Working As A Photographer

[simon43]

Whilst I'm doing fine with my current work, I do have some free time on my hands. I'm good with a camera and would like to take some snaps here in LoS, and offer these for sale via a website and photo library. So I would be taking these pictures as part of my work here in LoS

Is taking photos for work prohibited? (Since many other basic functions here seem to be!). Or can I just snap away?

Cheers

Simon

PS - The photos I have in mind are street-scenes, countryside etc etc, not some bar-girl deep-throating me

[davethailand]

i had an american guy do my wedding party pics in the club, my father arranged it and paid about 11000bht , up to him i thought, anyway after the official wedding vdo getting stolen and the Marriotts daytime pics being crap i was not very happy.

i asked the guy where the pics were, he gave me one album (about 150bht from big c) containing about 40 pictures,

where are the other copies i asked?

no only one set,

what for 11000 bht?

yes, he replied, if i want more sets i have to pay for each print seperately.

Being very disappointed i asked for the negatives and he refused saying the copyright was his. MY WEDDING, MY GUESTS, IN MY CLUB, anyway i was escorted to the bar for threatening to kick the guy down walking st,

anyway after him trying to threaten me with "people he knows" i managed to pressure him into handing over the negatives so everythings ok now.

i suppose the moral of this story is if your gonna do photo's then fine good luck, but make sure you state your rates and copyright rules regarding the negatives as this guy did'nt.

thats enough rambling for now,

regards

dt

[duke69]

SIMON

On the Web there are thousands of photos of LOS and Thailand, 90% for free.

I know what you mean: posting on the WEB photos with low resolution, and than selling the high resolution version (hope at least 6MP) for few $$.

There are legal problem in terms of taxation (where is the web host based?), but since you made the photos in Thailand and sell from Thailand, should this activity be considered "professional" you've to pay tax. If it's an hobby you have to declare (if it works) on this web site that you are not a professional photoigrapher and you do it for hobby and passion (but in this case I doubt someone will pay $$ for your photos).

Personally I have more than 2000 photos (most of them 6.3 MP) of Thailand, should someone require for them I have no problem to burn a CD fo free, Thailand is a very common place, so the photos are not worth much.

Taking photos @ weddings?? Good business in Europe and USA, must the approach must be very professional, since the wedding is an important date for your client.

[Ricci]

Artists (Photographer etc.)....

do they have special visas?

@simon,

i had the same idea some weeks ago

maybe we could keep in touch

Ciao

Ricci

[Mai Krap]

Dave sorry you had a bad deal with the photographer, In the west a Pro Wedding Photographer usualy has a substantial investment in gear and a studio and and a archival storage so you can get pictures 20 or even 50 years down the road, and yes he owns the copyright. That doesnt have much to do with getting pictures made here for weddings though. In the future if you need a photographer for an event just buy a bunch of throw away cameras and hand em out to friends that dont drink to much and youll get some nice and diffrent pics for cheep and keep all the negatives.

[Mai Krap]

There are not that many western photographers here as there are so many good technical photographers here in Thailand and so much stock photograghy already availble. You would be amazed at the diffrent pay scale of a top photographer in BK as compared to other places. Anyway the only diffrence is as a westerner you have diffrent ideas so you will take diffrent pics, whether you can get somebody to buy them or not is up to you. There is not much chance of you setting up some kind of storefront canned photo place because photography is one of the no nos of working in Thailand unless you are already famous somewhere else. Most of the books you see at asia books done by westerners were commisioned before pictures were taken and the the guy comes and burns through thirty days of nonstop pictures without even knowing what it is he took pictures of. There are few collectors of Fine Art Photography in Thailand but if you have good work there is a good international market if you can get a couple collectors interested in your stuff. The most famous guy in photograghy here now is the guy who takes pictures of himself wearing pink silk suits if youve seen those anywhere. good luck anyway.

[simon43]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I have no plans to open any photo store or have sort of local presence in the sale of these photos. As usual with my business ideas, Thailand is merely where I am physically located, but the customers are always overseas (= more money!). Anyway, I shall think more on this

Never seen the guy in the pink suits. Am I missing something?

[davethailand]

luckily as it turns out most of the guests obviously had cameras and we managed to get a nice selection.

One of the most annoying things was having the whole ceremony in a Marriott hotel (which was very nice) but when their photographer (who was'nt cheap) gave us the pics they were in the standard books from a bog standard photoshop, surely they could of presented them a bit better.

Anyway 9 months on, still very happy, thats what matters i guess.

[Ricci]

Artists (Photographer etc.)....

do they have special visas?

Ciao

Ricci

uhm......

[Mai Krap]

About the visa thing. If your famous you can probably get a free ELITE CARD if not it is unlikely you will get a visa as a artist unless it has something to do with education and then its a lot of paperwork and nobody seems realy know the details. just stick to the tourist visa unless you have a bunch of cash.

[astral]

Provided you have a valid visa I doubt that anyone will take any notice of you as a photographer........ just another tourist snapping away.

When you market you photos try to use an address and a url outside Thailand. That way no-one can accuse you of working illegally in Thailand.

I doubt you will make much money from a photo shop in Thailand, the market is already saturated.