YEAH BABY!! It's Looking Like It's Going To Be A Nikon Christmas!!

Must have been one hell of a crash. The engine and main and tail rotor
assemblies are gone.
Glad all are safe.

Draco

 

Usually a Lexus or a Mercedes.

 

I drive neither, but what drives me to spend money like that, is the hope
that it pays for itself quickly.

Mick B

 

Well I spent $12K on the camera body alone. Why?.... Resolution!

When printing big, nothing beats resolution.

It simply comes down to "horses for courses". Why to V8 Supercar
teams spend so much on a car? ....Because they need things that $9K
Hyundai just doesn't offer.

 

Can you recoup 12K quickly that you could not with a lesser setup?

I guess if you work for Nat'l Geographic or SI, but maybe even not then.

 

Geez, one or two of the right shots to the soap mags or the like will get
that sort of dough easily.

 

If 12k gets you right tool to produce the right product for the right
client, then the cost of that product is set accordingly.

So yes, 12K can be recouped easily.... once again it's "horses for
courses".

Of course sometimes it's not even about recouping the money... it is
simply about having the right gear to produce the results that you
want personally.

 

It goes like this:
You can shoot very nice, paying photos with a basic camera like a $500
Panasonic FZ50. But when the chips are down and you really need to have a
picture only a lens like a $1000 wide angle Leica or similar can capture,
you need a different camera. Why, when you decide to buy that different
camera, should price be a consideration if it's going to produce photos that
are not just "nice, paying" shots but continuous profit making shots?

Examples:
Shot with a Panasonic FZ50 after the "real" camera got dropped:
http://www.weddingsnportraits.com.au/previews/scott-katrina/ The images sold
one off in a package.

Some photos Shot with the "real" camera which produce repeat sales of very
large canvas prints that sell well enough and in sufficient quantities to
pay for two new D3s and a few lenses which are on order for deliver in
January... And a lifestyle travelling around Australia to take the pictures
in the first place! http://www.douglasjames.com.au/landscapes/

A lot of people think you need to have 10s of thousands of images in a
"stock Library" to make a living from photography... Or even make enough to
be able to afford a "decent camera". Nothing could be further from the
truth. If you have 20 really good quality photos of subjects unusual enough
to compel a person to think "hey, that'd look nice on my lounge room wall",
you are in business.

Every week thousands of dollars are paid out by buyers looking to beautify
their home. They take a liking to a photograph on sale and buy it. In 2005
my wife decided to patch up our damaged and returned from exhibition prints
and sell them cheap at the Sunday market. So successful was her enterprise,
she bought herself a nearly new car out it a year later.

It's not rocket science. It's Psychology. Figure out what people buy and
why. Then go shoot some similar scenes and sell the pictures... It's not
wild pipe dream stuff either. Here's a guy and his wife who are doing very
nicely with an "old" 10D and some initiative.
http://www.craigtaylorphotography.com.

Something seemingly too hard for a lot of the armchair critics reading these
groups who continually put down those doing what Aussie's have done for
decades... Get out and "have a go". It's what this country was founded on,
not rants and raves by jealous idiots.

I suppose the hardest part is finding the money to make the first purchase
and pay for the prints... I did it all those years ago by using a
revolutionary method not used much today... It's "called saving up". If more
people did it, there'd be less wealthy banks and more money in the
community, not to mention less credit card debt and a whole lot more
satisfaction with yourself. Put bluntly it's called achievement, something
far too many people attack you for having done.

Douglas

 

Well said!






Rita

 

Some nice barrel distortion there.

 

Oh boy! Does that mean we should get a Nokia
batphone with a camera for Brett?
I'm sure he could photoshop the crap out of its
images to make spike look like an oystrich
on meds!

 

Not to mention getting the horizon right.

*That* is not the fault of equipment...

 

Yep, that's improper use of Auto Levels.

 

The world is full of starving photographers and I doubt that guy
relies solely on his photo sales for his income.
While it is true that one can make money selling mediocre pics like
yours and the ones on the site you listed, that isn't the goal of many
people here. There are certainly better and easier ways to make money
than photography. And it seems that the paying gigs are the least
satisfying. Who really enjoys shooting wedding photography, for
example? I really enjoy shooting sports, but if I had to do it every
single day in all kinds of weather it would quickly become tiresome.
I could probably shoot wildlife 24/7 because you never know what
you're gonna get.

One reason I haven't pursued photography as a job instead of just a
hobby is because I never want to lose the love for it. I'd rather
take a few really nice pics that I like than a thousand crappy ones
that I think some old women will buy. But that's just me. In many of
my pics I try to take a common object or scene and show it from a
different or unusual perspective. When I'm successful I end up with a
pic that might be interesting to look at, but not a photo that one
might want to hang on a wall.
And that's ok with me.

 

....and your opinion of why you take photographs is echoed around the
world by others. Not everyone is out to make money with their
photography. Those who do, fine. But don't say that the amature
doesn't know what they are doing. Who else can keep up with the
technology? Not someone who has to please others for their income with
their photography. That's for sure. I have learned a lot from those
who go out and play. They can take the time to learn and discover.
While those who have to earn a living must have continuous out-
put. I say to you, it is impressive the amount of work you have to do
to get by. Doesn't always mean that the work is art gallerie quality.
But it is what the client wants. And that pays the bills.

To all who post, lurk, troll or otherwise, may the coming Holidays
bring you joy and peace. May the New Year bring new visions to capture
and share with others.


Draco

 

Thank you!
I try hard to create an evenly rounded image for the critics.

Douglas

 

ROTFL

Douglas