Alrighty Tim, here it goes.
You wanna know how to make money in Glamour Photography?
Well, if you want it to be commercial, then you have to rise to the top. How do you do that? Network, network, network. When you get done networking, network some more. Shoot with models who can help you get published. Get to know some good MUA's who work in the field. This is of course assuming you've already developed the skills to shoot glamour. And even then you've gotta pay your dues. It takes years of hard work before people really start to notice you.
You don't have time to pay your dues? Welcome to the club. When I opened my studio last year, I had a rather large business loan to worry about in addition to my house note, and oh yeah, I like to eat too! I couldn't pay my dues. I couldn't drop my entire life to move to a major market and work for someone for free just to learn the ropes. But, I still make money in glamour photography. It's not with models. It's not getting published. It's Mrs. Smith down the road who hires me so she can look and feel beautiful and have a blast for a day shooting sexy photos for her or her significant other. I don't publish on my retail website or any of my ads that I shoot glamour, but I still get calls for it. I hire a MUA for 1/2 day and make that client the center of attention. She has a blast and gets something tangible to remember her experience by for years to come. It's not as profitable for me as weddings and portrait sessions, but it is still a good money maker.
These women pay me for my skills and discretion. Words gets around. Mrs. Smith tells her friend Mrs. Jones that I shot some sexy photos of her. She shows her the pictures, but when she asks me about Mrs. Smith's session, I simply reply with, "Yeah, Mrs. Smith and I had some fun and created some really pretty pictures together." Under no circumstance (well, if the client is here and asks me to show a friend who is also here) will I ever show those photos to anyone. They trust what their friend says and since their friend trusts me, so do they.
Commercial glamour is a very competitive field. Private glamour isn't anywhere near that tough to break into. However, if you want to make a living as a photographer, you will probably need to shoot more than just private glamour. Very few of us can make a living soley in a niche.
Of course, these are all just my thoughts and what works for me. This is not the way it has to be, just my input.
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