A question to the under 18's...Or over 18's

[jameswilby5]

This is mainly a question to the under 18's but others may have some advice aswell.

I am 16 and really want to start making some money out of photography. But the problem I have encountered is that there is often an age limit of 18 for photographers. I do quite alot of sports photography and often use my friends 70-200 f2.8 non IS so my first thought was the local newspaper. But they don't hire anyone under 18. My second thought was estate agent photography. Alot of the estate agents I have seen in my area show up with compacts. I could borrow my friends Canon 10-22mm until I have enough money to buy my own. Does anyone know if they have age limits?

Another thought was stock photo libraries. But I can' really see myself making much money from this. There are millions of photos on these websites. What are the chances of someone buying even one of mine. Anyone had any good experience with stock libraries.

Are there any other photography jobs I could do?

Any help
Thanks

[Victor Hoffmann]

I am in the exact same boat as you are (15 soon 16 years old), so I will be following!

[jameswilby5]

I knew there would be others!

My mums friends owns a local estate agent I may build a portfolio and show it to her. But I am still not sure about age limits.

[Razvan]

it's not about age,it's about skill. to call yourself a photographer requires years of hard work & shooting

[akoniya]

probably it's about contracts also... what's the legal age in your part of the world? have your Mum sign the contract for you if it's the problem...(",)

[Victor Hoffmann]

Well, I think it depends a lot on your age and of cause skills (as Razvan wrote).
I find that people will often hire a person on 20+ than a person like me on 15... Even if they show an equal level of skill.

[jeremy1302]

I dont want to put a whole downer on your dream, but photography is a very popular career path at the moment that is very difficult to make money from.

In my opinion you should worry about getting into university or getting a job to pay for yourself while you build up your portfolio and skill, as well as become able to afford new gear.

When I was your age, I loved photography, and it was so easy to get into compared to today. But what I did was completely unrelated. It wasnt until later when I had a huge portfolio and albums, people would start to say "Hey great stuff, can you shoot my wedding?"

Where is the harm in you getting your qualifications in something else, but still making pocket money on the side by stock shooting, or shooting for estate agents or whatever?

Just my thoughts,
Jeremy

[keystrokesuk]

As has been mentioned there are certain age restrictions for signing contracts which are probably the main reasons for commercial enterprises are using 18 as an age requirement.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/50/section/1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... onsibility
http://www.inbrief.co.uk/court-proceedi ... bility.htm

You may well be able to overcome some of these restrictions if a parent or guardian co-signs any agreement or contract.

However there are many ways to make money from photography. You could print off your shots as postcards and sell them at car boot sales. You could set up a website making greetings cards and use your images for these.

You could approach the sports clubs you are taking photos of and ask if they would like you to produce a magazine for them (using your shots of course).

[Victor Hoffmann]

I certainly don't wish do do this full time... But it would be nice just to get a small job here and there.
Today i actually got my first two jobs One of my parents friends is an architect, and he asked me to shoot some of 'his' buildings
And the second job is for the local windsurfing club

[akoniya]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

you take photos, you make money, improve your technique, and more...
all doing what you like to do...(",)

keep the dream alive...

[jameswilby5]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Congratulations Victor. I have started to build a portfolio and will send it to some local estate agents. I like the idea of greeting cards and postcards aswell.

[usernametaken]

Skill isn't the issue age is. If you build a great portfolio that will demonstrate you have the skill regardless of your age. However your age will still be a factor because, as mentioned above, you aren't old enough to sign a legally binding contract. In addition there are other age related business issues such as insurance. If you were to visit the estate agents office to deliver something and have an accident their workplace insurance most likely wouldn't cover you. Likewise if you visit a property and cause accidental damage....

[dubaiphil]

Well you could get yourself 'out there' by printing up photographs as cards, prints etc. and get involved in local fetes/markets if possible. That might be a nice little revenue stream.

Oops - just checked and keystrokesuk suggested the same!

[Tomis]

its nearly impossible to get a paying job as a photographer over here at the moment. I would stick to freelance.