Careers in Analog Photography

[kbcupcaake]

Hello! I'm new to this...so I'm not sure if i'm posting this in the right spot! Anyways, Analog Photography is my passion and I don't want to give it up for digital. However, I do want a career in photography...so does that mean I have to give up analog? Is there any sort of career for analog photographers? If anybody has any ideas of what I could do, please let me know. Thank you.
-katelynn

 

[Sirius Glass]

Get a career in another field that you are passionate about. That will save you from struggling to earn a livelihood from photography. Instead photography will always be a joy for you and never a chore.

Steve

 

[MattKing]

katelynn:

1st, welcome to APUG.

2nd, there are photographers who make their entire living using analogue materials, but I'm sure that none of them will tell you that it is easy.

If you would like an example, I'd suggest looking at Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai, who posts here as Cheryl Jacobs.

The extremely friendly )) opening page of her portrait website can be found here:

http://www.cheryljacobsportraits.com/

You should be sure to remember that there are many types of photographic careers, not just the one that Cheryl has chosen.

Oh, and Steve's comment is also valid as well.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Hello Katelynn and welcome to APUG. Like the others said it ain't going to be easy. You can do it, but it is going to be a struggle at first.

Jeff

 

[jamesgignac]

katelynn,

It seems I'm more optimistic than the previous responders on this one. Yes, I've found it takes a little convincing to get clients into the idea of film photography but that's where a good portfolio steps in to help out - make sure you do a lot of your own work developing your skills and a collection of relevant material for whatever jobs you pursue. It's usually the case, particularly if you are doing event work (weddings, etc.) where the deadlines are not as short as they might be for commercial photography or journalism, that clients wont care what you shoot with - some may even like the idea of film work (you can sell on the benefit of longevity, tangibility, etc.) You should be aware, however, that you will most likely have to present digital products at the end of the day so you have to get used to the idea of scanning your negatives or prints so investment in a decent negative scanner is a good thing to start with if you know that you will be pursuing this for a long time; many places that process film can also scan it but it will be more costly and you will have less control over the end result.

A note about formats: please do some reading about 35mm, medium format (i.e. 120 film), large format and decide what you think would be easy for you to work with and what will present the best results. I shoot my professional work with medium format equipment - there are lots of options here so you should look around - basically with a 6x7cm negative (for example) you have a lot more to work with than a 35mm negative and therefore the fidelity of your image, if blown up for magazine work or some such thing, can be a good deal higher. Anyhow, there's lots to figure out about equipment and the like and I don't know what field you're interested in working in so I can't recommend anything further for now.

If you love the work then you probably wont mind spending more time on your projects (processing, printing/scanning, etc.) and I can assure you that with a developed portfolio and a confident attitude you will be able to sell the idea of film to more people than you might imagine.

 

[BradS]

get an education in a field other than photography. find a regular job that will pay the bills and allow you to toss away money freely on cameras, film, paper, chemistry, dark room equipment and, of course, books and the work of other photographers. this will allow you to enjoy photography...if you make a career of it, you will not enjoy it.

 

[fotch]

Hello katelynn and welcome to APUG. Find a rich mate and live happily ever after.

Passion is fine, how would you define your Goal? Why does it matter if it done with analog or digital.

 

[M.A.Longmore]

.
Hi Katelynn,

Welcome Home !
At this moment in your life you must pursue what you are passionate about !


Ron
.

 

[Paul Jenkin]

In the early 80's I was given the opportunity to shoot weddings and portraits professionally. I already had a caeer in insurance (not the most exciting but it was regular income and paid the bills). So, I started doing weddings as a part-time income stream with a view to going full time once I was happy that doing so would be financially okay.

After 6 months or so, I was truly tired of working to ther people's requirements. The fun had gone and I dropped it like a hot stone.

That's only my story but the point I'm making is that it might be worth doing photgraphy as a sideline for a while. Everything is possible and you might love it and make loads of cash into the bargain. here's hoping. However, having a "Plan B" is a good tactic and takes the pressure off to some extent.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Of course, if you can figure a way to get over 20,000 people around the world to send you money to use your analog photography forum on the web then that wroks as well.

Aw, man. I really gotta work on my inner dialogue some more. Sorry, sean. ;p


If you can find a clientele that prefers way superior imagery and is willing to sacrifice time for quality then the sky's the limit. Yeah, the popular vein here is steeped in truth. It'll be tough. But if you hit it right, it's one hell of a life.

Welcome to APUG.

 

[wclark5179]

Welcome Katelynn!

I use film because it's where I began my photography. I still like using film and I develop film and print in a darkroom I have set up. I only do this for fun. There are some really nice people here on APUG and I enjoy reading and participating here.

Sorry to report to you, for my business I'm 100% digital. That's the way it is now. After working in another field for about 30 years, I started a photography business back in 2002 and it's been my full time business since then. I started with film and I thought it would work for my business until I no longer could breathe! Gosh, I was wrong!

I joined our local Professional Photographers Association in 2002 and 95 to 98% of the pros back then were making pictures with film. As time went on digital crept in and now 99.9% of pros are now using digital capture. In 2003-04-05 we would get a person putting on a seminar asking, "how many are film? how many are digital?" And back then clients would ask me which I used.

Today nobody asks. Matter of fact for the type of photography I do, which is people photography, they want digital as they can see some samples immediately and they know now all the things that can be done with programs like Photoshop. Of course these things can be done with film if you scan the negatives and/or transparencies. One of the options I offer to wedding clients is the ability to take photos from the time people are getting ready through the ceremony and into the receiving line and show a select group of photographs as a slide show at their reception.

At any rate, film is nice and this is a good place to learn about using film for your photography.

My suggestion, as far as a career is concerned, is have a day job and try getting your photography going and see if it's what you want to do as a career. See if you can earn any money with it. It is a very competitive business now, no matter what piece or pieces of photography you want to strike out on and possibly make a living.

If you decide to go the photography career path, please take classes on how to operate a small business, how to sell, how to market your business and how to live on a low income until you get your business up and running. The PPA (ppa.com) offers classes on this as well as classes on the various aspects of photography you will need for your business.

Good luck & welcome to APUG.

 

[Derek Lofgreen]

Welcome to APUG Katelynn,
I think a career in photography using the analog process is totally doable. You must understand that photography careers today are very competitive, weather it's digital or analog. It's hard work and requires more skill in handling budgets, clients, and marketing than making photographs. I have found that consumer clients really don't care that much about how you make your images, so portrait photography using film has been no problem with me. Commercial or editorial clients want a fast turn around but I have found that the lab is the bottle neck, not using film. Digi shooters are there own lab and deliver a file. I have found that if I am my own lab with my film my turnaround is more that sufficient for my commercial clients that I have. I don't have to do all the computer work with a film scan that I would normally do to a digital RAW image so that saves a ton of time too. For me film gets me there faster.

If I come across a potential client that want me to burn a CD right there after the shoot I don't take the job. That is not the type of client I want to work for. Be choosy who do work for and what type of work you do. People will hire you to produce work based on what you have done in the past. If you have to wait tables to pay the bills then that is something you need to consider.

I would start with a Business to Consumer model. That would be portrait work, wedding work, and fine art work. Then with a style and a portfolio of that work you can market it to commercial clients.

Hope that helps. Chase your dream!

D.

 

[kbcupcaake]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! to all of you that responded to my question. That was fast haha. I read what all of you had to say and took it all in. I will definitely consider what all of you said. I wanted to say thank you especially to Matt King for recommending Cheryl's website. I looked her up and am truly inspired by her work and the fact that she uses film. I actually emailed her so I'm waiting to hear a response. Thank you, you guys are all so nice, I didn't think there would be any responses when I checked this morning!
-Katelynn