodscha legte meine Kamera eine Bruchlandung hin: Runter von dem hohen Regal, auf dem ich sie vor den Mäusen schützen wollte, die bereits die Gummiteile angeknabbert hatten. Zerbrochen war zwar nichts, aber der Autofokus machte ab sofort nur noch, was er wollte.

Für mich unvorstellbar, den Rest der Zeit dort ohne funktionstüchtige Kamera zu verbringen, machte ich mich auf den Weg nach Phnom Penh, wo es eine Handvoll Fotogeschäfte gibt, zum Vergleichen der Preise. Der Plan sah vor, einfach eine neue 550D zu kaufen, die alte daheim reparieren zu lassen und zu verkaufen. Nur musste ich feststellen, dass alle APS-C-Kameras dort teurer waren als zuhause in Deutschland. Mein toller Plan wäre also nur mit Verlust aufgegangen. Dafür, obwohl ich preislich nicht daran denken wollte, waren sämtliche Vollformat-Kameras erheblich billiger.

Zwei Frauen sitzen an einem Stand in der Dämmerung

Nach einigem Ringen mit mir und dem Bankkonto kaufte ich also dort eine Canon 5D Mark II*. Im Nachhinein die beste Entscheidung, die ich hätte treffen können. Ich möchte nicht mehr ohne sie arbeiten. Vor allem das Rauschverhalten auch bei hohen ISO-Werten und die hohe Auflösung geben meinem Hang zu düsteren Motiven optimale Möglichkeiten. Auch meine Objektive habe ich allesamt aufgrund der Lichtstärke ausgewählt.

Eine Menschenmenge steht um einen vollen Bud herum

Mein geliebter Tamron-Weitwinkel war leider nicht vollformat-tauglich und musste daher weg. Ersetzt hat ihn das Canon 28 mm f/1.8*. Das ist zwar, auch am Vollformatsensor, kein Vergleich zu den 10 mm, aber für mich absolut ausreichend, vor allem in Kombination mit der Lichtstärke.

Mittlerweile hatte sich in mir eine starke Vorliebe für Festbrennweiten entwickelt. Die Einschränkungen in Sachen Bildausschnitt und die Notwendigkeit, mich mehr bewegen zu müssen, stoßen eine kreativen Prozess in mir an, der sicher anders verlaufen würde, wenn ich einfach nur am Objektiv drehen müsste.

Quasi vervollständigt wurde meine aktuelle Ausrüstung durch das Canon 85 mm f/1.8*, das ich gerade für Portraits auch nicht mehr hergeben würde. Mit diesen drei Linsen und der 5D bin ich derzeit wunschlos glücklich. Zumindest fast. Wenn in tropischen Gebieten das Objektiv innen kondensiert und man den halben Tag nur weißen Schleier sieht, fängt man gedanklich schon an, auf ein versiegeltes Canon-L-Objektiv zu sparen. Man muss sich ja schließlich auch Träume bewahren.

Ich probiere und experimentiere gern, was sicher auch damit zu tun hat, dass mein Studentengeldbeutel vieles nicht zulässt. So kam kürzlich ein altes 135-mm-f/2.8-Objektiv vom Flohmarkt dazu, das über einen Adapter, der mich die Fokuspunkte der Kamera nutzen lässt, an der 5D funktioniert.

Test-Portrait mit dem alten 135 mm f/2.8

Ich überlege auch schon länger, mir ein Lensbaby* zuzulegen, weil mir eine Tilt-Shift-Linse* allein für den Effekt zu teuer wäre. Ich hatte aber ohnehin noch ein kaputtes 50 mm f/1.8 hier liegen, das ich dann einfach auseinander genommen und stümperhaft mit einem Stück Teichfolie zusammen geklebt habe, damit ich es frei bewegen kann. So spare ich mir jetzt auch erst einmal das Lensbaby.

Testfoto mit dem DIY Tilt Objektiv

Für meine Selbstportraits und manche Spielerei brauche ich ein Stativ. In meinem Fall ist das ein ziemlich altes, schweres Velbon-Stativ, das bei mir Zuflucht vor der Verschrottung gesucht hat. Und dann sind da noch die billigsten Funkauslöser, die ich finden konnte, die Yongnuo RF-603 C3*.

Neben der digitalen Technik stehen noch einige analoge Flohmarkt-Funde in der Vitrine, neben einer Canon AE-1*, die ein Geschenk meines Schwiegervaters war und leider viel zu selten benutzt wird.

Ich denke, jeder muss die Ausrüstung finden, die persönlich am besten passt. Ich bezweifle stark, dass ich mich von meiner 5D jemals trennen werde, eher würde ich dieselbe wieder kaufen. Ähnliches gilt für meine Objektive, die würde ich höchstens (irgendwann, Träume und so) gegen die jeweils lichtstärkere Version tauschen.

Für mich ist Technik reines Handwerkszeug, das es mir ermöglicht, die Bilder aus meinem Kopf umzusetzen. Wenn man weiß, was man will, kann sie einem ganz neue Welten eröffnen. Ich finde es auch wichtig, zu wissen, was man nicht will.

Für mich als Student käme allein aus finanziellen Gründen nicht in Frage, etwas zu kaufen, das ich nicht regelmäßig nutze. Selbst meine vergleichsweise billigen Flohmarkt-Funde landen daher regelmäßig wieder bei Ebay. Mit meinem aktuellen Equipment sind die Grenzen sehr weit gesteckt, auch wenn es natürlich immer noch eine Kategorie nach oben geht.

Vielen Dank für das Titelbild an Samuel Kümmel!

* Das ist ein Affiliate-Link zu Amazon. Wenn Ihr darüber etwas bestellt, erhält kwerfeldein eine kleine Provision, Ihr zahlt aber keinen Cent mehr.

kwerfeldein – Fotografie Magazin | Fotocommunity

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3 Tips on How to Approach Photography as a Hobby

12 Jun

Recently, I gave you a look inside the bag of a hobby photographer on a budget, and after reading all the comments on that post, I got to thinking about a topic that doesn’t really get all that much attention…

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There are technical posts that detail things like getting sharper images and even plenty of advice on going pro, but what I have not found in my search, is any solid advice on how to approach photography as a hobby.

Sure you’ll need to learn the technical stuff in order to make quality photos, but there’s more to approaching this craft than just learning, you have to have the right mindset going in or, more than likely, your camera will be collecting dust-bunnies in your closet next month.

First what’s the difference between hobbyist and professional?

I thought about this for a while and really only two standout differences come to mind – money and time.

Money – The professional needs to make money from their photography – it’s how they pay bills and put food on the table. As a hobbyist, while you could still make money on the side from time to time, the vast majority of your money comes from another source (i.e. a typical desk job, the retirement fund, spouse, etc.).
Time – The professional, by nature, is required to invest time into photography as it directly effects how much money they will make in the end. However, as a hobbyist you’re more likely to have other priorities more important than photography and as a result will spend less time behind the camera than a professional.

Notice that quality is not one of the two differentiating factors. As a hobbyist you can certainly still make great photographs, there are many hobbyists that do just that, but it’s not something you can do overnight. Professional or not – photography is a journey.

Three steps for approaching photography as a hobby

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Step one – learn to experiment

One of the best parts of being classified as a hobbyist is you don’t have anyone paying you to take their photos which means you can take your photos.

You can experiment with different styles of photography like HDR, light painting, black and white. You can photograph people or landscapes. I’ve always believed that the best way to learn how something works is to just get out and start using it. After you’ve played around with a camera a bit and done some own experimentation – the tutorials, guidebooks, and even the camera’s manual will make more sense, allowing you to learn even more.

Take action today

One of the best ways to force yourself to experiment is by joining various communities. Digital Photography School runs a weekly challenge in which you are given a theme to photograph for the week and share your result in the comments of the week’s post. It’s fun and really can get you thinking about new ideas.

Step two – get out of your bubble

Join a community and share your work. There’s no shame in asking others for help, but it can be a bit scary to do so, especially when you’ve hit a personal breakthrough and are afraid someone might tear your photograph apart.

Making friends – both through the virtual worlds of social media and internet forums, and the real world photography club that meets in the basement of your local town hall – is a great way to gain support and keep the motivation flowing.

Take action today

dPS has a huge forum with thousands of people sharing and critiquing each other’s photography daily. Google+ and Facebook also offer groups specific to various genres of photography. If all else fails you could always start your own website and start sharing your work on a regular basis there or find a local club that will give you a more real world experience. The key is to get yourself out of the bubble.

Step three – invest in yourself

Whether you’re photographing pets or at the zoo

Or on vacation, or in your backyard. The more you’re willing to invest the more it will show in your work.

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Yes, this still about photography as a hobby, but it’s an expensive hobby and not just at the wallet, but in time as well – so be prepared to invest both if you want to succeed.

I’m not saying you need to buy pro gear, an entry level camera and kit lens can take you far and get you some great photographs – it may be all you ever need in terms of camera gear. But don’t forget about the accessories – tripods, filters and software are all part of the package as well.

Make sure you’re not only investing money into your hobby though, invest time. Quality gear and software will not fix a lack of experience, so get out and start taking photographs by following step one. Stay motivated by sharing your work and asking for critique by following step two. Then, as finances and time allow, invest both into improvement and you’ll have a winning recipe for success.

Take action today

Block out some time this weekend and try and complete the weekly challenge here on DPS. Start a ‘photography fund’ even if it’s only five or ten dollars a month. This will go a long way in allowing you to invest in better accessories and new gear which, can’t make you better alone, can certainly improve your images when you combine them with the more experience behind the camera.

How have you approached photography as a hobby?

Finally, I’d love to open this post up for discussion. How have you approached your own photography as a hobby? Or how would you recommend others approach theirs?

The post 3 Tips on How to Approach Photography as a Hobby by John Davenport appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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A Look Inside the Bag of a Hobby Photographer on a Budget

19 May

We often get to see inside the bags of professional photographers. You know, the bag that we dream of having ourselves, filled with three full-frame bodies and six or more lenses with plenty of accessories to fill out every pocket the bag has to offer. Well, I’m not a pro – and today’s ‘inside the bag’ post might not be something to drool over, but it should give you an idea of what you can do on a reasonable budget if you’re planning to do some serious photography on the weekends.

Inside the bag of a hobby photographer on a budget

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As you can see from the photo, I have a fairly well rounded collection of lenses that let me capture anything from ultra-wide to super close. I wouldn’t consider anything inside this bag “pro-level”, but the collection is very capable and allows for a wide range of subjects.

My camera body for the last three years has been the trusty Nikon D7000. I highly recommend this camera, or its bigger brother the D7100, to anyone who’s interested in getting into photography seriously. While it’s not an FX (full-frame) body it does have a lot of pro-like features, is very capable in low light situations and being marketed at the enthusiastic hobbyist it’s fairly affordable as well.

As far as lenses go I use the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 most frequently, followed closely by the Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G. It really depends on the mood that I’m in but I tend to spend most of my time at the extremes of my focal length range. On occasion the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G and the Nikon 18-105 3.5-5.6G, which came with the D7000, will be used for specific shots. The Nikon SB700 speedlight featured in the photograph above is rarely used and is probably my greatest regret in terms of purchases (not that it’s a bad flash, just that I don’t use it nearly as much as it deserves).

On top of the DSLR stuff I do carry two Olloclip adapters (the telephoto + circular polarizer and the 4-in-1 kit) for my iPhone along with a Gorillapod with an iPhone mount attached to it. Sometimes I just enjoy the simplicity and creativity that the iPhone allows.

Other little things not pictured above include a wireless remote shutter release, 77mm circular polarizing filter, and a 77mm Hoya ND filter.

To support the main camera I use the Manfrotto 190XPROB aluminum tripod with the basic Manfrotto ball head. It does the job I need it to do, and has served me well for three years, but I do want to upgrade to a carbon fiber tripod in the future for the added strength.

What bag holds it all and how’s it packed?

I manage to fit all of this into a Lowpro Slingshot 102 AW which when fully packed it’s bursting at the seams. The bag itself is designed to fit a camera body with a small lens attached, two smaller lenses on either side, and has a couple other storage compartments for extras like filters, charging cables and cleaning supplies.

I almost never pack my flash as it’s not typically something I use, but if I do pack it, the 18-105mm is usually the lens that gets left at home. Here’s a couple photographs to show you the bag fully packed.

Main storage compartment from left to right: Tokina 11-16mm, Nikon D7000+18-105mm, 55-300mm.

Secondary compartment – 50mm, Olloclips, cleaning supplies and remote trigger.

All closed up and ready for a shoot with Gorillapod attached to the side.

The filters and other little things that I may need can fit in the front compartment and if I want to bring the Gorillapod along I can attach it to the side of the bag using the built in tripod holder (which doesn’t really work well for anything larger than a Gorillapod anyway.

What do I use this kit for?

Whether it’s waterfalls, seascapes or the night sky; the D7000 plus the Tokina, supported by the Manfrotto, works like a charm. While I primarily shoot landscapes, the 55-300mm lens comes in handy when I want to capture a shot of some wildlife or simply looking for a change in perspective. I’ve also done some cityscape photography, a few portraits and one wedding (read: The Story of Photographing my First Wedding also Likely my Last to find out why I won’t do that again.)

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All in all I think it’s a pretty well rounded kit for someone who spends his weekends hiking through forests taking photos. Obviously there’s a lot more that I could add to the collection, and I plan to do just that when I have more money to invest into it. Currently on my ‘next to buy’ list is a macro lens and then it might be time to upgrade the body.

So that’s my bag – what do you think about it and feel free to share your own in the comments below.

The post A Look Inside the Bag of a Hobby Photographer on a Budget by John Davenport appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Photography Tips from David Hobby for Exceptional Lighting

10 Feb

www.silberstudios.tv Join us for this behind the scenes interview with David Hobby,when we caught up with him on his FlashBus Tour with fellow master of light, Joe McNally.They were stopping off near Silber Studios on their 29 city, 6 week tour to teach America how to see the light!. David Hobby loves to teach photographers how to improve their control of light, including “how to use off-camera flash with your DSLR to take your photos to the next level. Or the next ten levels,” as he said. David gave use some important photography tips including why you need to get your flash off of your camera, how to use “China ball lighting” for very soft lighting and the “secret setting on the Nikon SB 800, and a lot more, including some inside stories. Grab your flash, and step on board the FlashBus as we talk with David Hobby. Read the transcript here http
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Japan Hobby Tool makes urban camouflage cover for Nikon 1 system

04 Aug

Japan Hobby Tool has announced a set of ‘urban camouflage’ covers for the Nikon 1 system cameras. In stark contrast to the nostalgia-tinged Gariz leather cases we’ve seen for various cameras, the Japan Hobby Tool coverings are distinctly modern, featuring a stylized pixelated monochrome design. The adhesive covers, created for the Nikon 1 J1, V1 and Coolpix P310, are available for around ¥1890 (roughly $ 25), plus shipping. (from DC Watch)

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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