Working photographer or hobbyist?

9 months 1 week ago #757236 by Eric A
I'm surfing this site from my doctors waiting room, and just making some small chit chat.  I'm loving I get to do both and it hasn't lost it's 'fun' status.  Curious how many of you are either hobbyist, or working professional OR able to do both?

My Camera Bag:

Canon 7D | 50mm f/1.2 | 17-40mm f/4 | 70-200mm f/2.8 | 320EX | 580EXII

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9 months 1 week ago #757239 by Peter P
70% work and 30% fun for me.  Way to busy these days and hardly ever get time to just head out for 'me' time 


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9 months 1 week ago #757244 by LensofNature
I'm a hobbyist; I'd never be able to develop the technical skills needed to be a professional, nor the entrepreneurial skills to be self employed. 


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9 months 1 week ago #757250 by Zach Mosher
A bit of both


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9 months 5 days ago #757329 by EOS Man
Yeah I'm doing a bit of both.  Last 3 years have been great for building out  my brand. 

5D Mark II | 50mm f/1.4 EX | 24-70mm f/2.8L | 70-200mm f/2.8L | 430EX
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9 months 4 days ago #757368 by Nathan D
Used to be 80/20 rule for me.  20% being the work.  These days man it's flipping the other way.  While I don't have exact, it seems 60% work and 40% of what I do is for my own.  


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9 months 4 days ago #757380 by TCav
Self-employed computer professional for 37 years.
Photography hobbyist for 55 years.

Personally, I don't like HAVING to take photos, and I suck at event photography, so I'm content to pursue my passion for sports/action/wildlife photography, occasionally delving into macrophotography and even portraiture.

But if someone wants to pay me for one of my photos, I'll gladly take their money.


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9 months 3 days ago #757438 by Mike McKinnon
90% fun for me and 10% for hire.  Roughly speaking.  


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8 months 4 weeks ago #757657 by Randy Shaw
Happy to say both, but mostly work these days. My personal days are really my photography trips, so definitely condensed 'play' time. 


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8 months 3 weeks ago #757691 by CharleyL
At the moment I think I consider myself to be a semi retired Pro Photographer. I took Yearbook photos for two years while in high school, using a big Graflex Press Camera. I helped develop a special camera to take mapping photos of the entire Moon, even the dark side of the Moon, from an orbiting rocket for NASA (Lunar Ranger Program (before Apollo)). I was stage manager and lighting electrician for an Off-Broadway Theater. I developed automated IC Chip alignment and placement AI systems using optical image technology. I also owned a digital photo re-touching business for 8 years, but now at 81 and with significant health problems brought on mostly by my age, I no longer seek a steady job or work in photography for a living, but I'm still active in it.

I'm no longer working as an electrical automation engineer (my main career) either, but I still love photography, more so since leaving film and chemicals behind in 1998. I now have eight  inventions, mostly in manufacturing automation, and two of which are fully and formally patented. I've retired five times, but each time was offered something better at significantly more pay, so I went back, but then I refused the last offer and have been fully retired now for the past 12 years.

Five years ago I decided to build myself a small multi room photo studio with a 19 X 26' "shooting room" in spare space that my family no longer needed in my home, so that I could continue my long love of photography and also continue to experiment with lighting and digital photography. It was also built to be able to provide studio level photography for my friends and family at little to no cost to them. If they donate to cover the printing costs I am happy, but I do it for them anyway, even when they don't donate. The studio was a "Bucket List" project for me. I am living comfortably, with my retirement income and investments, so I don't need any additional income from this. 

So, what to call myself? Pro Photographer? Semi Pro? At this point I am not really sure, but I am certain that I know more than most about electronics, photography, guidance systems, lighting, and automation than most who call themselves "Pro Photographers".

Charley


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8 months 3 weeks ago #757778 by Carter Gledhill
Both however most of my time is spent on work.  Time management is working overtime.  


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8 months 3 weeks ago #757848 by Owen
working photographer at least till I figure out how to get this money tree to work.  Ha ha ha


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8 months 3 weeks ago #757918 by ShutterGuy
Leaning towards hobbyist.  But I do take on the occasional gig 


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8 months 3 weeks ago #757924 by Hassner
Studied Interior Design with photography as a subject.
Became press photographer (as we called it then) for 5 years. 
Government photographer for a few years, industrial/media photographer on a mine for 10 years.
Now I scout for the film industry. You photograph the location as good as possible to sell it to the director. 
I still use SLR, some use their phones for the job. 


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8 months 2 weeks ago #758034 by Sassy Girl
+1 put me down as a hybrid.  I am a working photographer and do a lot of newborn, weddings and portraits.  I also make time each week to get out and keep photography fun for me by taking personal time with my camera.


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