How My Photography Business Failed

[@TinHouseStudioUK]

I LIVE WITH THE LADY IN THE THUMBNAIL - DON"T PANIC - My new website is live and slowly having more info added to it www.tinhouse-studio.com

[@DarinSimmons]

"No one cares about your pretty pictures...I barely care about my own pretty pictures. You have to find that next thing that makes you a viable business." Refreshing words, like a cold shower.

[@MiraiNoha]

indeed

[@danielettorre1239]

I really appreciate how “real” your are in your videos. It’s nice to be told helpful truths, rather than be coddled and told you’re fantastic and going to be super successful.

[@VintageInsightPhotography]

The profession of photography certainly has changed over the decades. The advances in digital, both camera and post work, have truly changed the landscape. When I was a full time pro in the 1980’s, it was necessary to get it right in camera. I was shooting hundreds of portraits every year and retouching was incredibly laborious and expensive. Cameras and editing software are now incredibly cheap, and the AI built in provides a crutch that, IMHO, hobbles skill development. I am amazed at how many “professional” photographers don’t know how to manually focus a lens.

[@thebluebooklife]

Speak on it brother 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@FranciscoRamirezAraya]

This advice really gets to me. Thank you. Sometimes the stars need to be aligned, sometimes you need to align them yourself

[@angelmelendez5239]

Thank you for this video, I’m currently trying to do what you said out to do too. I’m in my 20’s and I’m trying to do photography for musicians in artist. I’m in Seattle, WA and it’s been a struggle cause of the pandemic. Your honesty has a lot of value and I truly appreciate your videos. Thank you again for this.

[@DarrenLoveland]

Great video, as just about all of your videos that I've seen. This one really resonated with me. I've been a photographer for about 10 years, sucked for the first few years, no money. Sucked for a few more years but studied and trained for luxury real estate photography. It's not what I envisioned myself doing, but I've spent years developing a really strong market and client list, while finetuning the skills needed. It's now a full time business with a comfortable living. I can work full time in "photography" without getting burned out because it's not the main genre that I shoot during my free time or personal projects. I guess my point here, thanks for sharing your path, it was refreshing to hear; and to anyone else reading this, there are many paths to make a living in photography, but sometimes you have to look outside the box or your specific field.

[@altmanator]

Yes! This is what I needed to hear. I’ve been shooting marketing/events for years and with COVID-19, I built a studio in my house. First the idea was headshots, but I live in rural Vermont. Not much market for it. Now it’s transitioning into a video studio to shoot online course content.

[@VincentKnaus]

Well said! Professional photography for me, has been like one long road trip with only a vague idea of where I was going. What a long strange trip it has been!

[@thebluebooklife]

I strangely feel the same 🥴

[@meibing4912]

When I was young I considered doing photography for a living after having won several competitions in a row. Paid for a business report which said that Photography businesses where among the most likely to fail. So stuck to what I do best. Still photograph a lot and have sold a lot of pictures over the years. But having photography as a passion and hobby proved a very wise choice.

[@brentmoseley3176]

Very, very good video! So nice to find a photographer whose not wrapped up in all the hype, who says it like it is out there. You have to take all the photography business education programs out there with a HUGE grain of salt! So much hype, so little truth. Thanks for the great video! Kinda glad I got out of portraits. I now do food photography for local restaurants and also still lifes just because I love the art.

[@CalAndAly]

We did this exact thing by moving from Dallas, Texas to Nashville “Music City” which is one of the three major music cities next to LA and NYC. We immediately got an agent and started doing shoots with bigger artists and label sized budgets. Sadly, about a year later, this pandemic struck and killed the music biz. Without touring income, artists couldn’t pay labels back, album cycles screeched to a half and labels didn’t have budgets for us. So we’re now in that same journey. Whereas you didn’t love shooting people, we do!! We’ve definitely been finding success parlaying our portfolio with a few of the big names on it to land us unrelated commercial gigs from real estate to weddings, but finding our niche is the goal. For now, we’re just expanding in all directions and building up those sides of our portfolio! Would love to hear more on this!!

[@XOOT]

Really enjoyed your honesty, so few people talk about the failures in their business life.

[@250GTOAJ]

Your honesty is much appreciated!

[@brad_in_yyc]

Oh man, talk about the stars aligning is so true. Persistence pays off, but sometimes you just need that one big break. There are photogs that are brilliant and have amazing work, that never get their big break but they persist their entire lives. One. Big. Break. Sometimes it's what you need.

[@tedsmith_photography]

As a fellow photographer from a similar part of the world as you (Derbyshire), and seeing the same lack of demand for portrait work (or the same lack of willingness to pay for it) that we see in London, New York etc, I am interested in the "use an agent in city X" idea....I'd be interested to hear more about how agents work, and how you get one to represent you if you get the time t explain that for us :-)

[@tedsmith_photography]

Scrap that - just seen you've done one! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWW5hKWGiMZljdk Ted heads over to watch it :-)

[@williamcurwen7428]

What you are saying is:- as one niche dries up, another one appears ……. well, that’s just the way it is! Secret is to recognise when you have outstayed your welcome and your clients have grown bored of you. When young art directors start calling you ‘old school’ it’s time to leave the room. And getting a London agent was a wise move. When you get to the top, nobody seems to be all that bothered where you originate so long as you can do the business. I must say you are refreshingly honest.

[@BrianScotland]

Thanks Scott...I tried and failed, but now I know posing people is my least favorite thing. Also I'm crappy at running a business.

[@hopewalkjones5998]

It is so interesting that there are so many kind of niches in the photography world. I have just gotten into photography. I'm trying to find what works with me. I know I don't like taking photos of people. That's my sister's thing. I do love clouds, they tell so many different stories and you can find different faces in them. Just I feel there's a niche I just haven't found yet. This is going to be a very interesting journey with lots to learn.

[@hankypanky4u]

Music photographer from South Florida here and. Yes it's difficult and most of the time it's not your skills but who you know. Fans have ruined the appeal of our services because they offer to shoot for free. It's a shitty consequence but my job is to loop it into another revenue stream. I've had decent success with couples and other forms of photography over the summer and will continue to do that while I wait for concerts and musicians get back on their feet.

[@kurtsteiner8384]

Very pleased youve made a decent living at what you do. I used to soot cars for some one. He supplied the film and developed it. Fuji sensia dont think you can get this now. He sold these images to magazines like hot wheels,, hot rod car and car conversions. He gave you a list of what he wanted but had to be shot in a certain way. And from time to time hed send me a checque for my work on the ones he sold.

[@ArtChickTV]

I’ve been in business for 15 years went from nightlife to weddings to commercial. Since the pandemic everything has greatly slowed down. You are absolutely right about pretty pictures on social platforms. Getting signed with an agent is key yet hard to pull off. So what’s your take on getting an agent?

[@jimmylee7422]

Nice video, i have been shooting for 5 years and in business 3, unless you really can stick to what your passion is and survive i feel its a must in the early stages that you experiment and see what suits your expectations, what lifestyle do you want, theres a hell of a lot of photographers that stick to their passion but live a very low budget life, sometimes the get noticed and surge into the mainstream and are still able to carry on shooting what they want but thats pretty rare. I started out as a street photographer, its my passion and i still do it on my days off but very difficult to earn money from unless you establish a name , Alan Schaller for instance is an amazing street shooter and has worked very hard to get where he is , also his marketing is spot on...he's a clever guy For me it has been and still is a struggle, i am full time so its my only income (i was a construction worker before for over 25 years, injury put paid to that) i have not yet found my niche in the market but i have shot a lot of different things to experience a wide spectrum and see where to take things with the business.I now rent a studio and enjoy it but dont think its where my passion lies, i wanted to do documentary but i am not physically able to run around much now so being in places like Afghanistan etc are not feasible, i have done some local projects including a dementia home which was exhibited & received well but no funding. I think to have that position in a market like you do, where you do something a little different and like you said a company will come to you and know exactly what they are getting is amazing to have, i think its what most of us aim for in the end I suppose like you said i am trying a lot of different avenues, hitting a lot of dead ends but hoping something will connect with me in the end and i will just stick to that. thanks for the videos, straight to the point and honest just what we need on you tube these days will all the fluffy crap about take care and good luck

[@agustintajch]

Thanks for sharing, loved your transparency!

[@IvoIvanov-imagefactorystudio]

Lots of food for thought! Thanks!

[@KennethGreenCMP]

This is so true. I shoot swimwear but live in the middle of South Carolina. I have told folks if you want to make it you have to move to Miami or some other warm climate place. Where you live does make a difference but that is true for every job.

[@TheTraveller141]

Whooa this is super valuable and honest talks. Much Appreciated ❤️

[@raybreezee]

Good video man I've been thinking about moving to LA im from San Diego 2-3 hour drive. I also thought about opening a photo/video studio to rent out

[@apollotull2343]

Ok... so similar situation. Did some music photography for a while. Can’t make money. I live in Modesto CA, about 1.5 hours from San Francisco. Would you recommend trying to get an agent in the SF area?

[@Tren_is_okay]

Thank you for being real

[@cmtzfoto]

Inspiring video!!! I feel the same, having done a bit of everything until I found my niche. How’s the process with an agent? I think they are not as easy to find as they are for actors or models, would love a video about that!!

[@martinreynolds560]

Yes marketing sooo important I would like to see some deeper discussion on this. Peace.

[@whoisholloway]

Thank you for sharing this! Very helpful 🙏🏾

[@Sipp.Purr.Repeat]

delusions of grandeur sucks, but once you get to realize your illusions. You learn how to accept mistakes, critique your works. And see how people view your works from their perspectives.

[@kenlor71]

Bless you for pronouncing Bresson's name correctly.

[@JohnJBloomfield]

I think I just accepted though I was able to open a portrait studio if I went full time and jacked the day job I'd be always scrabbling for work and not doing stuff I love. So I let the quite well paying day job subsidise the studio so I can always say no when I'm not interested...not ideal but it works for now.

[@manilamartin1001]

Wow. Thanks for this video. I've shot different things all my life. I usually changed because I wanted more money. As Drs. say, smaller practice, bigger yacht.

[@thundering1]

@ 5:25 I about shot my coffee through my nose! That is so true.

[@LINJ638]

Everyone is expendable, that is human nature lesson 101 for the day.

[@sholombrummel3732]

My second video watching you. Love you.

[@MLodge]

Great business advice.

[@AMPhotographer]

Awesome video as always :) I live in a village just outside Edinburgh. I would love to get work with some Edinburgh agencies.

[@roberthadley1717]

I shoot live music..gigs/festivals etc and some band photos too.Great fun but no money in it.So many people want something for nothing.

[@whyckicki]

I seem to remember you saying that you don"t need to be in a big city to be a successful food/commercial photographer or am I missing something ?

[@samhartfieldlewis5247]

This is good, I would like to do something around photography but have no idea at all. Like the idea of documentary stuff but really do I really I don’t know. Really enjoy sports think that would be good but like doing them, not been the one taking the photos sometimes I do but yeah. Mixed up emotions with it all

[@Michaelajacksonfilms]

Thank you

[@tjsinva]

Good advice!

[@giantmuh]

"My friends who work in press, God they work their asses off for very little money." I'm that guy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

[@edbrownco]

Hey there - Happy waves neighbour - we (Ed & Victoria) are based in Hinckley - maybe we can grab a chat at the Cosy Club soon if you would like to :) Sending you good vibes ⚡️

[@williamfaican3420]

Hey amigo he visto algunos videos tuyos interesantes el día de hoy... no hablo ingles pero que viva el traductor...saludos

[@etiennelainephoto]

My question would be how do you even know where to start in terms of putting yourself in contact with the right people. If you are reaching out to them what are you saying? Do they care?

[@kalaharistuart]

All truth, and in tourism photography industry still all true So many pretty pictures out there 👍🏼 nobody cares 👍🏼 iPhone pictures, pintagram nobody cares 👍🏼

[@fredlevyart]

More cats please. Thanks for less ads.

[@edwardvk]

Here’s my question you can hopefully address: Do you need to live in London to make money in property photography? Potential clients would be estate agencies, builders, architects, interior designers, etc..

[@massimoconcimedia612]

Still trying to find my niche lol. Though I am starting to narrow it down, eithor going to be packaging, or fasion, but due to where I live I think fasion might be hard to do. So packaging might be the way forward for me.

[@davidmas3455]

I moved from Havana to London 2 year ago. Just to have access to better opportunities. F... COVID-19

[@fanfarecreative8314]

3:07 "Leicester doesn't want cool, Leicester wants y'standard headshot on a white background" - interesting… what does your town / city want?

[@agylub]

After my lifetime as pro photographer, I’m 65 in two weeks, here are my observations from a city of just over 1M. If your girlfriend, wife, sister doesn’t work where she decides who gets hired for a shoot - forget it. If you ask how do I become a war photographer Forget it. The local TV and newspapers publicly ask for photos to be sent in for publication- for free. I worked during the ‘80s shooting film - not as a hipster but that’s what we used and made triple what I am now. Adjust that for inflation! The level of equipment now is so good the quality produced is outstanding. The volume of photographs on the web is so high that literally everything in the world has been photographed. Every small business rips off images because they can’t or won’t pay. Unless you live in the biggest cities where all the (failing) magazines are you won’t get any of their work. Same for head offices. The collapse of rural newspapers is nearly complete. My estimate is that 90% of the work available in the 80s has gone. The number of people capable of doing 90% of the work available now has gone up tenfold. Get a degree in engineering or a medical speciality. Read “ The End of Work “ by Jeremy Rivkin. There is no future.

[@indyw4304]

Did your girlfriend question why you referred to her as your “ current girlfriend “ ? I always find using that phrase stress inducing....

[@TinHouseStudioUK]

haha I don't think she watches. But it was because I was recording a previous video straight before this where I was going over past things I had done wrong in my business. When cut up they don't always run correctly with my language

[@RTD3]

I'm a real estate photographer. It pays pretty well and it's interesting but you work your ass off and realtors are cheapskates.

[@darrylsmith3102]

Why? Did it Fail? You ask?.... The Answer?.... it's PHOTOGRAPHY.

[@phxw4255]

Hello! i'm currently 21 living in Australia, ive shot basically everything i can think of from sport to food.. I'm just scared of failing aswell as i don't know what field i want to pursue. Have any advice?

[@mavfan1]

Get a haircut, eat well, don’t f@&$ with cats, don’t get in debt, brush your teeth. There’s some advice. Oh and don’t ask a KZbinr such a broad and unfocused question. Do what you love.

[@fellowcreator]

Hey I am Rohit, and I am covid free now...

[@adamhoskins8375]

I’m catching you up I’ve got two cats roaming around

[@funnybones6131]

Classic click bait, very funny 😒😁