Welshot Imaging - Photographic Academy

I recently became a member of the Welshot Photographic Academy based in the UK.  I was introduced by a work colleague and after attending a couple of  evening workshops I decided to join.

They have an expanding number of locations in the UK, the majority of which are in and around Wales.  I am local to the Chester one so have attended a couple of workshops there.  I'm also not far from the Llandudno one so I may try one of those evenings next.  As well as evening workshops they also run activities covering anything from a 1/2 day street photography session to a 10 day trip to Hong Kong !

Anyone can attend the workshops (small fee) but there are plenty of benefits to joining up.   It's also a great way to meet other people who share the same interest so you can swap experiences, hints & tips etc.  What I do like is the fact that there is nothing competitive at all about this Academy.  It doesn't matter what type of camera you have or how good you are, everyone pitches in and helps each other out. 

If you've tried the old style camera clubs and they didn't meet your expectations/requirements then I suggest you give Welshot a try.

Visit their website for full details.... www.welshotimaging.co.uk

TPI - Assignment 10

A lot of research and thinking required for this one.  The more information you gather about running a photography business the more you realise that you'll probably only spend about 10% of the time behind the camera.

The marketplace is saturated with photographers all fighting for business.  You've always got to stay one step ahead of the competition othewise you'll crash and burn.

So how do you make yourself stand out from the rest ?  Just being a better photographer doesnt make you a successfull business.  Marketing and product placement are key; if the right potential customers don't see your flyers/adverts etc in the right place at the right time then they are not going to use you.

Now i'd be happy to supplement my income by selling a few pictures here and there, it would certainly help pay for the next lens.  So, if that were to happen and then develop into something more substantial it would still take an enormous amount of paid photo jobs to take me away from the 9 ot 5.  I would need to be doing a couple of wedding a week and that is certainly not for the faint hearted.

There is also the enjoyment factor to consider.  You take certain pictures because you like taking them.  If you were doing this for a living then you would be taking certain types of pictures because you had to.  Then your hobby is no longer your hobby and your enjoyment is replaced with satisfying the customer and doing what you are told.

Still, if I could take pictures all day and make enough money to survive I wouldn't hesitate to do so.  You just never know whats around the corner......