photography – Richard Schulz

To monetize or not to monetize.

Instant noodles, curry flavor, topped with chili flakes. — Instant noodles and chili flakes.

Professional.

engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.

Professional photographer.

Over the past month, I’ve been considering the idea of moving from hobby photographer to professional photographer. Initially I’d only do this on a Sunday. You know, do it on the side. Part time. My train of thoughts were mostly along the lines of: Keep doing it until it can pay my rent. Then quit my day job and pursue it full time.

As I thought about this more and more I started wondering – is this a wise decision? Once I start doing this it will become a job. Suddenly the pressure to take photos isn’t only me telling myself to do it – now I have a paying client. Or two. I’m on the clock, have to finish this before this time tomorrow or don’t get paid.

Gone are the carefree times when I went out with my camera because I wanted to. Not because I have to. Gone are the walking slowly into to town and capturing misty mornings. Suddenly your hobby, which you enjoyed, is a job you hate. Or at very least dislike.

Vegetable soup with cauliflower, baby marrows, pumpkin and instant noodles. — Something for the winter evenings.

I think this is where it gets tricky.

If you’re eager to escape the rat race, or just move into a different direction, life as a professional photographer might not be as fun as you think. Once you accept money, it’s not friendly anymore. You create expectations. You tell people “I am good enough at this”. You sell yourself. You sell your work. Perhaps you start to corrupt the thing you enjoyed in the beginning.

This happened to me once before.

In another life I worked in IT. Hardware. Fixed printers, did a little bit of network related stuff, set up emails. Basic stuff. I wasn’t really happy with this. It was mundane. It was repetitive. Some months I had to wait for my salary.

Go into software development. It will be fun they said.

At first I was really excited. I would often think about how a teacher in school failed to teach me about programming yet I taught myself how to program within a few months. At first I did it as a hobby. Then I thought why not find some clients? Easy money. This turned into a full time job for a few years.

Today, even after being gently nudged by friends, I don’t want to see a line of code. I don’t hate it but it doesn’t give me the same amount of joy as it did when I only messed around with it.

It’s not the same anymore.

Chuck, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes on a bed of rice, — Dinner.

I think it will be exactly the same if I started taking money for photography. It will be great for a few months. Then the suck will start. Being told by people who have no idea about my craft how to do it. But I can’t tell them to get buggered because then I might not get more work. And if I don’t get more work I start to worry.

I’d end up in the same position I find myself in now. Not enjoying what I’m doing. With one major difference – now I destroyed the thing which helped me escape these bad times. What will the next stop be?

I recently read two newsletters which capture my thoughts much better. If you’re in two minds about whether you should / should not monetize your hobby give these a read. At very least you’ll walk away with a different perspective.

The first one is by Ali ‘O Keefe and you can find it here. If you’re not familiar with the concept of shit sandwich you will be after this. The next piece is by Razlyn Lysaught and you’ll find it here.

tl;dr

Doing a job which doesn’t fit into the idea of normal seems like a fun thing. You take lots of photos. Shoot with models. Travel to cool places. But it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it will suck. Sometimes you’ll have to eat some shit. Perhaps the same type you’d hope to escape when you embarked on this new journey.

If you’re on this journey I hope you don’t start hating your hobby. I’m still on the fence about taking money for photography. After reading two pieces above my thinking is different. Full time photography isn’t something I’d enjoy. I need to do something different. I get distracted easily. I want the photos I take to reflect something other than “I hate this gig”. I might do it for free, perhaps take a coffee as payment. But I want photography to be part of my journey. Just not as a full time paid up photographer.

Thanks for reading : )

Reset.

This particular draft has been lying in wait for at least four months.

Last edited 4 months ago.

In a way this is a taunt. The backend of a blogging platform mocking me. Showing me how much, or how little, a piece of writing can matter. Showing me how quickly time can go by and we can still hammer on one thing we want to do “one day”.

A key component to the things we do, particularly our hobbies, is time. Without time you can’t to anything. If you’re constantly working then you’re out of luck. Somewhere in the mad dash from 9-5, dealing with life, etc-etc you need to squeeze off some time if you are looking to pursue a hobby.

For the moment, forget about why you want to pursue this hobby. Each person has their own why and the purpose of this isn’t to find your why.

Over the past month I have been in a state of discontent. I won’t lie here – I am just not happy with how my life is proceeding at the moment. I have some of the basics down – job, income. But that’s it. I have nothing challenging me. The job I work is routine. Mundane. And it also occupies large chunks of me time. Too much for me.

For me, or for any creative, the problem is the discontent I feel has spilled into my photography & writing. Photography & writing, or your chosen art / hobby isn’t a standalone component of life. It is part of your life.

So when unhappiness, sadness, boredom, lack of interest drifts into you life it often seeps in. In my case it has seeped into my photos. It is there when I want to go out and take photos. I think “I’m not really in mood this morning” although I haven’t been out with my camera for a proper photography outing in months.

I think “What is the point of this?” when I know what the point is. It isn’t about the accolades, subs, likes, shares, restacks. No. I’ve moved past it, mostly. It doesn’t bother me if no one likes me writing. It doesn’t bother me if no-one likes my photos. If all my work fades into obscurity and you never hear from me again it’s fine.

But it bothers me when I don’t enjoy photography. It bothers me when I cannot find something worthwhile to write about. Writing and photography two of the few things in my life which keeps me going. If I let go of them I give in to the grind. If I snuff out the flames for these two passions, what do I have left?

This morning I sat down, after thinking about this for days on end. This way or that way. What to do. Where to turn.

I need a reset. Start from zero.

A different approach to my life. Because the mindset I have now isn’t good. It’s negative. It is depressing. I look at all the negative shit before I think about all the upsides. This is not a manifesto. It is not a call to arms. Nothing like that.

It’s a man struggling with life. And choices. It’s a person finding themselves in a difficult situation. Uncertainty about the future. Not sure about what will happen in the next month or two or six. We all have these from time to time. No one lives a life without some form of turbulence.

Here’s where the reset aspect is coming in. Take a step away from the rush of my photography and writing. Create a routine which allows me to manage things better.

Focus on my mental health. Crucial. I’ve been depressed for a large part of my adult life and the feeling isn’t anything new. Yet as I grow older I understand how dangerous a depressed mind can be. Soon you find yourself caring about nothing – what then?

Physical health. The last time I visited a gym was in 2024. After I lost my job in January ’24 I cancelled my contract. I loved the gym. The improvement, the people I met, the escape it offered was a huge part of my life. For the first two months after no gym I felt lost. I have some dumbbells at home and I could probably do bodyweight exercises but I don’t always feel like doing it.

tl;dr

It isn’t easy to turn a hobby into a financially viable thing. And if you managed to do it, how long before it becomes just another job to do?

Not everyone who throws their hat into the ring succeeds.

Perhaps the idea of working as a photographer / writer is a bit far fetched. It’s definitely not for everyone. Life doesn’t always work out how we’d like it to. If you’re fortunate enough to be able to do this – congratulations. If you haven’t been able to do this, or perhaps you feel this isn’t the path for you it’s okay.

Do photography as a hobby. Write for yourself. Find something else which holds your interest. Find something which truly makes you feel alive. Take photos on the weekend and enjoy writing whenever you find time.

Thanks for reading : )

A few photos from my morning walk.

Sunday morning.

A walk into town always leaves me feeling ready for the week ahead. It is probably the solitude which makes me enjoy this so much. Recharges my batteries drained by many face-to-face interactions. The birds chirping and cold air letting me know winter isn’t over by a long shot.

Early mornings also allow me to capture some beautiful silhouettes of objects in the neighborhood. A street lamp standing around idly. The palm tree just behind it. I am not 100% sure whether it’s a palm tree.

Street lamp silhouette against the sky. — Street lamp.

On a Sunday morning, this early, you’re hard pressed to find anyone on the street. And when you do find someone you know there is a purpose. To go to work. To head into town. On a Sunday you don’t want to be on the road unless you have to be somewhere. A busy week deserves a quiet ending.

A water tower.

Quiet observer as I walk past. It doesn’t ask any questions as I shoot it from the hip. The small camera struggling to focus but eventually gets there. It really needs the light. I also discovered thick gloves are great for keeping your fingers warm but not so great when operating a camera with tiny buttons.

The apartment complex I pass on my way home. Early morning sun cascading into the windows. It’s still quiet outside and I suspect many residents are still asleep. The church opposite the complex getting ready for the morning’s proceedings.

The last stop before I head to a coffee shop to end my weekly routine. This morning I didn’t find any coffee. Only gospel music played as loudly as possible. While I sat in the sun I thought about the road ahead for my Substack, about the week ahead at work and about my ideas of doing food photography.

I hope you’re having [ or had ] a relaxing Sunday. I’ve moved my computer into a smaller room which I hope will help me with creativity. Let’s called it an office for a lack of a better word.

Thanks for reading : )

Food photography.

Cooking is something I’ve always enjoyed doing.

First as a means to impress someone then moving into a way to improve myself. Having worked in a fast food restaurant for a long time the idea of cooking and taking photos of food is something close to my heart.

If I had the opportunity I’d cook everyday. Curry and rice, chicken and pasta with mushroom sauce. Pot roast with potatoes and carrots. Or a simple chuck stew. Nothing too serious but enough to keep myself fed.

Santoku or chef’s knife used for chopping. Smoked paprika. Chili flakes along with fresh thyme and rosemary from my small herb garden. Or mayonnaise mixed with hot sauce to ease the burn.

I try to make the simple things I cook the more interesting. Soup with a mix of vegetables. Instant noodles and curry vegetables. Or simple a frittata.

One thing about food photography which I still have to manage is the planning. Cooking a large meal for a few photos doesn’t fit into my budget at the moment. I mostly take photos after I’ve cooked something.

The ideal would be planning a meal and then photographing the process. From breaking the eggs to finishing the omelets. Hopefully this is something I’ll do in the not to distant future.

Thanks for reading : )

Starting something.

A photo of a lit sign for a business. — City in lights.

It’s been a cold few days here.

The chilblains on most of my fingers tend to suffer on these days. Last winter I had them for the first time in more than two decades. This is probably the downside of early mornings in the winter. A freezing wind tearing at your clothing hoping to find a way in.

The photo might look familiar. It’s a spot where I wait to get a few snacks to eat before work starts. In the distance [to the left] you can see a church steeple. One ironic thing about this town is the amount of churches you can find here. This neighborhood where the photo is taken has 3 within a 1km (1.6mile) radius. I’m not sure whether this is due to the factions within religion or just a case of catering for communities.

As I write this previous realizations are confirmed – I write much better when looking photos I took. The one below is in the street where I live. Just above the horizon you can see the light crescent of the moon. It might be a coincidence but on the colder mornings the moon is right up there – almost mocking me as I head to work.

A car passed and the red tail lights disappeared down the street where the cold darkness swallowed them. This type of silence and peace is something I truly enjoy in the mornings.

A dark early morning with a streetlamp illuminating the scene. — A light in the dark.

On my way into town this morning a light fog was hanging over a stream. It lies in a hollow and as the fog rises it covers the houses in a creepy blanket until the sun pops out from behind the horizon.

A light fog hanging over a stream. Houses on the horizon covered within the fog. — Slight fog.

Starting a photography business.

I’ve been thinking about doing food photography as a means of supplementing my income. Anyone who has been doing this knows how quickly something you enjoy doing can become a job.

This isn’t the first time my thoughts have drifted in this direction. Since I started doing photography it has been at the back of my mind. At the very least something I revisited at least once a month. Even if it is just briefly.

Initially I had the idea of taking photos and quitting my day job. The modern rat race is something I would love to escape [ wouldn’t we all? ]. Yet even the most focused entrepreneur will tell you this isn’t as easy. Starting a business, even a small business, takes a lot more than just saying “Let’s take photos for money”.

The process of getting clients and everything involved with it isn’t easy. You need to do the work – take photos, pitch to potential clients, edit, get your website / storefront updated, etc etc. It doesn’t end.

It is really easy for this to become another day job. Something you dread or dislike.

Thinking about this possibility – for a passion to turn into a job – it might help to think about this: at the very least, even though it might be more work than something 9-5, it might not be as safe, stable or traditional – at least you’re doing something you’re passionate about.

But passion can’t pay the bills right off the bat. In some cases it never does. This shouldn’t stop one from trying. If you start with nothing, what have you got to lose in this situation? You may have to work the day job a bit longer before you can go out on your own. Or you do the day job and sell photos / do photography.

I’m mostly writing this to motivate myself.

To keep going when the results I want isn’t there. To keep going even if you’re not getting sales. This always sucks. But few people are successful the very first time.

TL;DR – keep going. Do what you enjoy when it comes to your photography. Whether it’s for fun, a hobby or for money.

A man and his scooter.

It was in my usual spot this morning when a young man, actually two, passed on a scooter. I greet them each morning as they pass by, then stop at the corner shop, buy cigarettes [probably] and then head to work.

This morning was a bit different. I’m not sure what was wrong with the scooter but they had to keep it revving to avoid stalling. It was slightly funny but more annoying as the sound of the revving engine just kept going up and up.

As they left I still heard the high revving even as they were out of sight.

A photo of a person on a scooter. — Scooter.

I snapped this with my phone as he waited for his passenger. If you look closely you’ll see another motorcycle passing in front of them. I took the photo hoping to catch both of them in full view but slow auto focus. It turned out alright in the end.

If you’re new here thanks for taking time to read my writing. If you’re looking for a bit more then head over to my Substack and see some other photography related content. There is also a link at the top of the page where you can see the options available to support my work here & on Substack.

Thanks for reading : )

Yesterday I got my prints.

It’s been a while since I decided to sell my photos.

I guess many photographers have this in mind at some point. For the rest of this post lets forget the why behind the reason and focus only on the prints. When it comes to selling photos you have two options – sell digital or sell physical prints. Three options if you decide to sell both.

Selling digital photos are the easiest option. Setup a store front and make the product downloadable after purchase. Done. No shipping, no printing.

Selling physical prints of your photos tends to be a bit more messy. I live in South Africa so I suspect it will be messier (more expensive, logistically a bit more difficult) than someone living in the US. My primary concern was the shipping and then the printing.

I’m still working on the shipping but over the past week I printed some of my photos I want to sell. To see a few things:

The quality isn’t bad. From the images I can see my photo quality isn’t as bad as I initially thought. I printed photos from my Canon 1300D (18MP) and I printed photos from my Fujifilm XE-2 (16MP) and both results are fairly good.
Paper quality. For a photo which will be framed I suspect the paper will do the trick. From the printer’s website “crafted on Fuji Lustre paper using a high-quality wetlab printer“.

My big questions now are mostly related to the paper quality. What is a good enough quality paper for selling photos? Then another one pops up. What is a good size – I’ve been looking at some other photographers selling prints and A4, A3 & A2 tend to be popular sizes.

Overall I’m happy with the process. Mostly done online and if I need to ship locally I could even let the person doing the printing handle the shipping.

In closing.

I’d like to hear from anyone else who sells their photos. What are some of the challenges you’ve had?

Thanks for reading : )

Photo prints

It’s been a busy week for me. Not much time for either writing or photography at the moment. The shots I do take are mostly on my phone camera. I enjoy taking them but somehow it doesn’t feel the same as with my other cameras.

I suspect the idea of these images being taken without planning, in a way rushing them, is what makes me feel less enthusiastic about sharing them. This makes me less eager to shoot, which makes me less eager to plan. You can probably see where this is going.

Here is one of the better ones from the week. A cold morning with some nice fog as was waiting to get to work.

A group of trees in the mist. — Cold and misty.

This week I did two things which I hope will push me towards something more professional when it comes to my photography – I started advertising my services as a photographer and I got some of my images printed. The prints arrived today and I’m putting a few thoughts together on them which I will share tomorrow.

I went into town to collect the prints and I took a few photos with my Kodak. These I don’t mind sharing because they weren’t rushed : ) Slightly edited in Snapseed because I needed to see something colorful.

A building behind a palisade fence. — Boxing club.

By the time you’re reading this my latest newsletter should be published. Subscribers get it delivered to their inboxes and if you’re new to Substack then the Substack app is the place to read mine and other great newsletters.

I’ve been working on more interviews and the next one will be published on the 29th of June. I’ll be putting some of the interview as well as a few photos from the photographer on Notes during the week.

Before I publish this I have to add the best thing I’ve read during the week. If you’re struggling to stay focused on the craft and pursuing your dream of becoming a writer / photographer / artist then read this. You’ll thank me later.

Built of Spite and Bone by Justin Allen- Photographer

Read on Substack

Thanks for reading : )

Experiment with the camera you have.

Captain’s log, 06:10 AM, 4th of June 2025.

Its cold today but no as cold as the previous week. The winter here tends to have days where it gets extra cold. Or it could be us getting used to the cold until nature cranks it up a notch.

This morning I decided to take my camera with me. The past few weeks haven’t good for me photography wise. My motivation / discipline / passion isn’t there. I’m spending more time reading about photography and photographers than actually doing photography¹.

I’ve mentioned it before and you might have experienced this yourself. The auto-focus of a compact isn’t always the best. It might be time catching up with my Kodak or I am just too used to how quickly a DSLR can find focus.

With this being said I decided:

Why not use this disadvantage to my advantage? Why not use the second, perhaps two where the camera struggles to find focus? Press the shutter button and as soon as the screen goes dark, indicating it is in the process of capturing, move the camera.

*Light trails or double exposure, I can never tell.*

When I’m out taking photos I’ll rarely stop to look at what I’ve captured. One because the little LCD on the back of a camera tends to lie. Two I don’t have time to stop and check – I am on my way to work so I’m a bit crunched for time.

I suspect the difficulty to focus comes down to the lack of proper lighting. I turn the flash off and this time of the mornings there aren’t much light. Sun has not yet risen.

The next image is one of my favorites. I am walking downhill here. The house at the bottom is on the edge of a small stream. It is fed by a small lake further to the right of the image. This ‘valley’ is a prime spot for fog and it gets really cold in the winters because of the water.

At the bottom of this hill I take a right turn and head towards town. This stretch of road runs through agricultural holdings. This is one of the houses I find along the way.

On my home I decided why not try this ‘technique’ again and see what happens when it is sunset VS sunrise.

The image above is close to home. Morning & evening photography gives you great silhouettes. Except for the crop and the resize on these images they are SOOC.

I like this last one for two reasons. The self-imposed shaky effect and the orange & yellow of the sunset. Winter sunsets are my favorite. Yeah it’s cold once the Sun starts to dip but it disappears you can marvel at these types of sunsets.

Moral of the story.

Just because your camera isn’t the best, newest, fastest with auto focus doesn’t mean you can’t take interesting photos. Apart from the auto focus I find these images have a bit more “grain” in them. I don’t think grain is the right term but it looks grainy. Probably has more to do with the low resolution or something.

Take your camera and do something weird. Shoot with different, not-your-normal settings. Shoot where there is no light. Or shoot where there is too much. Experimentation is part of the photography journey. You don’t make cool images by just sticking to the beaten path.

In closing.

If you’re interested in my newsletter you can subscribe on the page, to the right. I send out a newsletter every second Sunday and I write about photography and sometimes I interview photographers from the Substack neighborhood.

Want to support my work? Leave a tip or consider a subscription option via Paystack. And lastly, I sell images on my Paystack store front. Digital to oversees users at the moment but looking forward to shipping actual prints after I finish my research into a local print shop & courier service.

Thanks for reading

It isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering the quality of images & writings I find on Substack.

Progress.

I haven’t invested a lot of time into photography over the past few weeks. Sundays most but nothing serious.

Last night I decided to change the status quo and headed out for a few minutes. My weapons of choice: Canon 1300D and 50mm f/1.8 lens. Shutter speed set to 25 seconds and an aperture of f/8.

An apartment complex with lights on in the windows. — Light trails.

This was the first photo I took and it was only when the camera was busy capturing light when I saw two people walking in front of the building using their mobile phones as torches. No idea what they were looking for but it was a great addition to the image.

I usually wait for cars to past by for straight light trails. White and red ones. The image above has a more human element. The structure of the windows and the lines of the complex VS the squiggly lines drawn by human hands searching for something in the darkness.

I’m so happy with this image that I have uploaded it to my Paystack shop front. If you’re interested in owning this image you can purchase it here.

In the process of…

When I started to consider selling images I was hesitant to sell physical copies of my images. Mostly because shipping them to the States or UK was something which would cost me perhaps a kidney.

I was reading up on local couriers and I found a business which does ship to the UK & US. I have signed up for an account and if all goes according to plan (which includes the cost of shipping) I might be able to ship prints to the US & UK soon.

Looking forward to see where this endeavor takes me.

In closing.

A few more people have subscribed to my newsletter and I’d like to say thanks and welcome to my journey. There has also been some more discoveries of other interesting photography related channels which I’ll share more of over the weekend.

Thanks for reading : )

If you’re interested in supporting my work you can do so in the following ways: My Paystack store front where you can purchase some of my photos. My Paystack payment page where you can make a once off donation {subscriptions are in the works} OR lastly you can subscribe to my newsletter on Substack.