A slightly off topic question but do any of you make money from your photography?
Or is it purely a hobby?
If you make money, do you do it through sales to friends etc or do you sell on line etc?
Just curious whether these hobbies can expand to income streams.
I did, back during the days of film. Portraits and weddings. A friend of mine was a Master Photographer, and took the the time to teach me, and I was A PPA member for a short time.
Getting beautiful photographs back then required a lot more time to learn, because feedback took time; one had to wait for film to be developed and prints made. It also took metering skills, and consistency - because one could could not go back and retake a photo.
Digital has made things easier, technology has made cameras more prevalent and cheaper (in phone cameras, etc)so more people are taking photos, and more people are becoming good. Competition is stiffer, and the market for professional photographers, in the non-commercial market, is greatly decreased. So, for part-time semi-pro or advanced amateurs, I don't think there is as much as a market.
Keep in mind I'm about 20 years out of date, but I think there are ways to make money - I just don't think it will be a significant amount. You need a large amount of excellent photos to get into stock photography. Selling images online? I'm not sure what the market is these days, with so much available on the internet. Companies doing annual reports can probably get photos in house . Common people are ripping off photos from the net for many of their needs. I know artists who make a bit of money doing cards. Maybe doing candid portraits at events, if there's no house photographer, but in the age of selfies, how many people are going to put out cash?
Just my $.02, but I think there's an era of photography that's gone for good. Do it for fun, get proficient, and then try to sell images, if you want. Like acting, some people make it, so many don't.