How do you fund your photography addiction?

[mousehockey37]

This is meant to be a fun and interesting thread.

We all know that photography is addicting and the constant upgrading of cameras and lenses tends to leave us wanting the better gear. That said, what are some of the ways that you go about affording the newer cameras, lenses and gear that go with them? Do you trade in your old gear, have a small photography business on the side, take out a 3rd or 4th mortgage (lol)?

I'm interested to see what responses this will get.

 

[dmaxphil]

Oh boy. I pretty much just buy whatever it is I want if I can find some way to justify. I've scaled back my gear considerably and no longer have the urge to buy the latest and greatest. I've had good success buying used and selling if I need to free up dollars for a new purchase. Though I don't always follow the "sell first" rule.

 

[mom2rtk]

I try to find a lens deals on Ebay. Often I use it for a while, then sell it to try something else. When I'm ready to sell, I sell on Craig's list to save the Ebay fees. It's possible to buy a lens, play with it for a while, then sell it for the same amount I paid.

Also, I rent lenses from time to time so I can try out nicer things without the huge investment.

 

[jamez2014]

tbh i went through the i want every lens and all ranges phase, but eventually I settled, ideally think about what you want to shoot and focus on using the gear you have, remeber you can always step backwards or forwards, and having less stuff with you means youre more likely to use the camera. but for lenses i tend to always buy second hand as once a lens is second hand (well in the UK) and you look after it they wont loose any money and on odd occasions they increase. try to use reputable second hand camera dealers that provide a small warranty period. Ive pretty much setteld on a 3 lens setup for now, 24-70mm F4, 17-40mm F4 and sigma 28mm 1.8 and maybe if there is a slither of space a 40mm pancake

 

[fractal]

The great thing about photography is the lenses typically hold their value. Especially the good ones and even more so for Canon and Nikon. Sony (which I shoot) lenses hold up but not quite as well as Canikon. If you buy smart and take care of them they will hold value.

Cameras however, not as much. For cameras I think you are better off buying new, state of the art or close to it and plan on using that camera for 4,5 years at least. I bought my NEX-7 new in 2012 and am still firing away on it, approaching 200,000 shots. It cost over $1,000 new but I think I've gotten my money's worth.

The other approach is to buy a slightly used camera in good condition from a reputable re-seller. A bit more risky but may save you $ over time.

Finally, I'll say what I told me wife about my "mid-life" photography hobby - It's a heck of a lot cheaper than an exotic sports car or a girlfriend.

 

[mousehockey37]

Ok, ok... Good stuff so far, but we're going away from what my actual question is...

I'm not concerned about what to have or what you have...

I want to know, How do you afford your photography addiction?

I get that yes, you'll find that one camera that is worth its weight in gold and you'll stand by it through every new model, same for lenses (as said prior, lenses are interchangeable between camera models, so they last longer with care), but what do you do to afford it all?

Do you sell photos on the side? Just put extra money away? Trade in? Sell old gear?

Btw, I love @fractal's answer with it's a heck of a lot cheaper than an exotic car or girlfriend!

 

[Pooh2]

I've sold gear on craigslist and more recently on KEH.

 

[fractal]

Mostly disposable income. I've sold lenses to fund other purchases.

I've also sold a few photos and did a few side portrait jobs - that helped cover the cost. I'm not actively looking to turn it into a real business, just stuff that comes my way.

 

[dmaxphil]

Yep, just disposable income. My wife actually encourages me to buy whatever I want.

I have friends who spend 10's of thousands annually on hunting, golf, off-roading, cars. As hobbies go, photography equipment is pretty cheap and the activity of taking photos tends to keep you near the family.

Also FredMiranda is a great place to search used gear pricing. Most of my buying and selling happens there.

 

[saturndb]

I do some photography to buy my new gear. Ive done some weddings for friends, special occasions, etc. I find it I do a few (2-3) I can get all my gear paid for with nothing out of pocket...

 

[mousehockey37]

I try to find a lens deals on Ebay.

I've always been concerned with buying things on there. Do you have any certain sellers that you fully trust and have things always gone smoothly? No bait and switches or anything? Did the equipment come as described?

 

[mom2rtk]

I've always been concerned with buying things on there. Do you have any certain sellers that you fully trust and have things always gone smoothly? No bait and switches or anything? Did the equipment come as described?

It does come with a degree of risk. But I figure Paypal is very big on buyer protection, so if there was an issue, I would try to find a remedy through them. I comb over the seller's feedback, only buy from listings with lots of clear photos (duh ) and ask lots of questions (including why they are selling it). I've bought a number of lenses on Ebay and been very happy with all of them.

 

[klmall]

I'm getting ready to trade-in two of my older cameras through Amazon; don't want to bother with eBay etc. but I will compare prices on eBay to see if Amazon value is worth it.

 

[havoc315]

I have 3 engagement shoots booked thus far in the spring, and will teach 1-3 classes in the spring... hmm... so can $1000-$2000 in photography income be used to rationalize $2000-$3000 in purchases?

 

[havoc315]

I'm getting ready to trade-in two of my older cameras through Amazon; don't want to bother with eBay etc. but I will compare prices on eBay to see if Amazon value is worth it.

eBay fees are huge... making it more comparable to a good trade in offer from KEH or Amazon. But you might want to try selling on some of the online forums.. then no fees.

 

[zackiedawg]

Primarily my funding source is disposable income. Secondarily, I do sometimes sell/trade older lenses or gear to partially fund new purchases - mostly when I find I have far too much old gear stored up in my closet getting no use at all - I recently shed a lot of DSLR stuff (2 bodies, 5 lenses) that I hadn't used in over 2 years...still, I have two current bodies (A6300, A68) and two 'backup' older bodies (A6000, A580). I now only have 4 DSLR lenses, having dumped 5 others. On the mirrorless side, I have 5 native lenses currently (having sold/traded 2 others), and about 20 or so various manual adapted lenses that I've picked up for fun. Finally, my third source of funding is from any profits made from photography - I don't actively market or sell as a pro photographer or for a career, but occasionally score a print sale from my website or in person from visitors to my office, have had a few photos purchased for publication or for advertising, and occasionally shoot some live events (mostly golf tournaments). It's inconsistent and nothing I could live off of, but it does allow me to occasionally splurge on a lens or camera I truly didn't need but really wanted!

 

[wenrob]

Over the years my DH has had some very expensive hobbies, scuba diving, golf, fishing (add a boat or two in there), hunting, an internet radio show, lots of travel for all of these, while I maintained pretty low key hobbies, reading, arts & crafts, cross stitch. In short, it was my turn. Used to be we would split income tax returns but now we are a little more comfortable and as long as savings and vacation are funded we use disposable income. We forgo gifts for birthdays, Christmas, Anniversary etc. and buy what we want within reason. I have sold cameras, lenses, bags and other gear mostly on private forums to fund what I want. Don't take paid work because it's just not my thing, I don't want the pressure. Though that doesn't stop people from constantly asking.

 

[millys]

If you join one of the online cash back accounts you can set up an account just for for your photography equipment. I travel a lot for work and typically I can get 10% cash back on hotel bookings, 3% on rail fares etc. It takes some time for these payments to come through (3 months typically) but once you get used to going through the company every time you book or order something it can soon add up. I've been doing this for three years and have amassed over £2k which I have used to fund my addiction

Milly