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love or leave it? Start a professional career with the a6000.


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Hi everyone. I am trying to start a photography business and get my name out there. Thus far clients have been very happy with my work with my a6000 and the OSS f 1.8 50 and the 55-210 lens I have been using along with some vintage Nikon glass. But, I know that to go to the next level, I will have to upgrade my gear. So my question is, do I buy high end Sony lenses and continue to shoot from my a6000? Or save all my money until I can get something in the a7 range? Thanks.

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Good question. I think first going for Education, quality lenses and quality on and off camera lighting would be next. Oh and then there is marketing to consider, web pages business cards, phone book add, portfolio. Do you have a studio to interview clients in? Getting yourself listed with the local chamber of commerce. Making sure you have all the proper release forms on hand. Having relationship with a lawyer already established   Etc. Etc. Etc. (Just my personal opinion, not worth 2 cents) ;)

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Good question. I think first going for Education, quality lenses and quality on and off camera lighting would be next. Oh and then there is marketing to consider, web pages business cards, phone book add, portfolio. Do you have a studio to interview clients in? Getting yourself listed with the local chamber of commerce. Making sure you have all the proper release forms on hand. Having relationship with a lawyer already established   Etc. Etc. Etc. (Just my personal opinion, not worth 2 cents) ;)

 

I agree 100%  if you're starting a professional business equipment should be the least of your concerns.  What is you CODB? Have you put together your licensing contracts so you answer quickly not having to say "Let me get back to you on that"  or worse just giving away the shop because you don't have that inline.  Equipment can be rented knowledge can not

 

 

 

p.s.  sometimes I think it would be better if all businesses saw their equipment as rentals, because some people seem to charge less to take all their equipment on location perform photography do all the post for less than what a rental house would of charged the client just for the equipment required to do the job in the first place.

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Hi everyone. I am trying to start a photography business and get my name out there.

Thus far clients have been very happy with my work with my a6000 and the OSS f 1.8

50 and the 55-210 lens I have been using along with some vintage Nikon glass. But, I

know that to go to the next level, I will have to upgrade my gear. So my question is, do

I buy high end Sony lenses and continue to shoot from my a6000? Or save all my

money until I can get something in the a7 range? Thanks.

   

Sony gear, at least what's offered thus far, is not the foundation

of a commercial operation. Avoid high end lenses and such. You

need the money for stuff that's not cameras and lenses, which

are only a fraction of a commercial outfit. High end stuff is mainly

for dilletants, and for specialized needs of very well established

working photographers. Workaday photography has always been

done with rather ordinary gear.

  

The very simplest formula is to make sure you can back up what

needs back up, 2 or even 3 bodies, a basic and AFFORDABLE

trio primes redundant to a pair of zooms. A basic, non-intelligent

lighting kit. Tripod. Better computer. Plenty of data storage with

back up.   

  

A generalized urge to upgrade is quite unprofessional, and often 

a warning of impending business failure. This is a Brand Fanboy

site. You'll get plenty of dangerous advice here. Excellent advice

for enthusiasts can be dangerous advice for doing business.

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I think this is all good advice—except the suggestion that Sony gear somehow can't be used professionally—that's the most dangerous fanboy statement on this thread so far. There are plenty of professionals who use it. If you're going to trust any blanket statements it is to not trust anyone making blanket statements.

 

The better you understand the value you add to your clients the better you can decide what investments will enhance that value and make you more likely to be profitable. Without knowing more about your market and business I think it is impossible to give specific equipment advice. It sounds like what you're using right now isn't holding you back so I'd say keep using it until you know what and why you'd like to change.

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I think this is all good advice—except the suggestion that Sony gear

somehow can't be used professionally—that's the most dangerous

fanboy statement on this thread so far.............

  

It's seems you have a problem with this fact, which

I'm quoting from my own post:

 

"Sony gear, at least what's offered thus far, is not

the foundation of a commercial operation."   

   

Why did you choose to rephrase it ? It's true, and is

carefully and accurately stated. Then you decide to

reconstruct it to serve WHAT purpose ? 

  

The factual aspect of your version is that yes, one

can do business with less than commercial grade

gear. But that doesn't make it a good idea. It's what

a lotta start ups hafta do. And it benefits them to be

TOLD that they are doing just that .... so that they're

aware of their need for VERY thorough back-up. So

they budget for back-up items rather than upgrades

to commercially unecessary higher performance.

  

Everybody needs back-up, no matter what their gear.

But those using enthusiast gear for commerce are

even more in need of back-up. I'm encouraging that.

You are discouraging that. Thaz a serious disservice. 

And typical on a fanboy site. OTOH you did suggest

that he keep using what is currently him well. Clearly

you personally are NOT pushing him into upgrades. 

But please don't encourage the idea that the current

Sony line is commercial grade. It's "get by" start-up

grade, despite being great enthusiast gear.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Jaf-Photo

The core of a photography business is your skill and your gear. The rest of it are just necessary evils ;)

 

I do think you should use money coming in to upgrade your gear. I also think it should be full frame. The A6000 will be a good backup.

 

Take some time to analyse your shooting style and type of work. Then get gear that supports you in that. Don't buy cheap stuff because you'll need to buy soon again. Don't buy gear that's more expensive than you need.

 

I'm guessing you're a portrait shooter, so buy one really good portrait lens. Keep in mind that your two lenses add character to the photos. So bear in mind if that is important for your results.

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But please don't encourage the idea that the current

Sony line is commercial grade. It's "get by" start-up

grade, despite being great enthusiast gear.

 

 

This would include the Canon and Nikon lines then too right? - as they are also both mass consumer brands of no greater or lesser quality.

Just what is "commercial grade" then?  It will be so sad for all the customers of commercial photography to learn that you've decided all the images they paid for and used in their marketing and advertising, just aren't commercial grade!  lol

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I think To kind of summarize what some others have said.. Basically don't restrict yourself to one Brand OR format for that matter. Every brand has a product or offering they excel in. For example even the lowly Samyang has an amazing 85mm lens. Point being,, well each brand has something good to offer. I know one photographer that, among her many tools, uses a large format camera with digital scanning back. she often does contract work for advertising companies on the side.

That being said, if you are truly serious about photography as secular work, you must have some sort of studio, whether you rent it or make it, it must be an environment you control.

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Guest Jaf-Photo

Not sure if I agree. There are many benefits of having one main system. You can use all lenses and accessories on all bodies, with no need to double up. Your skill will improve if you use one system consistently. You will have one point of pro service. It's easy to rent additional equipment.

 

Re the studio, you can carry it on your back. There are light and portable backgrounds, lighting stands, light modifiers and speedlights will work in most situations. Being able to shoot anywhere is more valuable than having a fixed studio. You can rent it when it is necessary.

 

I think To kind of summarize what some others have said.. Basically don't restrict yourself to one Brand OR format for that matter. Every brand has a product or offering they excel in. For example even the lowly Samyang has an amazing 85mm lens. Point being,, well each brand has something good to offer. I know one photographer that, among her many tools, uses a large format camera with digital scanning back. she often does contract work for advertising companies on the side.

That being said, if you are truly serious about photography as secular work, you must have some sort of studio, whether you rent it or make it, it must be an environment you control.

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If you are starting a new business endeavor, remind yourself that it is a business that you want to succeed. You need to formulate some kind of business plan. You've stated that your current clients are very happy with your work. Whether you should upgrade to FF should be balanced against your business needs if your endeavor is to succeed. If your customers are happy with your content whether it be digital files for web use or actual printed material, I would question whether your business is mature enough to upgrade to a more expensive body.

 

This is work, so you are doing yourself a fair amount of disservice if you don't make a plan. I would grant that in my years of working, I have worked with a lot of business metrics. Of those metrics, the most useful equipment purchase metric is Return on Investment or ROI. This is figure that states when the funding for purchased equipment will be repaid by future work. This allows you to plan cash flow while keeping an eye on your past purchases. That being said, you have to be honest with yourself and review if your speculated ROI was reasonable. Ask yourself, "Within the time frame of the speculated ROI, did I fully fund the item I purchased?" This gives you some benchmarks and a grasp of how well your business is running. It should also help with pricing of your services because your price should include a portion of the costs within that ROI. As a stated cost, you use a rental fee for each use as a basis for your return on each use. Ideally, you want to have a ROI of less than a year, the shorter time frame the better. 

 

Specifically concerning an upgrade to an A7 body, I would look at your lenses. Do you have the funding for the lenses that you would require to use the new body? As stated by others, renting a specific lens is viable, but will require some planning in advance. You may have the glass, you've stated you've been using legacy Nikkor lenses. This may be all that is required to take that next step to the next level. I would state that, if you are using a crop lens on an A7 body, you probably aren't gaining anything if you are forced to use crop mode. Even the A7rII would yield an 18.6MP file (42/1.5)/1.5=18.6) which is a smaller than the A6000's 24MP file. Something to consider as an alternative might be getting a better legacy lens adapter with a focal reducer to get the most out of you legacy glass on your current body. It would give you a better perspective on the actual capabilities of you current Nikkor glass as well as giving you a feel for FF field of view framing when you actually make the jump to purchasing an A7. You may also want to purchase FF AF lenses rather than APC-S lenses if you will eventually make that jump.

 

Wishing you the best in your new business. I know I didn't offer any advice on anything specific, but, I've seen a lot of Fan Boy responses and I just though you needed a straight answer. Others have made some really good suggestions like getting registered as an actual business with the chamber of commerce. I would highly recommend keeping your personal funds separate from your business. Creating the business entity should help.  

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Guest Jaf-Photo

Fair point. Photography is also about self-promotion.

 

The OP didn't mention what jobs he does, but it seems people like his photos and ask him to shoot for them. It's possible he can get away with a non-pro looking camera. I know some good photographers who shoot some weird gear, like old APS-C midrange bodies.

 

The upside of a photography business is that you can keep the overheads low. So it makes sense to invest in the best possible gear and in promotional tools such as websites and advertising.

 

I wouldn't start with the a6000 at all. If someone rocked up to a job with that camera I wouldn't take them seriously...

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This would include the Canon and Nikon lines then too right? - as they are also

both mass consumer brands of no greater or lesser quality.

 

Just what is "commercial grade" then?  It will be so sad for all the customers of

commercial photography to learn that you've decided all the images they paid

for and used in their marketing and advertising, just aren't commercial grade!  lol

   

You seem to have a "Reading & Comprehension" issue.  

 

  

"Just what is "commercial grade" then?"  

  

"Commercial grade" is tools intended for use in commerce. There

is nothing preventing inappropriate use of tools NOT so intended.

  

"Sad"  

 

What has that got to do with anyhing ?  

   

" ....  that you've decided all the images they paid for  .... "

   

You must be confusing my remarks about tools with someone else's

post about images. I wrote nothing about images. BTW I didn't make

any decisions ... about anything.   

   

"This would include the Canon and Nikon lines then too right?

- as they are also both mass consumer brands of no greater or

lesser quality".  

  

One COULD definitely get that impression about those brands ....

if one does all one's photo gear shopping at WalMart. 

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