DougH 270 #26 January 15, 2009 Quote Quote Only problem is the website I sold them all through costs $150 per year. So my grand total profit from selling pictures on my website for 2008 was: $ -21.86. I've got a whopping $2.46 in profit on my smugmug page. which means that so far I've made -147.54 But I too am not doing it for profit... I just have prices to help offset some of my costs... I'm not that outstanding a photographer yet either... I sold my first bunch of pictures last night. I never expected some one to buy my pictures, I but I liked the pro features! Only 120 bucks left to go till break even! Score! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #27 January 15, 2009 Quote Quote Quote Only problem is the website I sold them all through costs $150 per year. So my grand total profit from selling pictures on my website for 2008 was: $ -21.86. I've got a whopping $2.46 in profit on my smugmug page. which means that so far I've made -147.54 But I too am not doing it for profit... I just have prices to help offset some of my costs... I'm not that outstanding a photographer yet either... I sold my first bunch of pictures last night. I never expected some one to buy my pictures, I but I liked the pro features! Only 120 bucks left to go till break even! Score! it sounds like I just have cheap friends... That or I just have piss poor marketing skills or both... Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #28 January 15, 2009 We are cheap! I didn't sell a single photo outside my tandems. Its just far easier to trade a CD with the stills on them for a jump or lunch one day. I'd rather see them published but my rate of publishing was 0 for 2008 despite about 20 submissions. I need to either submit a lot more or take better photos... or both. Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #29 January 15, 2009 Quote We are cheap! I didn't sell a single photo outside my tandems. Its just far easier to trade a CD with the stills on them for a jump or lunch one day. I'd rather see them published but my rate of publishing was 0 for 2008 despite about 20 submissions. I need to either submit a lot more or take better photos... or both. I hear that... it seems to me that wingsuit photos are in vogue right now... maybe I need to take up wingsuiting to get published... besides meeting someone for lunch doesn't work as well for me as most of the "cool kids" live in columbus or cincinnati... Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #30 January 15, 2009 I trade photos for hot dogs or burgers at the DZ I don't have a photo printer and won't haul a PC to the DZ to do the printing so that option is out for me and most people won't buy days later, its more of an impulsive purchase so I don't see the cost value in setting up a site to sell prints to most people right now. Once I get half as good as Norman or Joe... maybe but not for now that is for sure. Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VerticalRush 0 #31 January 16, 2009 About 28,000 or so, mostly students. I'm jumping near Sedona, AZ, so it's always worth getting lots of shots with the red rocks in the background. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PharmerPhil 0 #32 January 16, 2009 QuoteAbout 28,000 or so... Sounds a little trigger happy to me. Forgive me but,...at four years jumping you have 730 jumps. Assuming you did a quarter of them last year, and all of them were camera jumps, that equals 153 shots per jump (and your profile only refers to 400 camera jumps). Let's say I'm wrong and you did half your total jumps total last year alone,and they were all camera jumps. That is still over 76 shots per jump. I don't mean to give you hell specifically, but do you even think about what you are taking a shot of? Or do you just hold the trigger down for the entire jump? There is something to be said for digital in that it allows you to take more photos—and hopefully learn from them as well. But to simply take as many shots as you possibly can and hope some come out okay is kinda silly and doesn't really make you a photographer. Just a machine operator. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 5 #33 January 16, 2009 I keep most of em. Occasionally the card is formatted on a busy day and I lose a jump, but it's rare. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velocityphoto 0 #34 January 16, 2009 I have to defend him here.I can't count how many times people ask me "well how many pictures am i going to get for my money on a cd" the more i tell them the better chance for a sale of them. To me i only need a few for the money shot. But i shoot an average of 100 or more photo's on a tandem or aff, and i always have so many awesome shots that the customer can't decide which one they want for there free 8 x 10 .So they end up buying several xtra 8 x 10's at $10.00 each even though they are getting all the files on a cd. They are so excited about how great they look they don't even think of that. See the attachments for a couple samples of my work :) The second shot was a parachutist this summer ,don't remember what month. A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PharmerPhil 0 #35 January 16, 2009 QuoteSee the attachments for a couple samples of my work Nice shots! But you are only showing me one shot per jump. You don't need to shoot 100 shots per jump to get a few (or several) good shots. I think most photographers would shoot better shots if they worked on taking good shots rather than just taking as many as they can. And my guess is your sales pitch would be just as effective, if not more, if you stressed the fact that the customer will get some really good shots rather than just saying they'll get a given quantity of shots. You are not selling a commodity here, you are selling your services as a professional photographer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #36 January 16, 2009 I shoot over 100 shots per tandem too but I also load up on the ground prep, family shots, airplane shots and landing shots. I shoot probably 45-50 in freefall and the remainder are shot on the ground. I have seen multiple photos like this used on Facebook, MySpace and other online sources. This provides a more complete album experience for the customer then having to ration the stills like we had to do back in the 35mm days. I'll burst the exit and opening and then pick and choose through out freefall what is the better shot. I keep all the photos I can so I can review them later and verify everything was set the way I wanted it to be for the lighting and freefall angles. I was reading the Strobist blog today about the game "First Frame" and I think that a lot of skydiving photographers could stand to use that mindset when they take photos instead of just bursting away with a spray and pray attitude.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VerticalRush 0 #37 January 16, 2009 I'm not the guy that sets his camera on sports mode and chatters his teeth, no. I have a great back drop with different scenes to background my shots. Why not hand the customer a great selection, so they can find the few pictures where their cheek doesn't seem a little distorted by the wind or their eyes werlooked funny, etc... I generally hand the customer about 75 to 100 photos, which include some very nice pictures of the ride to altitude, some intense climbout of the cessna shots. The pilot and I coordinate a little on the exit shots so I can keep the plane in frame for awhile. Freefall is a photographers dream out here, especially late in the day. And I'll get some decent landing shots and post jump reactions. Now I have only been flying stills for about year and do not claim to be great authority on skydiving photography. However, I do take the time to study the art and science of what i'm doing. Being the only still camera on the DZ has certainly kept me in the air, too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velocityphoto 0 #38 January 17, 2009 I don't thin k I've ever used the sports mode. LOL.. :) A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velocityphoto 0 #39 January 17, 2009 I probably average around 20 or 30 shots they want to blow up for the wall on any given jump. I'd post an entire shoot but its to many files to upload. I don't just hold down the shutter and hope for the best. I always get shots inside the plane ,take some portraits out side the plane "those alone will sell the whole package" Portraits after with all the family and friends etc etc etc... Some times the other staff get annoyed a bit by the shooting because i do a couple poses by the plane and stuff.. But hey i like to do a professional photography job. I always show samples of my work (video & stills)prior to jumping with anyone anyways, and that alone is worth its weight in gold for a sales pitch. A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
