I guess I do it for fun. I certainly don't make a profit from it.
But, you know what? As much fun as I get from it, I think it goes way deeper than that for me. I'm going to sound all stupid and pretentious now, but you know what? Photography is my form of self-expression. So over the last number of years, it goes way beyond fun. It's almost (but not quite) an obsession. I no longer carry a camera because it's fun, but because I have to. Not in a weird sort of "I'd panic if I ever left the house without my camera" sort of way, but in a "I get a lot of self-fulfillment by recording some of the world around me" sort of way.
I don't sing, write or play music, write, paint, sculpt, or do anything else artistic. I take photographs (which may or may not be art, and whether they are or aren't isn't important to me). I've only recently come to understand that some people other than my immediate family get something (I don't know what) out of looking at my photographs, which makes me feel pretty good about all this.
So, to answer your question, I do it for fun, I guess.
I've sold a few this year, more than any other year, and I've had a few small shows (still a few up in a cafe as we speak), but we're talking less than $1000 in sales, and way less in profits, after expenses of each print I've sold is taken off. And, no profit at all, if you take off my total film expenses, equipment purchases, depreciation, and all that.
So, to answer your question, no profits. <g>
You made me think about things, though...
cheers, frank
"The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
From: "J. C. O'Connell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "pentax discuss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Photography: Fun or Profit???? Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:00:13 -0500
I was wondering how many of you are into photography for fun or do you do it for profit? I fall into the fun category. I used to shoot weddings for money, but I gave it up years ago.... I find now I like to take my time and shoot what I want, not having to sell my time for money from clients who are never satisfied..... JCO ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- J.C. O'Connell mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://jcoconnell.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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