4 questions that make a hobbyist photographer feel uncomfortable
Feb 2, 2017
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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What is photography to you? Is it your business or you just something you do for fun and pleasure? For me, it’s the second one. I have been into photography for quite a long time, yet I never turned it into a career. It’s always been something else that paid my bills, and photography is here to enrich my life in a totally different way.
I am a stubborn hobbyist who never gave it a shot to turn pro. Over the years, I’ve heard many annoying proposals and questions about my photography “career” – though I never had a career. But I came up with four of them that have always been said with good intentions – yet they’ve made me feel very uncomfortable. Have you heard them as well?
Why don’t you start making money from photography?
To make it clear, this is kind of good for the ego. It’s nice to know someone thinks your work is good enough for you to go pro. Pushing it, though – that doesn’t help at all. It creates a pressure and it starts sounding like “why are you wasting your life?” People often think in terms of money, and they simply can’t understand you’re doing something entirely out of passion. And even spend money on it instead of earning it.
Another issue here is that good photographic work is not enough to start earning from it. You need to have strong business skills, be able to deal with people extremely well and tackle all sorts of challenges. I simply can’t do it. And it probably goes without saying that I don’t see myself as photographer good enough to become a professional.
Why don’t you photograph weddings?
This is in a way the step that comes after the previous one, when someone still can’t understand that you don’t want to earn money from photography. They basically start telling you what you should do, again – to make money. And believe it or not, I’ve heard this one the most often. I know it’s all in good faith, but it has always made me feel very uncomfortable.
In case you like weddings, you can insert any event you absolutely hate, yet which is believed to bring money to photographers. In my case and my country, it’s definitely the weddings.
Of course, I’ve been to some awesome wedding reception with great, intimate atmosphere. But a traditional Serbian wedding is how I imagine hell. There are gazillion people and the music damages your brain cells. The whole event lasts forever, and the photographers cover all of it. Everyone gets super-drunk at some point, so unpleasant situations are inevitable. And people are constantly pulling your sleeve to take photos of them. For me, this would all be too stressful. I’d rather be poor.
What do you even have from it?
When you finally convince people you don’t aspire to make money from photography, this question comes along. As I mentioned, many people think in terms of money, so they can’t see what benefit you have from doing something if it doesn’t bring earnings.
All you hobbyists know what you have from photography and how beneficial it is for you. Personally, I have a great way to express my emotions, keep my sanity and if nothing else – have lots of fun.
You have the camera, you’ll take photos of my…
…birthday/graduation/wedding/baby shower, you name it. This is often not expressed as a question, but more as an order, and that’s when I have a problem with it. People who tell you this often haven’t even paid attention to your photos, they only know you have “that fancy camera” (and I had a Nikon D3000 until recently, lol). And of course, they don’t have the intention of paying you. Ironically, this one often comes from those who forced you to make money from photography in the first place.
This happened to me on a couple of occasions, and it put me in a very tricky situation. Just because I have the camera and like photography, that doesn’t mean I’ll photograph anything (especially not for free). The thing that I am a hobbyist and do photography for fun gives me the freedom to choose what I want to capture. So when someone “determines” what I will shoot, it makes me really uneasy.
Naturally, I do love taking photos of my family and close friends even when they don’t ask. If I like someone’s idea or project and see it as fun, I’ll photograph it, even if we’re not that close. If someone asks me to take shots, I’ll accept if I have time and willingness. But, when it comes almost as an order (and it has happened quite often), that’s really unpleasant.
I’ve heard plenty of annoying suggestions and questions, although I must admit – I do get irritated easily. But these I mentioned are the most common, and they make me feel the most uncomfortable even though there’s usually nothing but good intentions behind them. Have you dealt with any of these, too? And what are the sentences and questions that made you feel uneasy as a hobbyist photographer?
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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20 responses to “4 questions that make a hobbyist photographer feel uncomfortable”
Excellent points!
Why don’t you start making money from photography?
Photography is a creative release for me from what I do to earn money developing computer and web applications (which is also another creative activity). I currently make more money developing computer applications than I think I would make with photography. Plus, I enjoy photography; if I started depending upon photography, then there is the risk that it could become a “soul stealing” job where I would come to regret photography.
Why don’t you photograph weddings?
See the first answer.
What do you even have from it?
I agree with your answer.
You have the camera, you’ll take photos of my…
There’s the issue of equipment, such as studio lights, etc… But, if it’s a wedding or shooting in a low light situation, I don’t own a 24-70 f2.8L or a 70-200 f2.8L lens, or currently a flash for my DSLR; I would have to rent those items and you’re asking me to do this for free? But I do have a flash for my film camera, but film and developing is an expense that I don’t want to use for your occassion. I’m not getting paid for this and you’re wanting me to spend a day when I could have other plans or doing stuff that I enjoy without getting paid? I’d rather be hanging out with friends and family, or out on the lake, at a sports game, etc.
We totally agree.
This point especially caught my eye: “there is the risk that it could become a “soul stealing” job where I would come to regret photography” – this was also one of my fears when I tried to figure out if I should go pro or not. And probably the one that stopped me from EVER trying it.
So photography remains a wonderful hobby, and I,like you, make money from something else. I’ve fulfilled my childhood dream and became a writer, so it’s a win-win situation. :)
I’ve started as a hobbyist photographer (with a barely bought Canon 450D with a kit lens) and at one point got to the level where people told me I should make money with it. And¸ I did it. From a passion hobbyist I made it to a pro photographer (at that time it sounded great and I worked with a Canon 5D MKII and a bunch of lenses). But, after working on order, the passion faded. I stopped to photograph beside my job. I did only paid work and I also became the “family in house photographer” (proms, weddings, birthdays, graduations etc.). Then I stopped with pro photography and I stopped with photography at all. I sold all my gear and made a break. All I had was the camera on my cellphone. After some rehabilitation time and after people stopped calling me to work I started to photograph again. But, this time I was smarter. My girlfriend bought me an old analogue Zenit 11 w Helios 44-2 lens as a birthday gift. So, I thought why not and started with film photography. And it was amazing. The patience, the curiosity, the expectation, the not knowing if the photo is good heated up the passion again. After a while of film photography and a bunch of money spent on developing films I wanted to get back to digital. First, I bought a cellphone with a better camera (and manual settings) just to try if it works for me and then I bought a Fujifilm X-T10 w XF 18-55mm lens. Great camera, stealthy and “the not well knowing family” thinks it is an amateur toy camera.
So, now nobody orders me to work something for free, I got some cool camera gear for my own purposes and I am again the happy hobbyist photographer who is happy to make some beautiful self-inspiring photos and show it to nobody or a few people.
Thank You for this great article You wrote !
Thank you for sharing this story. I’m glad you’re back to photography and it’s great that it started making you happy again. :)
i went through same problems and now i am back again with hobby mood and hoping to create beautiful landscapes, wildlife images.
Oh, yeah, tipical questions. Although not the you will photograph… one. Although I did photograph some of my friends’ weddings and that was fun. They knew I’m a guest, they did not order me around and they knew what they can expect. They were happy with the result, I was happy with the experience.
But I have to agree with the soul killing routin job. I don’t want to do that. It would only work for me if I do my photography and people decide to by my work. Not the other way around when they tell me what they want. Well, it won’t happen, I’m not that good, and I’ll never be that trendy. I don’t even beleive in PS. :)
Why don’t you photograph weddings?
Because there is no margin for error. If 90% of the time, my photographs turn out how I expected them to, that leaves 10% of the time where they don’t. And that 10% of the time could be when the bride walks down the aisle or the best man gives a toast or any other number of key situations that will not be repeated.
The best hobbyists know their limits are far greater than professionals.
The last thing you want to hear is “make me beautiful” when no amount of post production in Lightroom, Photoshop, etc. is going to do that.
Haha I even forgot about that. It never happened to me, but I’ve heard it from other photographers plenty of times. Horror. :D
I’ve been told to make them look skinny…ummm…not gonna happen.
What do you tell people when they ask you to ” make them bootyful” or “can you shave off 10 pounds in photoshop for me ?? ” I usually just laugh it off best I can without really responding, but I can be a pretty blunt person so I automatically just want to tell them “look no ammount of photoshop is going to make you look better”. I have no tact in those types of situations D:
I hate weddings!!! All weddings….whether I am asked to photograph or not …so NOT fun.
That sounds like the best reason of all not to photograph weddings!
Thank you! Photography is how I find my Zen when I need to seriously unwind. The last thing I want to do is add pre$$ure to how I unplug! When you charge for photos then there are other peoples expectations, that is EXACTLY what I’m trying to get away from.
When you charge for photos then there are other peoples expectations, that is EXACTLY what I’m trying to get away from –> perfectly sums it up! :)
1) I do (I’m essentially the staff photographer for a police department) Oh, you mean as a second job? Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I’d really rather enjoy my time and days off with my family and friends rather than pursuing the $$. If the questions persist, I turn the question around–do like basketball/baseball/softball/, why aren’t you out there making money off it? If asked about doing legal work, I respond that I do not want to be put in a position where I might have to testify against my employer.
2) I dipped my toes in that market and found it took up way to much of my free time. I work so I can live, not live so I can work.
3) Again, I work so I can live, not live so I can work. If I have no free time, I exist but I do not live.
4) If you are family or a close friend, I’ll probably help you out–as a gift from me. If you don’t fit in either category, I answer that I do not do that any more but am happy to make a referral to several local photographers. If the person insists, I make up an exorbitant fee to “come out of retirement”. The price is not negotiable. $50,000 for some high school dance photos or a small wedding where I turn over everything–no post production, no prints, etc.–gets the message across that I am not interested.
I had a very successful career, shooting film. I moved out of the country for a few years, and when I returned, the business of photography had changed. 15+ years ago, clients didn’t blink at a minimum charge of $300/hr. Now they want a whole wedding for that.
I’ve switched to mostly shooting wildlife. If someone wants a print, I give them one. I guess I am now a hobbyist. The thought of trying to make a living from photography takes away the fun of going out and shooting. I’ll still take on paying gigs, but it’s as a favor, not because I need the money.
The last one is worse with family. 2 weddings and one reunion/b-day party I learned a few days before the event that my mother had volunteered me to shoot. I get where she was coming from. She knows I would like to go pro and thinks I am good enough now and all I need to do is “put myself out there”. But I am not ready for that, especially with no planning/prep time, which few non photographers really appreciate the necessity of. They think we can just sho up with the camera and snap away
With questions like the ones you’ve posted in your article & the ones I get like this “Awwww I hate how I look in the pictures :( . Can you make me skinny in Photoshop?”…yeah,I will never go pro. I enjoy my freedom to choose. AND they of course hate to pay. I’ll do some (at a cost of course…our gear cost money & so does our time) here & there,but I refuse to go pro. Just not for me & I’m happy with it :)
Have a look around at all the Camera ‘review’ sites – photography is pitched at people with a lot of disposable income. You are inclined by way of site-theme to always question the competence of your camera and its lenses. You are given endless cues to upgrade to just about anything better than what you are currently using – possibly kit that was deemed silver or gold star a year ago by the same people who hint that it’s below average now and you can’t possibly be seen with it in public. No wonder us younger people give the whole photography scene a wide berth and just focus on enjoying taking fun and creative pics with our ‘phones’.