A bigger city ... with less photographers!

I live in Kansas City with a population of over 2 million but we also seem to have WAY more photographers than in other city I've traveled to. I've completely stopped using some of my most favorite portrait locations simply because too many photographers found out about them. 5 years ago I could take a client to the West Bottoms and shoot for 3 hours and we might not see a single person on the streets - it was almost creepy. Go there now on a warm day and you're guaranteed to see at least 15 different photographers within a few minutes, all shooting portrait & fashion clients. The last time we shot there my wife & I counted off maybe 30-40 portrait photographers in a 3 block radius. You would have had to wait in line just to shoot your client sitting on a fire escape. We drove around for about 5 minutes and left. More & more areas here in KC are getting that way too because there's just too many photographers.

Some of the other metros I shot in this summer like Denver, Colorado Springs, Omaha, Wichita, Des Moines & St Louis .. I never really saw any other photographers aside from some nature photographers in Colorado. We seriously didn't want to come back to KC after shooting those assignments. After our kids are out of high school in a few more years we're probably relocating to another metro simply for photography reasons.

If I could move I would probably go to Berlin. Excellent work environement, lots of Models,locations and much lower cost of living than many other big cities in Germany.

Not quite as extreme, I have a friend who's going to retire to Italy. Says with his retirement income and SS, he can live in comparative luxury, travel to historic sites... and eat very well too! 

Conversations in person are like bumping into Tatoo on Fantasy Island. "Da Trains, Da Trains"  And if that's not informative, they connect most of the major cities and are expanding to include more cities and other countries. Lines are designed for a top speed of over 300 km/h (190 mph).

190 miles and hour! WOW, I don't even do that in my car.

Camboia is the place to go!
In many respects, Cambodia is the cheapest destination in Southeast Asia and there are a lot of good reasons to live here, especially if you have a job where you can work remotely. For a pauper�s salary in the US, Canada, or Europe, you can like like royalty here.

Wow fast cars. I wish I had a job that let me see and work around some "fast cars".  Cycles too?

http://www.istockphoto.com/audio_mp3_preview.php?id=19114378 Benetton F1 car



Guy in white is me. Best seat in the house, even if I am standing?

I don't stand so close for cars. safety rules keep me behind a concrete wall.



Kind of behind a wall? See the white spot at the end of the black section of wall where I put down gravel, so I don't have to stand in the mud, when it rains? (yes there's a bench I can't sit on, good for the cooler and water jug though. And a lawn chair to hold my track bag, soda and clip board)

Imagine that. some people would pay to be that close to the action, and I get paid to watch? 

Will these do 190+

Quote from: Uncle Pete on November 15, 2014, 11:34

190 miles and hour! WOW, I don't even do that in my car.

Quote from: Buffalo Bill on November 15, 2014, 11:24

Camboia is the place to go!
In many respects, Cambodia is the cheapest destination in Southeast Asia and there are a lot of good reasons to live here, especially if you have a job where you can work remotely. For a pauper�s salary in the US, Canada, or Europe, you can like like royalty here.

Than it's time to upgrade your car! The 2015 Corvette Z06 is the industry�s only supercar to achieve 650 horsepower and offer a choice of two transmissions � a 7-speed manual or an all-new 8-speed paddle-shift automatic.  This puppy will pass by that train like it isn't even moving Uncle Pete!

Might be my answer to good place to live near and work? 28 miles...

My Grand Pa always told me the best place to fish is your own backyard 

Lighting, WB, fringing. 

Your Grand Pa knew my Dad? "If they aren't biting off the dock, there's no reason to go out onto the lake."

Personally I always said, more fish are lost because of bad line and dull hooks. "Always make sure your hooks are sharp." It applies to photos too. Be selective, only send up your best and not just anything.

But fisherman's wisdom is like old wives tales. There's one for every situation and many contradict another. That and fisherman are notoriously liars? LOL

I bought this place to be closer to the race track. Also to get out of the city, and also to downsize the office. I've posted this before or maybe in PMs, but, this was taken standing on my driveway, looking West. I haven't sent it up for Microstock, but maybe I should, just to prove the point. (will it get accepted?)



[please accept my apologies the image is a panorama and wider than the forum box]

True, people can travel and take useful, good, marketable images. But for the expense and time, shooting close to home will produce equally good shots with someone who has eyes and talent. No they won't be travel, unless it's seem as that for someone who doesn't live where you do? 

Where to live as a stock photographer? Well everyone needs to decide that for themselves. For me, it's "Pete's Place" 

Quote from: Buffalo Bill on November 15, 2014, 13:41

Quote from: Uncle Pete on November 15, 2014, 12:36

Might be my answer to good place to live near and work? 28 miles...

My Grand Pa always told me the best place to fish is your own backyard 

Yes, I just clicked agree, it's the websize version not the actual stitched panorama. But still, both of you are correct. I live near a funny sky. 

Now, back OT, where in the world is the best place to live for a stock photographer.

My answer is, right here. I wonder if others have some locations, like Just outside Paris? San Francisco? I thought Italy would be interesting with great public transportation. You can get a rail pass and go all over, cheaper than with a car! Yosemite Valley seems like a nice quiet place? New York if you like action? LA for the movie, arts and recording industry.

Just seems like a personal decision, not something that others can answer?

Lighting, WB, fringing. 

Pittsburgh.  Nice people.  Crusty buildings. 

Not quite as extreme, I have a friend who's going to retire to Italy. Says with his retirement income and SS, he can live in comparative luxury, travel to historic sites... and eat very well too! 

Conversations in person are like bumping into Tatoo on Fantasy Island. "Da Trains, Da Trains"  And if that's not informative, they connect most of the major cities and are expanding to include more cities and other countries. Lines are designed for a top speed of over 300 km/h (190 mph).

190 miles and hour! WOW, I don't even do that in my car.

I'm happy when somebody come to live in my country, but I would like to leave to US for the same reason that push your friend to come here. I will do not, really, because we have too many services for free as health assistance, and definitevely my work location is the world. For who works mainly in studio: rent an average equipped studio is 30-60 � per hour or 150-600 per day. Not exactly cheap

Cape Town in South Africa was/still is to some extent the natural go to place for stock. GoodShoot used it extensively (now wholly-owned on Getty via JI). It has a great ethnic mix, good facilities and the weather is also pretty good.

Sydney would be in the mix also but it's now gotten expensive with the currency strength.

Sydney would be in the mix also but it's now gotten expensive with the currency strength.

indeed it's getting out of control, i heard now in OZ it's 20$ for a pack of cigarettes and 10$ for a burger.
i remember 10 yrs ago when OZ was still cheaper than europe, times change !

Quote from: Buffalo Bill on November 15, 2014, 11:24

Camboia is the place to go!
In many respects, Cambodia is the cheapest destination in Southeast Asia and there are a lot of good reasons to live here, especially if you have a job where you can work remotely. For a pauper�s salary in the US, Canada, or Europe, you can like like royalty here.

most of south east asia is still very affordable apart for Singapore.
if you can work remotely you can have 3G or 4G pretty much anywhere and ADSL up to 6-8Mbit even in godforsaken villages.
the only real issue is to get long term visas, especially for thailand.

i also heard good things about the cost of living in hungary, bulgaria, and greece.

Contrary to common belief, Singapore is actually very affordable. Average cost for a meal in a food court 2-3$, rental can be as low as 200-300$, of course you can also have a luxury apartment for 30 times of that price. Great public transport, no need for a car. Best healthcare in the world and very heavily subsidized even for foreigners. Great services. For photography: diverse ethnicity, short fly to anywhere in Asia. I lived there for 8 years and now kicking myself everyday for not staying there.