that phrase is just saying you need good tools to do a good job.

or more appropriately, you need the right tools to get the job done.

some people think you need high end stuff or spend a lot to get the job done when actually even simple camera setup could work wonders if you know what you're doing.

if you don't know what you're doing then give you better, best or better than bestest best tool also no use.

tailou, you buy one D7100 with 17-55 f2.8 and SB910. Total cost also less than RM 10,000.

Within 5 - 10 projects you should already recover cost, at most also 20 jobs.

if not then something wrong with the business management already.

i spent approximately 10-20k over the past few years to hire models for shooting

no ROI in terms of monetary gains, but had lots of fun. no regrets at all

no offense but...

for me, a good photographer will get money from shooting models because the output is worthy for model to pay for it, not the otherwise.

you buy gears, find place and do a lot more of things, at the end you still need to pay money to others?

so rugi man.

professional models are no different from photographers. you want their service, you have to pay them.

you don't get money from photographing the models you hired. those are you own photos, you use those photos to sell your service and / or get awards for recognition.

if you decide to let those photos stay in storage then it's too bad.

no offense at all. because i feel that by paying, i do not restrict myself to shooting only the models that will pay me. most girls do modelling to earn money, and a rare few only do it for photos

anyway, the themes i shoot is usually quite sexy, most girls won't do it for free although I got few offers for trade (of which I declined, because they were not attractive for my liking)

and i never said i am a good photographer too

i'm just a hobbyist, so i dont expect any monetary returns

it's actually fair to pay the models. that's how to get the industry going.

instead of spending 20k on gears you spent 20k on getting people to pose for you, nothing wrong with that.

even if you're not into services, do try submitting to places like http://www.internationalapertureawards.com

yes, i think it is fair to pay them. there are always those that is willing to do it for free. depends who is better

the general rule is that the person that initiates the contact should be the one willing to pay, or at least trade

it is weird for a photographer approaching a model saying "hey, i would like to shoot you".

model says "sure". and then photographer says "great! my charges are xx"

i opened a thread here because most of the discussion here is about gadgets and gears, and it is perfectly fine to spend less money on gears and more money on shooting things that you like... be it nice places, events or girls

you pay models to photograph them. i buy figurines to photograph them. same concept.

difference is i get to keep (and sell off if i want to!) my models. and i get to photograph them any way i want, and they're not afraid of touching! can pose them any way you want, no need to feed them and take care of their well being.

down side is pose could be limited, clothings often not changeable and facial expressions are limited.

haha.. agreed it is same concept

not all girls are afraid of touching. i can tell them how to pose and I generally don't need to feed them or take care of their well being. except in some cases they get really hungry after the shoot

real human models can learn how to pose better, can change clothes (sometimes without clothes) and may have more expressions too if you tell them what you want.

so it is all not much difference. some spend on gadgets, some on figurines and some on girls. whatever that rocks the boat

5-10 projects to earn about 10K? Where you find the people that give projects? Sometimes noobs don't know where to start. Even earning RM5K on 10 projects would be nice start to fund the expansions on gear.

Back to the original topic:

How much a hobbyist should spend on their hobby? Create a personal hobby fund account. It helps having a separate fund to make sure you don't overspend and effect your living expenses and financial commitments. For example its like every month you put RM200 into the hobby find. End of the year you'll find yourself with RM2400. That's a good amount to buy gears on your mind. I find when you see things monthly like this its less financial stressful rather than getting a lump sum money straight from life savings.

you only spend 10% from your salary on your hobby. that is the max

ya, but a lot of photog likely get something more expensive to start... gaya mesti ada mah.

that's because people charge low.

i go out half day job already 4 figures la. depends on your business skill.

my old clients who gave me a start in the career gets the cheaper rate, that also they engage me a few times a year also cover quite some cost already.

RM 5k for 10 projects is actually on the very low side of things.

You should only invest on those lens that u will be using. Having a L lens or a Full frame itself won't make good photos. If u want to invest on lens then find out which focal length you use the most then invest on a prime lens of that focal length.

better think carefully before buying...me already regret buying expensive dslr...now leaving it on cabinet lol

Sell it quick before it depreciates more?

aikz...plan to sell soon...if not very sayang leave it there no use

Why bother about ROI when just doing it as a hobby?

So the right question is... if this is done as a "hobby" or as a "business".

If doing it as a business, have to calculate the ROI and decide if the investment is "worth it" or otherwise

But as a hobby, you just spend what you can afford without expecting much return