Creative Financing

Dear Blogosphere,

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm having some serious malfunctions with my digital SLR. Namely, that it won't turn on. If you haven't caught on to my photographic habits, this lack of camera is a serious cramp in my lifestyle. I have been thinking for a little while about a camera upgrade, but figured I could wait another year or so. Now I'm thinking maybe not.

Purchases this extreme aren't a usual occurring in the Davis household. The Lord has called us to put a concerted effort to be wise and generous stewards of our finances, and my husband rocks the household budget. I'm so thankful for him! All that to say, I'm hesitant to drop $800 on something that essentially seems like a toy.

But then, it is more than a toy. In addition to documenting our life, I use my digital SLR for the school yearbook, blogging, and from time to time, for helping friends out with family, engagement, and wedding shoots. I feel a little bit paralyzed in so many areas without it. A couple friends have talked to me recently about helping them out with some photo shoots, and that got the wheels in my head turning. I've come up with a little creative financing plan.

The goal:

Book enough small "gigs" to cover the cost of the camera before I even purchase it.

Where you come in:

If you or someone you know are interested in getting some photos done, for any occasion or non occasion; family, couple, engagement, etc., I'd like to work with you. I'd be willing to negotiate prices, but here is what I'm basically thinking. Keep in mind that I'm not a professional. I just love taking pictures, and I try to take them well. All of these would include me taking the photos, editing them, and sending you the full size files to make prints on your own.

$50 for a 30 minute, 1 basic shoot
$100 for a 1 hour more in-depth shoot (such as several set ups in an explorable location like a park)
$100 for a documentation of a child's birthday party or other comparable event
$250 to work basically as a second shooter, taking candid shots at a wedding (I know a lot of photographers have their own second shooters, but people have asked me to do this when their photographer doesn't)

If you're interested, you can reply to this post or email me at elaine.faith.davis@gmail.com!

Here are some example of things like this I've done in the past.