Trying to make a living, with my Art...

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gZo
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Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby gZo » 04 Oct 2019 14:21

Some of you might know that I’m still struggling with some issues caused by the event that got me locked up in the forensic psychiatry in 2015. After I was released in 2017, I worked really hard to get back on my feet, after not only loosing my freedom, but also all my belongings and body of photography and videographer work.
Everything burned to ashes in my apartment, the event that got me locked up and labeled as crazy.
It’s still a bit painful thinking about my files that were lost too, not to mention the equipment...

Since 2017 I worked my a... off to get back on track and to be able to do what I love most. Creating art with my camera. Underwater and on land.
I spent hours working shitty payed jobs and was and still am living on a tight budget and investing all I can in expensive photography equipment. Almost every cent I made since then and the rest in food and normal living expenses.
Since the beginning of this year I was able to work on my portfolio on the side. The last months were tough, I worked construction and on the side some other gigs and on top of that building my photography and video portfolio.
I’m running a website for it, Facebook etc...
I did many shoots for free, for “friends” and so on.
In order to do it officially, the site is run through a friend, because I still couldn’t start my own business because of some issues and payments the court still wants from me for the earlier mentioned fiasco. I’m still depending on people Dir lifts and other things, since they took my drivers license too and I have to pay to get it back also...
I’m certain that I will be at some degree successfull at some point with my work.
Strange enough a lot of people like what I do, but there are only a few that want to book my service and most of them are happy with the results, but some really bugged the shit out of me lately.
I had a couple dog swimming events last month and explained in front of the photoshooting what the coasts are. Since I’m running it through a friends business more than 50% of the earned money goes away for taxes and his share. Yes he is somehow helping me, but on the other hand also profiting from it. He thinks I’m a bit stupid when it comes to taxes, so he overcharges me and they go in his pocket. I don’t mind it that much, but he wants more and more for his „service“ and acts like he didn’t earn anything from it...
Then from about 15 clients, about 4 of them which I took pictures of their dogs underwater started huge discussions about my prices and some thought that in the photoshooting fee of 20€ were the pictures already included, even though my other friend which believes in my work and helps me a lot explained to them beforehand like to all the other clients how much it coasts in the end. With one I had to argue back and forth until I just said I’ll pay your shooting fee back, to settle the issue... Even though I spent 30min in cold water with her dog and she didn’t understand why the pictures coast extra... On top of that editing time, uploading them to my homepage and my friend explaining and doing the paperwork with her while I was in the pool shooting other dogs.
How can someone living in Germany think, that I can pay 2 people’s work time and underwater equipment for thousands of euros and then offer a service for 20€ all inclusive??? I’m really trying to keep the prices fair... And the dog swimming event is only once a year, just before they are being closed over wintertime.., :doh:
Like I could make a living from that...

Anyways, I don’t want to complain. There are people out there worse off than me, but it’s a bit frustrating.

I will try now to sell some of my work as Fineart prints and reinvest that into new projects. I have some underwater Fineart work in mind, that I want to accomplish. No matter if I make money with it it in the end, but I want to do it and assign at least one self assignment a month to myself and if time permits even one every week. I have 16 hour days lately, but I’m eager to put in the work, because it makes me happy to keep creating and I refuse to get a „normal“ fulltime job and give my energy to a corporate company...

If you guys are interested in viewing my work have a look at different media where I display it. Maybe you have ideas how to promote and display it even better on other platforms?
So far I’m only using this:

Homepage
http://www.hydrovision-images.com

Instagram: @hydro_vision
Facebook @hvimages

Any support and shares and so on would be much appreciated. And some feedback too!

Some of my videos:

https://youtu.be/ADzZOcJB1Z8

https://youtu.be/dkGNf5kQD_s

https://youtu.be/y4KR9OqXIuc

https://youtu.be/GRd98mqN8HE

Underwater:

https://youtu.be/8GubrVaV_Bc

https://youtu.be/fMumYRLye9g

https://youtu.be/UBrqtQJb4DA


I hope it’s ok to post the links?

Cheers,
Chris :happy-smileyflower:
Shellers
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Shellers » 04 Oct 2019 16:13

Chris,
I understand how difficult and expensive it can be to get established in photography. I looked through a little of your work and can see how you have put your heart into it. I loved the video, the surprise (actually two of them) toward the end. I do hope you get things worked out so you can soon go solo and not have to rely on your "friend".
Ley
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Ley » 04 Oct 2019 16:54

I don't understand art much , but i think i'm like the third video , the music not my favorite but it atmosphere somehow fitting to the ocean , about the scene is feel like "broad" and "freedom" but it look so small to our when go higher up.
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gZo
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby gZo » 04 Oct 2019 20:52

Shellers wrote:Chris,
I understand how difficult and expensive it can be to get established in photography. I looked through a little of your work and can see how you have put your heart into it. I loved the video, the surprise (actually two of them) toward the end. I do hope you get things worked out so you can soon go solo and not have to rely on your "friend".


Thank you Shelly for taking the time to have a look. I saw your comment and appreciate it a lot.
Yes, I’m working on it. That’s top priority at the moment to be independent. I want to get a business license by January. And then see how things go from there on. And work those other jobs too until I can survive from the video and photography work.
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gZo
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby gZo » 04 Oct 2019 20:55

Ley wrote:I don't understand art much , but i think i'm like the third video , the music not my favorite but it atmosphere somehow fitting to the ocean , about the scene is feel like "broad" and "freedom" but it look so small to our when go higher up.


Art is in the eye of the beholder. And music taste is always different so is the taste for Art. Thanks for the feedback and for taking the time to watch. :handgestures-thumbup:
Jude

Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Jude » 04 Oct 2019 21:49

Personally I really loved the video you did underwater in Thailand. It was excellent! :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:

That video is much more interesting as compared to the wedding videos which personally I am not a fan of and I do not mean your video in particular just the
subject matter in general. Maybe because it is more mundane, at least in regards to my point of view.

You certainly are talented though!

How awesome it is to be able to do something you love even though it can be a struggle at times.

Dealing with the public and all the unrealistic expectations the consumer has in terms of paying a fair price for a quality product is definitively stressful but sadly it is
the nature of the business.

Your determination and will are clearly strengths which you have utilized to overcome the obstacles placed before you though.

:romance-grouphug:
Last edited by Jude on 06 Oct 2019 05:49, edited 2 times in total.
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Frank
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Frank » 05 Oct 2019 17:20

I have no clue of art...

But your website is not working on Opera browser.
Not important, but a feedback... :-D
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Anton
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Anton » 05 Oct 2019 18:25

I think a sick bastard commented some bs below one of your videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADzZOcJ ... e=youtu.be
You should delete his comment, so it doesn't scare any potential customers... :roll:
I also reported his comment... :handgestures-thumbup:
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Δύναμις
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Δύναμις » 05 Oct 2019 21:57

gZo wrote:... I don’t mind it that much, but he wants more and more for his „service“ and acts like he didn’t earn anything from it...


I wouldn't call this one "friend". He should be ashamed for doing this to you. Sometimes I think you are far too nice to people that don't deserve it. I hope another solution will show up soon.


gZo wrote:...With one I had to argue back and forth until I just said I’ll pay your shooting fee back, to settle the issue... Even though I spent 30min in cold water with her dog and she didn’t understand why the pictures cost extra... On top of that editing time, uploading them to my homepage and my friend explaining and doing the paperwork with her while I was in the pool shooting other dogs.
How can someone living in Germany think, that I can pay 2 people’s work time and underwater equipment for thousands of euros and then offer a service for 20€ all inclusive??? I’m really trying to keep the prices fair... And the dog swimming event is only once a year, just before they are being closed over wintertime.., :doh:
Like I could make a living from that...


So sorry :( these are the moments you wish to be a dog. Dogs in Germany get everything from their owners, no matter how expensive or ridiculous it is and in some cases they are even treated better than kids. Being a human disqualifies you immediately in their eyes and daring to ask a fair price for your work makes you look like an evil-money-eating-monster :confusion-seeingstars:
This world is simply unfair and insane!


Btw. I :romance-heartsthree: your work! Watching your pics is like diving in an unknown but beautiful and inviting world.

:text-thankyoublue: :romance-grouphug:
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gZo
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby gZo » 06 Oct 2019 04:47



So sorry :( these are the moments you wish to be a dog. Dogs in Germany get everything from their owners, no matter how expensive or ridiculous it is and in some cases they are even treated better than kids. Being a human disqualifies you immediately in their eyes and daring to ask a fair price for your work makes you look like an evil-money-eating-monster :confusion-seeingstars:
This world is simply unfair and insane!


Btw. I :romance-heartsthree: your work! Watching your pics is like diving in an unknown but beautiful and inviting world.

:text-thankyoublue: :romance-grouphug:


Thank you Alex for having a look. I appreciate it a lot. :)
Yes, this world is a strange place...
I can be pretty mean at times, but most of the time I’m trying to see the good in people, or assume there must be something good in them. Weird thing is I can sometimes see through them, but somehow look past that too.
At the moment I’m still depending on him, otherwise I can’t do it officially. However it’s on top of my list to get up an running on my own.

And who is that weirdo sick bastard, he wrote some wild comments under my video. Isn’t that the guy that that kept getting banes and came always back?


Highlighted part edit by Δύναμις :happy-smileyflower:
Jude

Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Jude » 06 Oct 2019 05:46

If I remember correctly the sick bastard guy is a sick dark that in the past tried to many times infiltrate the forum.

Unsuccessfully though as Alex soon thereafter catches him and boots him. :animals-chickencatch:


Highlighted part edit by Δύναμις :happy-smileyflower:
Ley
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Ley » 06 Oct 2019 11:22

Stalker indeed , in case no one know just click report him , you can't see his text after done that , don't know it still appear after that , first time using report.
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Anton
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Anton » 06 Oct 2019 11:43

gZo wrote:And who is that weirdo muhab, he wrote some wild comments under my video. Isn’t that the guy that that kept getting banes and came always back?

You should be able to remove the weird bastards comments, as you are the one who uploaded the videos and owns the channel I think.
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Δύναμις
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Δύναμις » 06 Oct 2019 13:04

@gZo, @Jude

sorry that I had to edit your posts, but this person doesn't deserve any other name than sick bastard or even better sick, pervert bastard. He is simply insane and there is no need to mention him or the sick emails that he almost daily sends to us. He is full of .... (<-- fill the gap by yourself, you can't go wrong there) and this is my only reaction to him :puke-front: :puke-front: :puke-front: An obsessed stalker.

By writing here about him, definitely makes him feel proud of himself, so I am not interested in giving him any pleasure, this is why I changed his earthy name with his real one :happy-smileyflower:

Chris, I am very sorry that I hijacked your thread for this though :( but making a new one would give importance to a piece of s... and I don't intend to do this. I kept everything silent till now but since he insists on publicity sick, pervert bastard is all he gets from us.
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009bliss
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby 009bliss » 06 Oct 2019 20:23

Chris, your photos are gorgeous! Beautiful work. Love the perspective. I wish you all the best making good money and keep charging what your worth, don’t Be afraid to fire clients if they are a pain. Hold the vision of you who want to work with! The business side of business sucks. But making sure to charge enough and communications with clients is key to survival. Put policy’s in place if you don’t have them. So you know your “rules” and if something comes up you can refer to them as a starting ground of how to handle things. Have people sign things. Write down your notes of how to handle the dog event for next year. I also have a website, I create jewelry, but thankfully we live off my husbands income so I am not stressed that I need to make money from it. I get such a good feeling when going to your IG page and website people will want to work with you. :obscene-drinkingcheers:
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Tealxi
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Tealxi » 10 Oct 2019 12:24

This is simply amazing, I wish you all the best!!! Your photographs are so pretty :happy-smileyflower:
surzappa
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby surzappa » 13 Oct 2019 06:13

Mrng gZo,

very nice , very talented , go for it, start small be exclusive and grow . yr already on social media
there is a lot of opensource with gui or gui (free) software out there . here a few names:
Avidemux , Openshot, Wax , Shotcut , Davini Resolve , Blender, Kdenlive you've got the
talent go for it
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Azra
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Azra » 01 Nov 2019 20:12

Hi Gzo,

Your photos and cinematography show great skill. The underwater sealife promo film is as good as any of the wildlife documentary maker's work out there. It's clear y okou care to make it the best you can.

The dogs and children's images are really nice. I liked the shot of a man doing a handstand underwater. It probably wasn't easy to get that image right away I imagine!

I'm sorry people are taking advantage of you. But stay firm as you sound like a fair person and it seems that's 'the loophole' some are exploiting! Keep going with it too.

If you post some of your fine art images I will share them with people I know and you may get some sales, who knows?

Good luck :greetings-wavingyellow:
Pidge
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby Pidge » 28 Nov 2019 22:58

To add to 009Bliss' post I'd get payment upfront before you do any work. Payment is them agreeing to whatever terms you've set out. People will haggle and argue just to see if they can get a better deal even when they can afford to pay a fair price. Good luck! :happy-smileyflower:
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gZo
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Re: Trying to make a living, with my Art...

Unread postby gZo » 01 Dec 2019 23:57

Anton wrote:
gZo wrote:And who is that weirdo muhab, he wrote some wild comments under my video. Isn’t that the guy that that kept getting banes and came always back?

You should be able to remove the weird bastards comments, as you are the one who uploaded the videos and owns the channel I think.


I did! And deleted them. Took me a bit to figure out how, it was actually easier than expected. lol

No worries Alex, you didn’t Hijack the post. You just cleared things up.

And thank you all for taking the time to look through some of my work and for the positive feedback. I appreciate it a lot! I’m my biggest critic some times and it’s good to hear some positive feedback once in a while. :)
Yes, I learned from some of the previous customers that weren’t that pleasant. I’m working currently on some paperwork and disclaimers they have to sign beforehand in the future.

I did a few test prints for the Fineart section and have another run coming up with a different print company. Once I’m satisfied with the results, I’ll update the section on the homepage.
I’ll keep you posted about the progress. :)

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