The idea of selling photos didn’t originally fit into my photography ideals.
I used photography to escape. To get outside. To step out of the comfort zone. I can say with a fair degree of certainty I have ticked all those boxes. Starting with photography coincided with a time in my life where I went through a patch of depression. Hence the escapism.
Over the last year or two I got pulled into and ground up by the gears of capitalism. And I realized having options available gives you more freedom. Gives you more options.
Gives you more time.
I’ve tried selling photos before on Etsy but it didn’t go as I hoped it would. Many things weren’t in place. Most importantly my mind and my heart. This isn’t a small endeavor. It takes time. It takes effort. In a way, if you monetize the thing you enjoy doing it becomes a job.
Enough suspense for the moment. Below is the first image I am offering for sale on my Paystack store front. You can find the image for sale here.
Through the fence – sometimes we decide what we want to see.
I am hoping this first image gives me the impetus I need to keep moving forward with this project.
I now understand the time, the effort and the sweat which goes into getting something ready to sell. Finding people who are interested in what you sell and the continuous process of marketing yourself. Putting yourself out there and being patient.
It’s the first morning in a few days which wasn’t overcast.
As winter approaches the moon flips on it’s back. Waning Crescent is the proper astronomical term.
Cold autumn morning.
No phone. No book. No podcast. No computer. No paper. No instagram. No X. No substack. No music. No one. Just me & Acre, a coffee (and a camera), listening to the birds, sitting in the sunshine. This is part of every day lately and in many ways the best part.
Sometimes you have to break away from tech. I used to sit in front of my computer before I went to work in the mornings. Then I decided “let’s skip today”. Which turned into I don’t sit in front of my computer in the mornings.
Am I missing out on some free time where I could be productive? Perhaps.
Do I have to compress each available second of time into a hobby or a passion project?
I don’t think I should.
Sometimes it is good to do nothing. Keep it super simple. Drop the phone somewhere. Set it to silent for a few minutes. Or an hour. Technology is really good. It has a lot of applications. Good and bad. But what did we do before the internet? What did we read before newsletters? What did we listen to before podcasts?
Many of us grew up without the internet to guide us in our formative years. We turned out alright. We didn’t spend hours with a phone glued to our hands. Time away from tech should be an important thing for anyone trying to get away from the fast paced rush of modern life.
This morning was one of the first really cold ones. 64.4F according to the math. For Friday the expected high is going to be even lower.
This photo was the scene this morning as I stepped out the front door. Dark clouds lining the sky. Wind blowing in from the south east. A cold one.
My phone camera is the only camera with my during the morning. I want to leave my bicycle at home during the winter and take walks to work with my compact camera. Especially in the early morning when there isn’t a lot of light. I’ve taken some good photos in these low light conditions.
If you’re an Android user you’ll be familiar with PRO mode. It gives you an option to set the ISO, fool with the white balance and then adjust the exposure too. There is also a spot metering option. Something interesting which I might try in the next few days is the ratio option.
I like flipping the phone on its side and taking landscape shots. I will include the full landscape from the photo above.
I’ve tried the PRO mode a few times before. I don’t often use the exposure settings on my phone camera since it happens in the editing process. There seems to be a big difference in the two modes I think mostly related to the exposure. In the normal mode the scene seems a lot brighter.
I did some reading and one article mentions RAW files in PRO mode. I haven’t seen this option on my phone so it could be related to the Android version or perhaps the phone type.
In the past I’ve used the mobile version of Adobe Lightroom. It had the option to take photos using the app and this gave me some good results with longer exposure photos.
The phone camera is a great tool for me but I feel it is a bit of a crutch for me. Because it is always handy I often leave my other cameras at home and tend to fall back on this. It has it’s upsides but I don’t get the same experience (or quality) from the photos I take. And I feel disappointed in not opting for a proper camera.
Many photographers have made a name for themselves using phone photography. Nothing wrong there. For me, it’s not what I really have in mind for my work. I’d rather shoot with my Kodak compact camera and get a bit higher quality photo and a better all-round experience.
Sometimes you’re the bug & sometimes you’re the windshield.
I’ve read this quote before. But lately I’ve been trying to stop attributing quotes.
It’s been a tough few weeks for me. I’m not getting the traction I’d like with writing. Same with photography. My compact camera hasn’t seen any serious action in the last two weeks.
I’m used to this type of rollercoaster. We all have good days. Bad days. And then the days where nothing seems to be working. Your alarm clock fails you. A flat tire on your car or bicycle. The one person at work who knows what ticks you off – and today they bring their A-game.
Each time I get into this type of funk I think to myself “How can I be better prepared for the next time this happens?“
And it’s part of the problem.
I read a book around depression remedies1 and one thing they suggested was to enjoy the fall. Know it will happen again. Know it is often a losing battle to try and get yourself out of the funk. Sometimes just take one step or do one thing to keep yourself going.
I don’t really enjoy writing about my battles with the black dog. Comparatively speaking my life isn’t bad. It’s tough but I know people who have it worse. So I tend to keep quiet when I shouldn’t. And I tend to make jokes when I shouldn’t. This creates a nice little feedback loop of negativity.
I’m writing this purely to get it out of my system. Because this mental block usually stops me from writing which makes me more depressed. And after writing and getting it off my chest I feel much better. My mind is empty and new ideas can take shape again.
Thanks for reading : )
Notes.
1. If you’re suffering from depression, and have been going in the to-and-fro for a while you’ll know a cure isn’t something which is possible. You learn to live with it. IMHO.
Sunday afternoons tend to bring out the creative in me.
It’s a day where I don’t have to put on a fake smile. It’s a day where I can be myself without all the pretending.
I thought about starting. If you’ve been reading some of my thoughts here and over on Substack you’ll know I want to start selling photos. The photo selling is one aspect I am looking at but realistically speaking I’d like to become financially independent.
A year ago, give or take a month or six, I had a bad experience with a business I worked for. TL;DR business got sold, staff didn’t want to work with the new owner so he retrenched everyone.
This (coupled with ten years of retail work) left a fairly sour taste in my mouth. And it left me with the realization of no job being a safe haven despite what I might think. By the same token I can say working for yourself is not safe either but at very least you’re doing something you enjoy.
So I sat down and started working through some ideas about how I can start earning additional income. It was natural for photography to fit into this plan.
Early morning.
Getting started.
The first steps in this, or any related journey, is to get started.
The level of your desire to become financially independent will not help one bit if you don’t start. And trust me, if you’ve never done this – the first steps are the most difficult.
A long time ago I did freelance website design & development. The search for clients took time. There was a lot of knocking on doors. After a few months I found my first client. The thrill of making money for myself, off my own efforts doing something I enjoyed is indescribable.
The first victory is the most important.
It sets you up for the next one. And more importantly it shows you what is possible when you work hard enough. You are responsible for the results you want. You might not succeed initially but trying is better than not trying.
Keep moving.
And it won’t be easy.
Wishing for things to be better only serves to make you more miserable. You sit and think about how you want to move to a different point in your life but you don’t do something to achieve it. This is a key ingredient for depression.
Think about what you’d like to achieve with your photography. Do you want to sell prints? Do you want to become a landscape photographer or a fine art photographer? Is it event and wedding photography which tickles your fancy?
Just start.
Take one photo of a landscape. Shoot with one model. Start looking at platforms where you can sell your work. Post online. Find a community. Get yourself out there. Make people aware of your work, what you can do. No one knows about the photos you want to sell. No one knows about your dreams unless you tell them about it.
Caveat.
As with most things in life it is best to be carefully optimistic. That’s my take anyway.
Does taking the first step mean your endeavor will be a success?
No.
Success isn’t a guaranteed thing. It isn’t promised to anyone. This is where the hard work comes in. Emailing potential clients looking for a website. Placing adverts. Marketing yourself. All these steps are going to make your successful. Even if you don’t achieve success you have gained the experience for your next attempt. Rinse and repeat.
If you got to the end I thank you for taking the time to read my work. Should you want to support me and put me a little bit closer to my goal of being financially independent please have a look at my Paystack page or consider subscribing to my newsletter on Substack.
I was reading this post about ethics in photography and it occurred to me how different photography has been for me in the small town I call home.
You can’t go full Bruce Gilden here. I promise you it won’t end well for you. I’ve seen people start fights for a lot less than someone pushing a camera in their face.
Baby.
People tend to think about cameras in two ways here.
First, as something used by people working for a newspaper. Perhaps a reference drawn from a movie or television series. When I went out with my camera a few years ago I regularly got the question: “Do you work for a newspaper?”
Two, cameras are ways of capturing indiscretion. Cameras are means to expose people. Used to make people pay for crimes or as tools to gather evidence.
Knowing this makes street photography here a bit more difficult than say New York. A camera draws attention. Not only for the interested or the curious but also for the potential thief. Theft is something which happens a lot. People stealing to eat or to feed a drug habit.
Having written all this – the ethics remain the same. Not matter where you take photos.
If you’re a hobby photographer, I think it weighs less on you than someone in a professional capacity. The photographer going into war zones, who has the mandate to document, is different. The photographer on assignment, looking to capture a gritty photo to share a different way of life.
When I go out I think about situations: if I see someone in a bad situation, do I want to take a photo to showcase & share their misery? Just because I can take the photo doesn’t mean I should. Will I lose out on a moment which could have made for a stunning photo? Perhaps. It is something I will have to live with.
Lighting up.
With these things in mind I adopted my approach and style to suit the conditions. I capture moments where I aim to show the subject but also leave them unidentified. I like the “back of the head” photos. Subjects walking away, subjects walking past. Subjects not ever looking directly at the camera.
If you’re interested in more about this topic please have a look at the newsletter I linked to, you’ll find it very enlightening.
A homeless guy walked past me and said it was only be God’s grace he was still alive. A few minutes later the same guy walked up the street, ironically towards a church, and cursed at someone. Five minutes of fairly loud cursing and then he went quiet.
Interesting moments often happen at this intersection. I savor this thirty to forty minute block of time. I listen to the music from taxis as they hoot and wait to pick up the school children in the apartment block. I talk to the lady at the small fruit and vegetable shop. We talk about protests and the local municipality. Its lack of urgency and the incompetence a popular subject all over town.
Other times I see a friend. We talk about things we used to do when we worked together. Or he tells me about his current job. Always laughing when we talk.
Smelling the urine against the wall were homeless people sleep I think about life. My life. How I often wish for things, success or notoriety. Then I unlock my phone and browse a few newsletters thinking how it might be fun to be famous but I’d have to give up standing on corners taking photos.
We spend so much time chasing what’s next that we forget to appreciate what’s now. Your journey matters just as much as the destination. Celebrate the progress, stay present, and find joy in every step forward.
We rush through most of the things we do in life. We see the end of the work day as a goal. Or the end of a year as something to work for. In doing this we don’t focus on what’s right in front of us.
I often here this type of discussions around the end (or start) of a year:
“This year went by so fast.”
“Just one month then it’s already April. Time flies. Soon it will be May, next winter will be finished and then Spring is here. And then it’s only a month before Christmas.”
Someone made a great counter point to these arguments:
“You don’t remember where the time went because you don’t know what you did. Write down everything you do and then look back and you’ll see where the time went.”
Enjoy the journey. Savor the cold mornings, getting up at 5. Enjoy the pointless discussions because you can learn something from them. Enjoy making mistakes because you can learn something from them. Make some on purpose to see what happens.
The two words which is going to significantly alter the world for the rest of the year (and longer) are trade wars. It’s going to make life a lot more expensive and we all know as prices rise they rarely come down to where they were before the increase. Not looking forward to all the prices hits but it’s going to be interesting to see how the rest of the world reacts.
Potholes.
I took a few photos this week which I’ll include in the post. The more important ones for me are below:
Potholes. South Africa’s national flower.Potholes. The new national flower of South Africa.
Imagine driving on these roads. I’m on my bicycle in the mornings & afternoons and I have to dodge them. A bigger problem are drivers swerving and racing around these roads. Yip, you still have id10ts driving over the speed limits on these roads.
Reds.
These two items stood out on my way to town this morning. Both notable brands and both bright red. I left them in color as the impact they had on me would have in lost if I de-saturated them. I’m looking forward to the coming Autumn months as the leaves turn yellow and brown.
There is one street which has a line of sweet gum trees and their leaves then to go red / orange around this time of year. I’ll try to capture a few photos of them to share. Those colors against the blue sky are always an interesting combination.
Fried chicken.Empty.
Serenade Chili.
Another favorite hobby is to grow chilies. Over the years I’ve grown mostly the birds’ eye variety and they have a nice spiciness to them. Not too hot but not so subdued either. This is a fairly common chili in South Africa and you don’t need much expertise to grow them. Having a hot Summer & Spring tends to help.
I’m looking to create a chili sauce so I want to find something which I can grow and combine it with some tomatoes and onions. Not quite a chutney type sauce; a relish instead. I’ll leave updates on how this is going.
In closing.
As the rain clouds gather and the wind picks up I will end this post. The next edition (49)of my newsletter is out today at 15:00 local time. In it I focus on my journey through editions 40 – 49. What I learned and a few hints at what I have in mind for the next ten.
I was thinking about the week ahead and I have a single intention in mind – to get my photo selling business / side-hustle started*. My platform of choice (not much of a choice though) is Paystack for this. They offer a store front option and I’ll be selling images from the past seven years of my photography journey.
I’m going to focus on digital photos for the first few months but once I find a good photo printing company I will start selling physical prints but only in South Africa.
If you are selling photos please leave a link because I’d like to hang some photos from other photographers on the walls. I recently bought a photo from a local artist and had a canvas made of it. Will share photo to this next week.
If you found some value in my work, please consider supporting my work here.
A platform such as Substack will only be successful if it keeps listening to its users. Play to your strengths. For Substack it was initially writing.
This was what got my attention. I didn’t have a website at the time so this concept was a good one. Write your newsletter and build a community. I tried YouTube but I’m not focused or dedicated or have enough time to make videos on a regular basis. But writing I can do and work into my schedule.
I remember when I started on Substack – there was a chill vibe. Then Notes came in. Still a chill vibe but less so. Then video. Suddenly it feels like another social media platform.
I had a look at the Substack and read this on the about page:
We started Substack because we believe that what you read matters and that good writing is valuable – and as the platform has evolved, we’ve come to expand that view to include all forms of cultural work.
Should people who like to share videos not be part of Substack? Should people who like sharing photos not be part of Substack? They should definitely be part of the platform.
But what draws you to Substack is the writing. When I log on I don’t think “I want to see what photo [random author] posted” or “Can’t wait to see [random author]’s new video.”
Nope. I go there to read.
The future of Substack (imho)
If you want to play in the same league as the traditional social media platforms you have to adopt their tactics. You see what is working for them and do that. And you see what isn’t working for them then stay far away from it.
I think Substack is already on its way to being a social media platform. We already announce all our daily things on Notes. Now we have Reels. My Notes feed is already looking like X which a variety of religious and political battles.
Just like social media.
Instagram used to ban any photographer who dared posting a nipple on the platform. Now you can view super suggestive videos and images. But just don’t like too many posts because it might get you shadow banned. And how often do you see TikTok type challenges on IG. No wonder people are leaving.
All these bad actors are migrating. Soon they will invade Substack. In fact some of them already have. The account with a picture of a blonde who doesn’t post for more than a year then suddenly shows up in your DM’s want to teach you about crypto? They probably do the same on IG, FB and TikTok.
I’d like to continue this discussion somewhere in the future because it isn’t as black and white as we think but for a platform to be successful these types of uncomfortable discussions have to happen. Leave your thoughts here or on Substack.
I think I’ll call it a day here. It’s late and I’m working tomorrow.
This street is an interesting one. Apart from being on of the more shady areas in it is shady for another reason.
It is lined with Witstinkhout trees (white stinkwood if you’re look for a direct translation) and as the seasons change from Summer to Autumn and then into Winter this street, and others, are filled by yellow leaves lying on the side of the road. Makes for a nice photo opportunity if there is a strong breeze around.
Below is the SOOC version from my phone.
Autumn Leaves in color.
Looking forward to seeing more of this street in the coming months.
