Have you guys done something like this? I'm not talking about family outings. I'm talking about photography work that will or might get published. A co-worker I spoke to volunteers at an animal shelter photographing animals to be adopted. I just think that's great stuff and I want to do something like that. I love volunteering for a good cause and would absolutely do it for free because I get to help out and enjoy a hobby of mine.

Have you guys done something like this? If so, in what areas? I might send out my "portfolio" to organizations that might need a volunteered photographer and would like some ideas if you guys have any experience with it.

 

I've been doing this the past 2 years actually, from fashion shows to community organizations to friends of friends too broke for a wedding photographer etc etc...

and I learn something almost every event I shoot

 

Nice. Do people come to you for the favor or you went and seek the work? My buddy asked me to do a few fashion show and car show for his website but it's one of those project that he's doing that doesn't get a lot of exposure at all.

In a way I really want my pictures to be exposed more so that, like you said, I can learn more from it. I can only learn so much from "Hey great pics!" feedbacks from friends.

 

IMO, the learning is more important than the exposure you'll get from it. It sounds like a nice relaxed gig where you'll not be under the gun and you'll really get to explore yourself as a photographer. With the volunteering, it not only is a great thing for you to do, it lets others know that you have a solid work ethic to be donating your time and experience. I see no negatives coming from that decision.

The more you get your stuff out there, the more likely it is you'll get exposure...so it all works in to play. All it takes is one good contact for things to start to blow up. With the car stuff that I do, I just posted a thread asking for 25 volunteers for a free shoot for me to experiment with. I've gotten a toooon of exposure just telling people to spread the word and being on different forums, etc. I've also got a constant flow of paying work which I never thought would be possible from holding a camera.

Between Flickr and Instagram alone I've seen the most feedback via social media....FB is ok, but I don't see much of a return.

 

For four years in a row I did photos at a pediatric hospital for their holiday events. Photos around the office of the staff and whatnot was fun... The hundreds of photos of kids with Santa in the waiting room was not. I did learn how to best use flash for that type of event and got more comfortable with indoor shots.

I stopped doing it after editing over a hundred photos of kids with Santa one year and delivering it to them to the hospital only to find out later on that they never distributed it to the parents like they said they would. Apparently the person that distributed it to the parents in prior years had left and nobody picked that up.

 

a little of both, a couple years ago, it was more ME going around offering, but now I'm starting to get people hitting me up for stuff because of word of mouth (I guess)



very true. A lot of people have that mentality that their time is money, but IMO, that's only true if they are... well... GOOD. I hate to say this, but I have a lot of people on my friends list on FB that are "photographers" (notice how I word that? I didn't say "I have a lot of friends on FB" but they are on my list of friends only because networking or whatever... anyways)... and their work are IMO simply subpar... yet they charge people. And they'll post stuff like "I'm getting booked through December, get with me soon if you want me to shoot your event" Sorry, for certain stuff, I just can't see myself charging anyone yet... and the friends that hit me up for headshots, maybe perhaps for their Linkedin profile or whatever, I just don't feel right taking any money from them...

I'll always go back to my comparison with personal training... something I DID DO for over a decade... and that is, I see a lot of crappy trainers out there, yet they charge people... and their clients have absolutely zero clue, and I don't to be "that guy" with photography until I'm ready... and even then, I think I'd only do it more or less to support the camera gear addiction

 

I think its good to volunteer. Building your portfolio like you said but also experience. Let your creative side go to work. Its not a paid gig so you can go nuts and not worry if you mess up.

 

Agreed, done both volunteering and also "donating" photography time / effort / product for charitable causes. Gives you a warm fuzzy feeling that you helped, it's generally a positive endeavor all around.

 

I still learn something or get better at something EVERY time I shoot an event... like for example, this past week was Vancouver Fashion Week, and it was a long 7 days (actually 9 days for me because they had asked me to do something extra prior to the week)... anyways, this time around, what I got better at was shooting in Manual and changing settings on the fly accordingly to the condition... So, if the models came out on the runway with a fast pace, I'd have to bump up the shutter speed but also up the ISO... where as some designers want their models to go with a slower pace, that allows me to do the opposite, slowing down the shutter speed = lower ISO = less post processing time. And then you factor in the different lighting situations/conditions from one end of the runway to the other Oh, and there's white balance....

so, yeah, you kinda have to get used to the constant changing environment/situations... and think fast (shooting in manual) how will this help me in the future? While, I didn't get paid for the whole week... the practice I got to shoot in an actual event, having stuff I can use later perhaps in my website (when I get one), getting connections with models/MUA was all worth it to me, even just for the experience

 

used to in the beginning, but frankly its not -that- worth it anymore, especially today.

sure it feels nice to help out and give back, but even then I laid out what I was volunteering to do, and anything above and beyond, they have to pay me up front. I didn't go into doing photography as a charity. its not being selfish, its being practical. experience be damned, experience is not going to pay my bills or put food on the table.

 

see, that's the difference for some other people... I'm into photography because it's a passion FIRST... and now, perhaps I'm toying around the idea of making some extra money on the side. Where as I know people that got an entry model camera, perhaps from Costco or something, and all of a sudden, they think they are pro and can go into business

 

Photography is a hobby for me. To me, morally, I feel bad charging people for something I'm doing as just a hobby and not as something I set out to do for money. But that's just me.

Any ways, I contacted the investor that sold me my home to see if he needs photographers for home sales. When I was looking to buy a home, 90% of the photos were really crappy photos with terrible composition and quality that doesn't make the home inviting at all. He got back with me and he's going to contact his boss to see if he needs my help. Of course I told him I'd do it free of charge because 1. Home photography is something I have not done so it will be great to experience it and 2. Looking at multiple homes will help me as a home owner on improving my own home. We'll see if it goes through or not.

 

This is something you should look into. Its really good, but does start off dry. but very informative.

https://fstoppers.com/product/mike-k...s-architecture

 

Skimming through it real quick and it already looks great. Will see it after work. Thanks.

 

It was a passion, a hobby, for me when I first started doing it in high school. that was in the 80's and it was expensive then compared to now. eventually it became a side job that I did a lot of alongside my regular job.

nowadays, its gotten so cheap to get a really good camera that a LOT of people with little to no experience sell their service. with the magic of photoshop and other software, they get results people pay a lot of before. so that brings the market down for those that rely on photography as a main source of income. thankfully im not in that camp but I know a lot who are. so I make sure I charge every time that shutter opens and closes.

this whole charging vs free photography is kinda like buying a steak and cooking it yourself or going to a high end steakhouse to eat the same steak done right. you pay for the service and the skill to prepare a steak. sure you can buy one raw and prepare it yourself, but it wont be the same.

 

so, your work is equivalent to a high end steakhouse?

 

I think what we are seeing here is a question of personal preferences and ideals. When I volunteer or donate photography work, whether it's "worth it" to me is not a big concern. Like you said, I'm mainly happy that I'm giving back to a community that I am a part of, a community that consists of contacts I've made over the past years, it's my way of saying "Thank you" to those people. But to me volunteering and donating is separate from work you are charging for. I would never be like ok I'll shoot for 2 hours as a donation but if you want me for more than that you have to pay. It's all or nothing. Maybe that is a personal preference.

Also, if photography was my full-time and primary job, I would guess my opinion on this would be different. Since it's not, I can afford to do this kind of thing from time to time. I don't do it often though.

 

its just an analogy when people say that they can buy the same equipment that you use and say that your price is not justified. I feel strongly about that argument because I have a few friends have their business dwindle because of people like that that undercut their service.

their main reason? that its the equipment and not the person shooting.

to put it another way, its like paying more for a luxury car like a Benz rather than paying for a Toyota. sure they both get the same job done, but its the experience and even the intangibles that you just dont get on the toyota that you get on the Benz that make the difference.

you even said it yourself. some people buy a camera and suddenly they're a pro. what they dont realize is that there are more skilled people out there that rely on that as their source of income and they are ruining that.

 

I had a feeling it would come down to that - the notion of these people with cameras ruining business for pros. Yes, the market got saturated - and this is because everyone has access to good cameras. It doesn't really have to do with people volunteering or donating (or just doing it for free). It has to do with saturation. There are many many many talented people out there with cameras, some do it for fun, some do it for volunteer, some charge a little, some charge a lot. The playing field has changed drastically from how it was in the 80's or 90's and this has primarily to do with accessibility.