Underwater photography - The professionals

[John Bantin 101]

Simon wrote : "It can be useful to remember the origin of the word amateur..French, meaning 'the love of' (or close - francophiles please correct me."

 

Amateur means in French: someone who loves/like something. "Un amateur de vin" means "someone who loves wine". Same for photography or football.... This is the first meaning of the word amateur.

 

"Sport amateur" means non-professional sport... ie. "amateur sport". Same for photography or other human activities where there is a distinction between a professional or a non-professional/hobby-like endeavour.

 

So, we can infer that in French or English "amateur" describes someone who engages in u/w photography for the love of the disciplin as opposed to someone who does it to make a living.

 

Having said that, many amateurs take pro-level images, they simply do not earn their living doing so... So we all start as amateurs and some become professionals, just like in golf, sailing, or astronomy...

 

This topic is interesting and the insight provided by distinguished members of the profession is great food for thought... And so is the quote about the change brought by image-making technology and the internet/telecommunication industry in the field. Internet/IP-based technology have been major disruptive technologies in so many fields... And we are in the infancy stage of that era.

 

Question: Who wants to go back to 36-exosure rolls... No instant feedback... 100 ISO slide film... Film processing... Snail mail communications and shipment of images..? Or flashbulbs for that matter :-)

 

Michel Gilbert

 

 

Players and gentlemen? (I was never rich enough to be a gentleman)

[pKai 1]

Simon wrote : "It can be useful to remember the origin of the word amateur..French, meaning 'the love of' (or close - francophiles please correct me."

 

Amateur means in French: someone who loves/like something. "Un amateur de vin" means "someone who loves wine". Same for photography or football.... This is the first meaning of the word amateur.

 

"Sport amateur" means non-professional sport... ie. "amateur sport". Same for photography or other human activities where there is a distinction between a professional or a non-professional/hobby-like endeavour.

 

So, we can infer that in French or English "amateur" describes someone who engages in u/w photography for the love of the disciplin as opposed to someone who does it to make a living.

 

Having said that, many amateurs take pro-level images, they simply do not earn their living doing so... So we all start as amateurs and some become professionals, just like in golf, sailing, or astronomy...

 

This topic is interesting and the insight provided by distinguished members of the profession is great food for thought... And so is the

 

Michel Gilbert

 

 

A few..... including the well-respected and very successful Stephen Frink, have mentioned in this thread that being an "amateur" underwater (or whatever) photographer does not imply inferiority in one's image-making ability and that, indeed, many images made by amateurs are "pro quality". Of course, I agree with this; I see some amazing photography every time I come here.... just to mention one place.

 

Outside photography and perhaps a few other art forms, the word "amateur" certainly implies and correctly describes someone who has "less-than-professional-level" abilities. Generally speaking, an amateur boxer will lose to a pro every single time. The best amateur (College) American Football team has not a prayer of besting even the most mediocre NFL tream. "Amateur" actors almost never perform to the level of Hollywood's best.... and so on.

 

I put forth a theory -- science geeks would correctly call it a hypothesis since I have not conducted one iota of experimentation to support it:

 

This one important difference between photography and other endeavors is largely responsible for the desire to "go pro" that many talented amateur photographers seem to have....... People that are good at something don't like being called "amateurs" ----- Its an ego thing.... even if subconscious.

 

Personally, I have been guilty of this at times. Although I've made money from (mostly not underwater) photography on and off for most of my life, its never been my main source of income. I am technically an "amateur" and after countless hours of therapy (not really) have come to grips (really) with this oft-maligned status........... but please don't call me that.

Edited September 5, 2012 by m1mm1m

[cor 0]

I dont really agree with you that outside of photography pro is a measurement of quality. In my perception pro means they made it their profession. A pro soccer player (from europe after all) gets paid to play soccer all day. The result of this is that they become better at it than an amateur that plays on sunday afternoon for fun. So the effect is increased quality, but the cause is daily rigorous (paid) training.

 

Photography, and especially underwater photography, has a huge influx of affluent people that can afford to practice a lot (and thus increase their quality) without making it their profession. (in most cases because being a heart surgeon is already a fulltime profession). Like you say, and has been mentioned in this thread, their output quality can often compete with people who made this their profession. Just look at some of the competitions and you can see this. Any field where the quality difference between paid and non/low-paid performers is small, is bound to have some issues regarding the delimitation and definition between the two.

 

The two definitions for uw pro photographer that tend to get mixed together to form an unquantifiable mix is "someone that is really good at creating underwater images" and "a (paid) underwater industry professional". Some people lean more to the former, some more to the latter.

[pKai 1]

I dont really agree with you that outside of photography pro is a measurement of quality. In my perception pro means they made it their profession. A pro soccer player (from europe after all) gets paid to play soccer all day. The result of this is that they become better at it than an amateur that plays on sunday afternoon for fun. So the effect is increased quality, but the cause is daily rigorous (paid) training

 

 

Maybe this is a chicken-and-egg argument with regard to non-visual arts endeavors.... Perhaps its different in Europe, but here in the US, and in sports particularly, its nearly impossible to "turn pro" without already being among the cream of the crop at whatever you do. Of course, daily practice after the fact will make one better still, but to even have a hope of getting in the door you must already be among the top amateurs.

 

Going beyond sports and such.... woodworking/carpentry is a poplar hobby and many "amateur" woodworkers produce stunning work. That said, would you trust an amateur carpenter to redesign and build your kitchen? Safety issues aside, would you hire an amateur electrician to rewire your house because he offers his services for almost nothing as long as you give him "credit" for the work -- much the same way amateur photographers offer their images to magazines for free?

 

Photogrpahy is different in the sense that organizations that used to exclusively consume the work of professionals and pay accordingly now have no qualms whatsoever taking work from amateurs at a fraction of the price or even for free. Sometimes this work is "just as good" -- sometimes not. For example, I see a lot of garbage photogrpahy in news magazines these days. The days of "Life" and their consistently top-notch photography even in mundane stories are gone, I'm afraid.

 

I do agree with you that in any visual art that is as equipment and travel intensive as underwater photography, wealth does buy access -- to both "stuff" and places -- as well as time to practice one's craft to a level of intensity that rivals someone that gets paid to do it.

Edited September 5, 2012 by m1mm1m

[bvanant 191]

I think for some sports that might be true, particularly the big pro sports, baseball, football, basketball, tennis, but in some sports amateurs (i.e. non-paid) are as good as many of the pros (golf for example). There are a lot of mediocre professional athletes and some quite stellar amateur (OK, college) athletes but for photography I think Cor is right. If you look at the quality of submissions to major international competitions and especially to those that have both amateur and professional categories, as often as not the best amateur pictures are as good as the pros. Of course there is a huge statistical bias here, to win a competition you need one or a few great images; to make your living at it you need to make great images every time you dive and that is a very big difference. It is often your complete body of work that makes the difference.

Bill

[Ducha 0]

This is really an interesting discussion topic!

It reminded me of the time when I was researching in the web to decide which camera and gear I would buy before I bought my Nikon D7000.

I saw it being defined as the right camera for the "ambitious amateur" - this was a good combination for my ego

Heidi

Edited September 10, 2012 by Ducha

[tdpriest 115]

Perhaps its different in Europe, but here in the US, and in sports particularly, its nearly impossible to "turn pro" without already being among the cream of the crop at whatever you do.

 

I think it's exactly the same: thank heavens I've got a proper job!

[tdpriest 115]

... the word "amateur" certainly implies and correctly describes someone who has "less-than-professional-level" abilities...

 

Not at all, unless only by being paid can you acquire the skill and experience to reach the top flight.

 

Despite my profession as an anesthesiologist and my irritation with the foibles of my colleagues, it's true to say that there aren't any amateur surgeons...

 

... but there are a lot of amateur artists.

 

An amateur is a lover, not a failure!

[tdpriest 115]

It reminded me of the time when I was researching in the web to decide which camera and gear I would buy before I bought my Nikon D7000.

I saw it being defined as the right camera for the "ambitious amateur" - this was a good combination for my ego...

 

Ego aside, are you saying that I bought the wrong camera??

 

I felt that the layout of the controls, AF and memory of the D7000 were limiting: some of the technical details were a step back from the D300, and so I chose the D800 and the perils of FX...

[Marjo 8]

I think Cor said it very well:

 

The two definitions for uw pro photographer that tend to get mixed together to form an unquantifiable mix is "someone that is really good at creating underwater images" and "a (paid) underwater industry professional". Some people lean more to the former, some more to the latter.

 

I thnk sometimes, if you are an enthusiastic hobbyist, people will think a "pro" while you really aren't doing whatever it is that you are enthusiastic about "for living". I had an instance where I was denied participating in a ocal photography competition because the organizer decided that I was a "pro". Somewhat floored I pointed out that they very well know what I do for living all day (not photography), but no - no way no how - their mind was set, no entry for me.

[Paul Kay 62]

Having said that, many amateurs take pro-level images, they simply do not earn their living doing so...

I'm not sure what a 'pro-level image' is! By definition a pro takes an image which is then sold (or tries to be sold). An amateur does not, and therefore does not and can not take 'pro-level images' (other than by selling them and in effect turning 'pro'), but In terms of content and technical excellence there may be little difference......

Amateurs do something 'for the love of it' and are in an enviable position of being able to take as much time and expend as much effort on one shot as they want, a luxury that few pros ever have. Making a living from pro photography is IMHO a very different affair than most people think.

[cor 0]

Just like I said before, confusion over the term 'pro', which is shown all over this and other industries It is confused with a measure of quality. (the other side of that coin is, that being a pro doesnt necessarily mean high quality, something ive seen quite a bit with resort photo/video pros).

 

Of course, many amateurs/hobbyists do sell their work, creating that huge grey zone.

[blueglass 3]

What other methods are people using to eek out a living from their passion and skills?

 

I imagine that back in the film/slide age it was probably easier to be a professional, as the market wasn't flooded with amatuer images. I know this is the case for friends who are surf photographers.

 

 

 

Interesting to read all these thoughts. I agree with most opinions here.

I´ll try to answer your question based on my own experience. It is possible to make a living in underwater photography nowadays when you are willing to work very hard and keep a modest cost of living.

It was definitely easier in the film days like you have suggested, but even then it took me a high degree of commitment. I washed dishes and filled tanks for a couple of dives a day in liveaboards to built up my stock, used home made and third-hand gear, and saved every cent for film processing and of course rolled my own film because it was cheaper. Every camera, strobe, lens and housing was considered as a tool that had to pay for itself.

Accepting I´d never be rich (in money terms) by becoming a UW photographer was the first step to overcome. Once you have that clear, everything is much easier. Why go on a $2000/day vacation when you can get paid to go to the same place? My holidays are more like $50/day trips and I´ll never be able to afford to pay for the trips that my guests are doing with me. But who needs a vacation when you work everyday in something you love.

You must have your priorities clear and realize that if you are making a living from UW photography you are already privileged. You don't need a big house or a nice car to be happy, because you are already happy doing what you wanted, right? I think if someone considers becoming an underwater photographer strictly as a job it is a bad investment, put that money anywhere else and it'll be more profitable, but if you consider it as way of life and value all the other benefits and positive experiences it may become your best decision in life.

 

But as low as you may want to keep your cost of living, there are bills to pay and gear to replace (mostly since digital era if you want to keep up). With the stock prices being frozen since the 90s (or even lowering), like Walt said, and the cost of living increasing annually it didn't take me long to realize that diversification was the key to survive. Looking at the general photographic business which may move a few years ahead of the underwater niche, it was easy to see that relying solely on stock sales and assignments could become a problem in the medium term. In my case, diversification came from photo courses, photo trips, gear sales, exhibitions, books, art galleries, writing... and keeping the stock sales, articles and assignments as healthy as possible.

 

People skills are as important as photo skills to keep the business rolling, or even more. I meet so many dive guides, editors, resort managers, writers... who have had bad experiences with arrogant "super-UW-photographers" with big egos. Hey, we are just photographers, like any other type of photographers, like butterfly photographers, (but poorer because our gear is more expensive and the photo prices are similar), nothing too special about it, no heroes of any kind. We don't even look good with all that gear ! I know all of you are super nice people :-) but some talented photographers put themselves out of business because their lack of people skills. Make a good job, leave a good impression and they'll call you back. I know this is general stuff for any kind of business, but in UW photography you really need them to call you back ! There aren't that many clients !

 

For me, every sale is important and every customer gets the same exquisite treatment. The teenager girl who buys a $1,5 postcard of a lovely dolphin is as important as the editor who pays big bucks for a front cover, because in few years that girl, in love with the Ocean, may work for a large company that becomes your advertising client, like it happened to me. I always think long term and try to keep the business rolling in circles, a quick buck is never good business: The new diver who buys a compact housing from me and is happy with my service will take a course to learn how to use it, and realize he needs a strobe (hopefully from me), If I teach him a nice course he may become interested in my entry level trip to practice what he learnt and after having a blast for a week, next year he will join me for a two weeks trip in a destination where I will be able to take new stock and when I come back I can write an article about those islands and place the stock in agencies and if I am lucky maybe win a price or two in a competition that may bring awareness of my last photo gadget to a new customer... by then the first customer will want and SLR housing and will bring his friends, and all over again. Keep the ball rolling...

 

Am I less "pro" because a larger percentage of my income doesn't come from direct photo sales? Maybe, I don't really care, because the old dream of diving around the world taking photos has turned real.

 

Now seriously, nobody else is thinking about becoming an uw photo pro, right?

 

Carlos Villoch

[decosnapper 34]

Carlos - we have never met, but I think we have an almost identical view on life. Your summary was perfect...

[Alex_Mustard 0]

A very valuable contribution, thanks Carlos.

 

Alex

[Cal 5]

"From this I can only assume that at least a few of the photographers on here must make a living from underwater photography. My question, put simply, is how?"

 

I'm a full time underwater photographer - my sole income is from underwater photography and I make a comfortable living (I'm paying rent, bills, food and still saving for a house) but my needs are also different. I'm 25 and have no kids

 

3 years ago I decided I wanted to go 'pro' after finishing uni and realizing I didn't even enjoy what the career path I had chosen.

 

"What other methods are people using to eek out a living from their passion and skills?"

 

The key (for me) was diversity. I started shooting fashion and commercial underwater work. That was really hard for the first year and I basically lived off rice and soy sauce (i'm not kidding) and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I now have quite a few regular clients and a solid agency backing.

 

The fashion shooting had the roll on affect of enabling me to shoot model portfolios as well which helped to fill the gaps between commercial gigs. I now shoot at least one private client a week and have the sales skills to make a comfortable living from prints/canvases from this.

 

I also have managed to do quite well from exhibitions contrary to what most people think of art shows. The trick to the art shows for me was advertising. I printed several of my pieces up to 2x3m sizes and invested a few grand in advertising slots in various magazines. My first show nearly sold out and I've booked on for two more shows next year. Printing huge enabled buzz, higher prices and a different target market.

 

My gear is old but still rocks - I use a d90, Ikelite housing and some ds 125 strobes. I have a backup D80. People always ask me why I don't upgrade and to qoute Alex "once you are operating without serious expenditure then sales become profit" . I still make the same sales from my gear that I would from a newer system. When I do need something special for a client , I hire it and include it in the invoice.

 

I have also started taking bookings for university lecturing spots. These barely pay anything but it's good fun (plus I get to suit up awww yeah! )

 

 

 

Anyway, that's how I make my living from underwater photography. Do I make huge amounts of cash and drive around in a Ferrari? No, but there is nothing else in the world that I would prefer to be doing.

 

Hope that helps?