Laurence Kim Photographer

I love photography so much it hurts.  It’s my passion.  If I don’t take photographs I’ll die inside.  I like my job okay, and the pay is good, but it just doesn’t fulfill me.  Equipment-wise, I’m ready to go, I’ve got a [insert long list of equipment here].  Should I take the plunge and quit my job?

I’m paraphrasing here the question that I’ve received at least a half dozen times over the past few years.  It’s the age-old question:  I love photography so should I just quit my job and go for it?

My best advice is this: If you desperately want to be your own boss and run your own business, by all means becoming a full-time photography business owner can make sense.  Be aware, however, that you’ll be spending 90% of your time doing non-photography business tasks like marketing, selling, networking, bookkeeping, web-mastering, order fulfillment, etc.

On the other hand, if your passion is the art of photography, then you may have just as good or better opportunity to pursue that passion as an amateur.  Just about all fine-art / landscape photographers – even those who regularly have successful gallery shows – are amateurs.  But of course even as an amateur there’s nothing to stop you from taking on occasional professional commissions to pay for equipment, take a nice vacation and maybe make a nice extra contribution to your retirement account.

There are lots of reasons (artistic and financial) to stay an amateur/semi-pro:

• You’ll have unlimited artistic freedom. This is the best part about being an amateur. You have no clients to tell you what to do.  You can shoot whatever you want. You love street shooting?  Great!  There’s no realistic way to make a living shooting street, but you can do it all you want as an amateur.  You like taking pictures of barn doors?  Fantastic, go for it.  Landscapes?  Awesome – book a trip to the Grand Tetons and bring a dozen rolls of Velvia with you.  I think you get the idea.  As a professional, you’re not a true artist.  Either you have a client that tells you what they want, or you have a client that’s hired you because of your particular style, in which case you’re paid to replicate that style.  Over and over and over.

• Your photography will be more fun. When you’re shooting for love, it’s fun.  When you’re shooting to make your mortgage payment, it’s less fun.  As a full-time photography business owner, photography is no longer your art, it’s a deliverable. Shooting a wedding can be fun.  Shoot a half dozen over the summer and you’ll make some nice money and have a good time.  Shoot 35 weddings a year and those last few might seem like drudgery. I actually went through a period of a couple years where I wouldn’t even take my cameras out of the case unless I was getting paid. Photography became a job, nothing more. (I’ve since recovered! Cutting back on my volume helped.)

• Amateurs often spend as much time shooting as professionals. Professional photographers spend most of their time on business tasks, not on photography.  Amateurs, on the other hand, can shoot just about every day after work and all day long on the weekends.  You can shoot as much or more than a professional and best of all, you’ll be shooting only what you want to shoot.

• You’ll have more money for toys. Photography is one of the lowest earning professions out there.  On average, teachers, cops, plumbers and electricians all make at least 2x-10x what average photographers make.  Hasselblad and Phase One run photography workshops at beautiful locations where photographers come to learn from instructors and try out the latest medium format digital gear.  All the attendees are dentists, accountants and lawyers.

A good friend of mine has a passion for golf.  He’s an excellent player with a zero handicap and frequently breaks par on difficult courses.  After college he  seriously considered becoming a PGA professional.  99% of PGA professionals are not tournament pros – they work at golf courses or in the golf industry .  After speaking with many pros, he made the decision to stay an amateur.  The head pro at his club explained it to him like this:  “I probably play one round of golf per month if I’m lucky.  I’m too busy giving lessons, running tournaments, managing the pro shop and baby sitting complaining members”.  Today (20 years later) my friend plays twice per week, maintains a scratch handicap and probably earns 4x what the average club pro does.  Who do you think has more fun with golf, him or the head pro at his club?

I hope this post didn’t discourage you because my aim was to do the opposite.  By all means quit your job if you want to be a business owner, but remember that you don’t have to in order to pursue your passion and gain immense enjoyment from this wonderful art form.

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