What should you invest in?
Fri, May 1, 2009
Like most of us,who are probably students, prioritising what we do with our money is of the utmost importance. As important as life and death itself, o.k. bad example. Anyway, point is money doesn’t grow on trees, no matter how hard we wish it to be. And we all know that our oh-so -beloved obsession in photography takes a whopping chunk of that financial apple pie of a budget we have.
The real question we must ask ourselves is, how much or what do we spend on photography? How can we improve ourselves without blowing our budget? Is it even worth getting that f2.8 lens? Will that actually improve our picture quality? Well, unfortunately yes and no. There are cheaper options and better options to improve our photography without even buying brand spanking new toys.
Education
Books, magazines, photo classes. Nothing beats a good education. Similarly we as students cant afford to jeopardise our own education. Though to some of us photography is becoming into somewhat of an enthusiast hobby where we can earn some side cashola, we must prioritise our studies above all else (me reminding myself). You may think to yourself that it is possible to earn a living without education, but once you realize that you’re making a living, that’s when you say to yourself that your not progressing and really haven’t reached your full potential in life.
Now step aside our own education, what can I do to improve my photography? Well collecting books is one of them. One of the ways to become a pro is to emulate a pro. Find a pro that you like. Read how he thinks, what he thinks. See their view through the lens and try to emulate that. Soon you’ll find your own views on it. Classes? Pretty pricey if you ask me, unless its by a really good photographer you know. Personally I have 2 magazines, both released weekly, which I follow. They are BJP or British Journalism Photography and Amateur Photography. I realised that in photography, when a person has aquired the technical skills and the aesthetic eye, then a greater thought process must be develop in order to further convey our message across in photography.
Equipment
Photo credit: MarkJSebastian.com and SimpsonYiu.com
Lens, bags etc. I’ve included this because buying camera equipment is also making an investment. Material wise that is. A lens will keep its worth in value far longer than a body of a digital SLR. So keep in mind that if you buy a lens and keep it in realitively acceptable condition, then you could probably resell it for more or less the same price you bought it. Far better still is renting/hiring lenses. An excellent choice for trying out those really expensive or specialty lenses that we dont really use. That way you’ll get great pictures but without the burden of owning a professional lens.
Insurance
Safety, imagine you’ve just been mugged(robbed). And you lose ALL your camera gear in that incident. With no hope what so ever of getting your gear back, you start thinking..” why didn’t I insure my gear?” . There, it hits you and it hits you hard. Trust me you’ll feel stupid coz I’ve been down that nasty road.
Insurance never sounded sweeter or better. And all that time we’re thinking that its a waste of money. Well guys if you love your gear, then you’ll get them insured. It only costs about less than a tenner per month. So its pretty much a no brainer (coming from a guy who after being mugged finally decided to get insurance). It wont improve your photo skills, but it will make sure you’ll still have your camera for years to come. Fine by me.
Phototrips
Experience? Sometimes saving that few hundred quid and spending it on a trip to some exotic country is what we need to improve our photography. Once we get there, were bound to shoot at least 4GB worth of images. That amounts to alot of mistakes which equals to alot of learning too. Quite simply, we learn from our mistakes. Not to mention experiencing new cultures and scenery while we’re at it. In the process we’ll be able to accept different people and their culture while we begin to understand this world just a lil bit better. Sounds good? You bet cha.
Picture: Beauty of Niagara Falls via Stockvault.net
Website
Portfolio? Photo business card? If your the entrepreneurship kinda person, then having an online portfolio is probably one of your best investments. Showing clients your resume so you can watch the money roll in. Having a business card is just as important as its among your first impressions to clients. Just like that expensive suit your wearing.
So, check your pocket and spend it wisely.
Photo credits: Our sponsor, Stockvault.net, kentby (Social Media Patterns) and gagilas (umbrella thumbnail)
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Tags: Education, Investment, tips
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May 12th, 2009 at 6:48 PM
lense and equipment isn’t a good investment. it’s just a safe way to keep your money. A good investment in bad times would be ownership. it has both freedom and your benefits. but u’ll probably need alot to even start.
To be a great entrepreneur one has to be lucky or knows whut other needs and provide the solution that is acceptable by all.
May 12th, 2009 at 9:20 PM
True its not a good investment, but it is AN investment.And Helmi, when u mention ownership, ownership of what? You gotta own sumthing, ownership of equipment is still ownership dude ; )
May 12th, 2009 at 10:48 PM
I’m totally switched off but as a person who own a business, I count it as one of my assets. You own it and you need it to run your business. Even if you fail, there is one thing that shall never fail you:
Your PASSION