In the many years I have hovered around the edges of commercial and art photography, the question of “making your photography pay for itself” has been a topic of discussion. The quest seems particularly important to those that deem themselves artists and do not wish to sully their artwork with crass commercial influence. After spending decades worrying about “can I make my photography pay for itself?” I decided to assume it was not a question worth worrying about and conceded that I will never make my photography pay for itself. Stress removed.
I concluded that deriving income from photography makes you the owner of a small business whose sole asset is your photographic skill. If you know any small business owners, you know they spend a very large part of their time on self-promotion and sales with a very small part of their time creating art. With the limited time I had available for photography, I chose to spend that time creating art, not promoting myself.
I did not want to take a pleasurable activity and turn it into a job.
Thus, sharing my photographs with the world became the primary goal for my photography. To that end I have centered my photographic output around my web site and my blogs. I rarely make photographic prints anymore. When I do make a print, it is usually motivated by entry into a juried competition, or a gallery show. Success in that endeavor is having my photograph accepted for exhibition. If I earn an award or someone purchases a print, I consider that a bonus.
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