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Can you make money with photography, and still have it be a hobby?


9 years 1 month ago #429718 by TGonzo
I've heard so many saying once they went full time with photography that it stopped being fun.  I've read that stock photography is no longer a viable way to make much of anything.  So my question today is:  Can you maintain a 'hobby' status, yet make money with photography?  I'm sure there is no easy answer to this, so feel free to leave a blunt answer.  
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9 years 1 month ago #429800 by effron
Yes.
Why so serious?
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9 years 1 month ago #429825 by Roger Lang
Nope, full timer these days 
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9 years 1 month ago #429871 by Jessa Layton
Sure, plenty of ways.  Just some are more lucrative then others.  I wouldn't go wagering on stock photography.  
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9 years 1 month ago #430045 by Joves
Depends on where you live. There are various ways to make money from it that will not burn you out. If you are in a tourist area then you could go with postcards, and greeting type of cards. Generally speaking you want photos that are of things that are obviously of your area, but not the usual photographed things. Or if they are of attractions, very good shots of them. This is where being a local has it advantages since you have time to get the money shot of it, as where the tourist do not. 
Also try to get prints in doctors offices, and other waiting areas. You offer free framed photos for their office, with maybe your business card somewhere in the office, directing people to you site for prints. Also offer to change out the photos every so often, something you would need to do for doctors offices, since it is for the locals for the most part. You can also try and get them in local coffee shops as well.
Now granted this will cost you initially, but pretty much everything does. And it is a risk as is anything you do when trying to make money at something, but you can never win, unless you have tired and lost along the line. You just have to think outside of the traditional business box.
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9 years 1 month ago #430144 by One Wish
It's how I make my living, but still very fun.  It's all about separating the work from the play. 
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9 years 1 month ago #430252 by TvPhotos
It can still be fun and a full-time job. 
There is no reason not to follow your heart. ... Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
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9 years 1 month ago #430272 by KENT MELTON
Why not? 
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9 years 1 month ago #430305 by Don Fischer
If you want to keep it a hobby, I wouldn't let the IRS know your selling anything. Soon as you start selling anything, if you sell enough, the IRS calls it income and I would think  photo contest's would classify you as a pro. It would probably be a good idea to sell enough that you could call it a business. Unless IRS rules have changed much in the past ten years, write offs can be huge.
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9 years 1 month ago #430353 by icepics
I think it depends on how much you'd make. Where I live you have to make a certain amount a year before it's enough to be considered income. Selling an occasional print for example might keep you below that level but if you get into making enough and doing photography jobs for pay and handling other people's money (payments) that seems to get into becoming a business owner.

Try looking at the IRS site and the one for the Small Business Administration. Look up PPA or http://asmp.org for info. on photography as a business.

It can still be enjoyable doing photography as work but then may no longer be just a hobby.  
Sharon
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9 years 1 month ago #430436 by Overread
I've seen so many 'hobby' photographers transition to paid and for many it's a downward path of interest.  It becomes just a job and the spark is gone with them.  The true artist, the person who is continuously looking for that 'shot', is always stimulated with taking the shot, regardless whether it's for pay or for fun.  
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