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Viewing 15 posts - 61 through 75 (of 75 total)
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  • #5769
    Sarah
    Participant

    “One way or another, I will have a few bucks in my pocket resulting from doing something I really enjoy. That, to me, will be success.”

    If you are charging you are a business and could get in trouble for not having a license or paying taxes. Don’t accept money at all if you do not want to turn it into a business. Just a heads up.

    #5770
    Kimera
    Participant

    Okay okay, I guess *technically* that counts as a business.
    I guess I perceive the word ‘business’ differently: to me that denotes a larger enterprise, made of – to me – incalculable masses of annoying, fussy details and impersonal numbers. Also, I don’t know where anyone gets the notion that I would cheat the government if I make money. Of course I pay taxes. I may be amateur, I’m not a scammer. As for a license, I’m not sure what a casual few dollars here and there are requiring me to obtain. Someone here might know.

    If I charge money, it’s probably $40 for one or two photos, and that very VERY occasionally. I need a business license for that? I could see needing one if this becomes regular, but it’s not.

    #5771
    Sarah
    Participant

    I meant charging tax on products and paying tax as a business ( the government would notice if you were). Ever hear the term small business? My licenses is a sole proprietorship meaning I am the only one that is a part of my business and I do not have employees. I also know that part time photographers also have business licenses. Anyway I am curious about this so I asked at another forum under the business section.

    #5773
    Kimera
    Participant

    Yes, I know you meant the tax on products. 🙂

    Thanks for looking that up for me.

    #5774
    Sarah
    Participant

    The best response I received was:

    “licensing is local but as far as the IRS is concerned, if you have income you must report it!”

    There are different rules for licensing for different city’s / states. You might want to double check with your department of revenue

    #5777
    Kimera
    Participant

    Ahh .. I’m not sure if it’s the same here in Canada, but it’s worth looking into.

    Thank you.

    #5778
    archy
    Participant

    Stef, i realy enjoyed the flower assignment. cqn you make a thread with suggested assignments? I sometimessearch online for soome but end up with “365” picture a day type challenges and they arent at all what i’m looking for.

    Aleo, kimera, i notice thqt same pattern. i just shoot because i enjoy doing so and hqve no interest in business. but every critique on here brings up costs qnd whqtnot. excuse my typos…this site is not mobile friendly and correcting them is qlmost impossible.

    #5781
    Kimera
    Participant

    Oh good, Archy, I thought it was just me being ornery.  🙂

    #5784
    cameraclicker
    Participant

    In Canada, if you have income, you are supposed to report it on your income tax form.  Sales tax depends on the province you are in.  If you are in a province with HST, then $30,000.00 is the cut off, less than that you may get a tax number and charge tax, or not.  Over that, you have to get a tax number and charge tax.   The up side of having the tax number is that you get a cut.  The down side is the added overhead of keeping track.  If you are in a province with separate GST and PST, then PST may have different rules.  A local accountant should know the rules.

    The other side of this is, if you are getting income, you can charge expenses against income which reduces the amount that is taxable as income.

    #5786
    Kimera
    Participant

    Thanks cameraclicker, for the info. I appreciate it.

    🙂

    #5897
    Mrs Woo
    Participant

    Kimera, my cousin’s son is doing professional photography with an APS-C sensor.  It is an 18MP sensor unlike what is in your Rebel XS, but it is not a full-frame camera.  Further, he has a few ‘good’ lenses, but a lot more of the lenses he uses are used, some even from old film camera days.

    I have been disappointed to see rave reviews over some really terrible photography, and they make money at it.  Since you are disabled (I understand that landscape, trust me), you can look at putting every dime you do get from photography into a special jar somewhere for the equipment upgrades you can get over time.

    I would rather have someone who knew how to use their equipment to the limits of its potential and who could consistently create a pleasing image to someone who invested ten grand into a body and lenses, never read a single manual and can’t operate it unless it is in green square mode.

    Then again, I’m a strange bird with its head buried in a camera bag… 😉

    #5898
    Mrs Woo
    Participant

    (btw – he does beautiful work)

     

    #5939
    Kimera
    Participant

    Hi Mrs Woo; does cousin’s son have a website? Now you make me want to see his work.

    🙂

    Equipment upgrades will all be used items, except for what I receive as gifts. The next thing I want is either a wide angle lens or a Speedlite.

    #5941
    Kimera
    Participant

    Btw I updated my blog to change the name, and I designed the page header. The URL is now ‘glasschimp.blogspot.com’.
    I use slideshows (recently found one that works with mobile) as it saves vertical scrolling.

    #7036
    OctoberMoon
    Participant

    Yeah, this is a bit of a necro, but I’m calling total bullshit on not being able to run a business with a cheaper camera. There’s a photographer in my town that is HORRIBLE. I don’t know what camera she’s using, but it wouldn’t matter. She doesn’t know squat about shooting, and knows even less about post work. And guess what? She gets a shit ton of business. You know what running a business means? Making money. That is all. Everyone has their own personal idea of what it means to be a good enough photographer to run a photography business, but guess what? None of our opinions mean anything when there’s somebody paying money for all these crapass photographers to take pictures. I could get paid RIGHT NOW to shoot portraits, and I’m better than at least three of the paid photographers in my town, but I won’t do it yet because I don’t feel that I’m ready, no matter if other people are already willing to pay me. I will do so when I feel my work is up to snuff by my own opinion. However…

    Bottom line: if people are willing to pay you, you can run a business. Period.

    That all being said, don’t let your lack of equipment deter you, Kimera. I’m in the same boat you are, just a couple of lenses ahead of you. See if you can find a good deal on a 50mm prime (new, they’re only about $125) and it will serve you well as a portrait lens. You gotta have money to make money, baby, and if people want to pay you? Let ’em. 🙂

Viewing 15 posts - 61 through 75 (of 75 total)
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