Weekly Discussion Thread: How do you stay above water during the dry winter months?
Agnieszka
Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,263 Major grins
How do you guys stay above water during the dry winter months?
• Are you a fulltime photographer?
• Do you own a studio?
• Do you offer any shoots during the winter months, or do you get ready for the next season?
Let's get the ball rolling :clap
>> Shhhhhhht. Wanna see the other weekly threads? Click HERE.
• Are you a fulltime photographer?
• Do you own a studio?
• Do you offer any shoots during the winter months, or do you get ready for the next season?
Let's get the ball rolling :clap
>> Shhhhhhht. Wanna see the other weekly threads? Click HERE.
0
Comments
Yup
• Do you own a studio?
Nope, if I have to shoot anything between November - April I'll usually rent a place for a couple of hours
• Do you offer any shoots during the winter months, or do you get ready for the next season?
I haaaate cold weather, so I don't usually shoot any wedding during the winter. I keep myself busy shooting products (for others), architectural projects (since that's my actual field), baby & family photos + boudoir ... I'm usually busy enough designing albums though, so I don't necessarily look for any additional work. Hence I work a LOT in the summer months, to make up for the "missing money" during my off-season ... and enjoy any weekends off.
How do you guys do it?
I shoot weddings 6 months out of the year and a few stragglers in the off season.
I shot 20 weddings last year in 6 months with associated bridal/engagement shoots, all while working a full time job... so I enjoy the off season.
Off season I do a lot of free model shoots for fun and practice. I do a free shoot every couple weeks to work on new techniques/ideas and to stay sharp.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21695902@N06/
http://500px.com/Shockey
alloutdoor.smugmug.com
http://aoboudoirboise.smugmug.com/
Great way to stay in good (photo) shape!
I have a studio
Yes. Offers and marketing are always out there for studio shoots/outdoors all Winter long. Everything from products to families to infant/children to engagement to weddings to model portfolios to radical composites (chroma-blue screen).
Landscaping when traveling for a few print sales here and there. Also shoot parties and social gatherings....and in my spare time...I photograph 3 grandkids
NAPP Member | Canon Shooter
Weddings/Portraits and anything else that catches my eye.
www.daveswartz.com
Model Mayhem site http://www.modelmayhem.com/686552
Oh my gosh, your off season sounds busier than my busy season
I am a part timer. When I am not working on the wedding biz and wedding portfolio, I am working my day job, building my travel and travel photography portfolio, and writing. So I keep myself busy both seasons.
• Do you own a studio?
Nope! Not sure if I would even want one either!
• Do you offer any shoots during the winter months, or do you get ready for the next season?
Yup! I have ideas I want to play with and I think I might offer this current idea free.. not sure yet.
www.tednghiem.com
no, full time hardware engineer for company in silicon valley.
• Do you own a studio?
no, I do how ever own a jar of peanut butter.
• Do you offer any shoots during the winter months, or do you get ready for the next season?
hehe..I haven't had an "on" season yet to have an "off" season. I have decided to shoot the dgrin challenges more often thoguh to keep the creative juices flowing...and finish off that jar of peanut butter.
14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
85 and 50 1.4
45 PC and sb910 x2
http://www.danielkimphotography.com
Peanut butter, eh? I got that Smucker's goober grape peanut butter and jelly!
www.tednghiem.com
In the winter months I book weddings for the summer months. To retain a spot on the calendar my clients pay 1/2 of the package price now, and the other 1/2 is due 2 weeks before the event. So money isn't really an issue.
I am always busy shooting engagement sessions in the winter. I freeze my tail off out there in the snow and schedule for daylight, which is in short supply right now.
Also, bridal fairs, consultations, album orders, wedding invitation design, advertisments and other design work I pick up keeps me plenty busy during off season.
As for a studio... why would I want one? Painted backdrops? Yech. I just drag my clients out my back door to the best scenery on the planet.
No, I used to manage one, and I don't think I'd ever want one.
I shoot weddings in the winter as well as a SELECT few regular portrait clients. I make it through the winter by being a very good squirrel. I shot 14 of my own weddings this year, and 16 for a large national wedding photography company, and another 10 or so as a second for a smaller local company. I also shoot various business portraits, business events, and food shots.
I make 1/2 of what my wife makes at her full time job working 60 or so days a year. We can live off of her income, so I squirrel mine away. I'm actually for the first time, looking to shelter some of it before the end of the year. I'm on pace to shoot 20 weddings next year, and I have NO plans to do any wedding shows, marketing or anything else over the winter. I do photograph things for my own sanity. Risky stuff like this and this. Fun stuff like this and this. Weird stuff like this. I look at winter as my recharging time, and my odd winter wedding always gets my best, newest, freshest thought. All of my wedding inspiration comes to me in the moment, and winter weddings fall at a time that I'm not doing it all the time, so I'm less of a machine, and everything is MORE for me because I'm not being bombarded by it every weekend.
No, i have a full time job in a mortgage industry, the nasty stuff
Would like to leave it behind someday and dive in full time into photos.
• Do you own a studio?
Just a little set up at home, nothing to brag about. I don't actually use it, for an occasional shoot for a friend, a pet, or a family member.
• Do you offer any shoots during the winter months, or do you get ready for the next season?
Here in FL it's season all year around
www.intruecolors.com
Nikon D700 x2/D300
Nikon 70-200 2.8/50 1.8/85 1.8/14.24 2.8
• Are you a fulltime photographer?
It is my part time job. I work for a hotel company part time during the cooler months (September-May) I do photography year round, but scaled back a lot from January - April.
• Do you own a studio?
No, I've been tempted, but just don't think it's worth it. I'm an outdoor shooter, it's where I'm most comfortable and my clients too. We brave the cold in the winter if needed.
• Do you offer any shoots during the winter months, or do you get ready for the next season?
I take a leave of absence for June/July/August from my other job to accommodate weddings portraits and horse shows and shoots. I use the winter to market, make contacts, set up shoots, organize, oh, and relax if possible. I have already scheduled several shoots over the winter both portraits and farm calls. It's been a few years of convincing people, but they are finally seeing the appeal of having their horses captured in the snow too!! I've been asked about doing Christmas and NYE weddings, but I reserve those holidays for family. Hard to say no, but to me it's not worth it!:D
Well, there are no dry winter months in Southern California. We can shoot year round. We can have some pretty harsh light in the summer outside and some extreme heat.
I am full time but I actually own two businesses and they co-exsist since one is accounting. My husband is a CPA and I am a QuickBooks advisor. My studio is next door to the accounting office.
I tend to work too many hours and strive for balance but I love all of what I do. I had my best week since I opened with holiday work. I limit wedding work but portrait and headshots are always welcome.
Flash Frozen Photography, Inc.
http://flashfrozenphotography.com
Sounds like we're in the same boat Kat!
NAPP Member | Canon Shooter
Weddings/Portraits and anything else that catches my eye.
www.daveswartz.com
Model Mayhem site http://www.modelmayhem.com/686552
Oh how pretty, do you post your horse photos in any other dgrin forums? I would looove to see
Ohhhh, I did a NYE wedding last year. It was a bit of a disaster as there was a huge snow storm and everybody was running late + I had no place to take any nice pics. As much as I looooved the couple (I'd almost say she became a friend of mine
Heather, I'm telling you. You have all my respect! You are always working magic with your backdrop, and I'm already looking forward to your this years winter weddings
It's so fun to see what you guys are doing job-wise
Heather, how many bridal shows do you do per year? I never got into these, it looks like a LOT of work (prepping all the boards / albums & other materials). I've been really lucky in the last 2 years and didn't have to do ANY advertising what so ever. It was all worth to mouth ...
Yes
• Do you own a studio?
Yes
• Do you offer any shoots during the winter months, or do you get ready for the next season?
Right now we are updating our storybooks for the vendors we like to work with (bridal shops) we schedule one destination shoot a month until the month of March kicks in - and we stay busy shooting for local magazines (which we are trying to get out of - the economy has turned commercial work into a big bs bartering busines
Klinh Evelyn Grace Photography
Fashion & Commercial
(2)Mamiya RZ67 IID, Mamiya 645 AFD II, Leaf Aptus 65, Profoto D1's, Capture One.
http://www.klinhevelyngracephotography.com
Well, this year only one bridal fair... I just don't have time to do more, plus my calendar is pretty much already full. I am mostly doing it to be seen and to see what else is out there, and to hopefully snag a couple more off season weddings. I don't have all that many winter weddings this year... but a ton of e-sessions. Which makes me happy since weddings in the winter = inside in a dark venue, whereas e-sessions in winter = playing outside in the snow. Works for me!
Angie, are you doing all your processing yourself? I took a glance at your calendar in the summer and NO WONDER you work 14+ hours a day. (Though I usually do too, which is a trick when you have 3 kids on summer break!) My name is Heather.... and I too am a workaholic.
You.are.crazy.
My job makes it entirely easy to do weddings on the side! I will leave some details out since ...
www.tednghiem.com
Yup, I would love to outsource that part, but I'm way too picky & put a LOT of work into it ... I definitely don't know anybody that would sit down the same amount of hours for a reasonable price
Make sure to post links on your blog to the places you worked at. So many of my brides found me by just googling for their venue ... It really helps!
Yeah well ... we knew that already ...
Well, your architecture + weddings + job sure beat my original plan- I was plotting to do my ph.d, at U of Chicago. and all and do weddings on the side, but, I got side tracked.
www.tednghiem.com
Well ... let me tell you, I'd not recommend to anybody doing that .... it's a deadly recipe
- Not fulltime, and I'm actually going to be a full-time grad student next fall. Oy, it will be a long time before I can be fulltime!
- No studio either!
- Last year I spent this time building up my portfolio. This year I've been networking with a ton of non-photography vendors and I'm doing a collaboration shoot or two, and I'll also be upgrading my logo, tweaking the portfolio on my website, and doing some test runs on products I'm offering next year. People still book me for lifestyle shoots, though I keep trying to push them to warmer weather
Site
Blog
Of course, only to happy to oblige. This is where I started into photography, and where I'll always remain, with the horses. Weddings are fun and exciting and romantic and I love all of those elements, so I'll continue to do weddings until I don't find them fun anymore. I don't usually post anywhere other than this section on this site, so I thought I'd post them here!
Here's just a couple from some of my shoots late this fall!
• Are you a fulltime photographer?
Yes I am full time but I do bartend 1 night a week. This time of year I pick up a Sunday shift during football season too. Otherwise I just shoot. The bartending thing is why you guys see so many 4am posts from me!
• Do you own a studio?
No, but I would love to! I hope in a year or two I will have a space. Not so much for doing studio work but for meeting with clients and displaying my work. More of an office I guess, but I will have a small area for shooting or possibly share a space with someone who is more studio/product oriented.
• Do you offer any shoots during the winter months, or do you get ready for the next season?
I shoot some stuff for local schools. Candid work mostly like plays, dances, and sporting events. I would far prefer to shoot winter weddings though. My sister, who lives in Florida, thinks I should try to book myself down there a few months out of the year, and after my daughter is older I may try to do that. Right now she is 11 and I share custody with my ex wife.
The school stuff doesn't really pay the bills too well. It is my way of keeping sharp. I really worked through a lot of my techniques shooting that kind of stuff though. Like Heather, I hope to be active booking weddings and B'nai Mitzvas after the first of the year. Last year was rough but I survived it thanks to deposits and a tightened belt, and I'll get by this year too. Other than that I have a couple of book projects and am working on some website and portfolio updates. I hope to have a show and tell book sample done as well. I really want to get more into albums, and I have a $250 album credit from vissionart that I won last year at a seminar.
Love these threads!!!
Matt
Bodies: Canon 5d mkII, 5d, 40d
Lenses: 24-70 f2.8L, 70-200 f4.0L, 135 f2L, 85 f1.8, 50 1.8, 100 f2.8 macro, Tamron 28-105 f2.8
Flash: 2x 580 exII, Canon ST-E2, 2x Pocket Wizard flexTT5, and some lower end studio strobes
These are soooo beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing!!! I always loved horses (I guess all girls have a big heart for horses, haha!) I really hope I'll get to do a shoot with some horses next year ... so pretty
Yup, it's a girl thing for sure!!! Be sure to use your big lens when you go shooting horses, compression is HUGE, otherwise the people look great, horses look wonky! (big heads, little bodies!) Be careful and Have fun. They are such amazing creatures, A life long love, I never in a million years dreamed that this would be my job! How lucky!
Aww Thank you mmmatt