The Cost of Camming

[Innocent_x]

Hi Guys,

I've been camming for almost a month now (woohoo) on MFC and for the most part I'm enjoying it. The thing is though i pretty much started camming on a wim and don't really have any proper equipment.

I have just been using the integrated webcam on my laptop, with one of my living room lamps behind it for a bit of lighting (ghetto yes i know). I also don't really have any content in terms of professional pictures or anything, just some selfies which I took myself.

I'm just wondering how much it cost you guys when you where starting out in terms of equipment, pictures, ect. And did you find that it helped to get those tokens rolling in?

I'm thinking about investing some money into my hustle but as I'm not really making much cash at the moment and I'm pretty broke in general I don't want to waste money if its not needed.

Thanks in advance for the help ladies :-D

 

[CharlotteLace]

$50 for a decent webcam, and after a few weeks I bought some toys for variety (though plenty of girls don't use toys and are quite successful).

You don't necessarily need a super professional light setup, DSLR camera, and a huge toy chest to start out, but you really really really need a good webcam. The difference is night and day between my Logitech and my built-in.

Do what you can to earn now, but I'd really suggest a nice webcam being at the top of your priority list.

 

[xoxoHunter]

I completely agree with Charlotte. I can relate, since I am pretty new as well. Going on month two. When I started all I had was one pink rabbit and my macbook with built in webcam. But since, I have gained some wonderful regs who like to gift me things, as well as using Skype as a way to earn amazon gift cards. I am slowly adding to my stash of toys and outfits, but you don't need to push that stuff. Be yourself and the rest will come in time. Don't blow all of your money on a bunch of props at once, save up, find what you really want to try out, and then get them. If you slowly spend you'll have less buyers remorse over all the money that was spent. :lol: With my first paycheck I paid my debt, and I saved enough money for one toy. If I make enough in a given pay period I will get something towards camming.

 

[AshleyFox]

$50 for a decent webcam, and after a few weeks I bought some toys for variety (though plenty of girls don't use toys and are quite successful).

You don't necessarily need a super professional light setup, DSLR camera, and a huge toy chest to start out, but you really really really need a good webcam. The difference is night and day between my Logitech and my built-in.

Do what you can to earn now, but I'd really suggest a nice webcam being at the top of your priority list.

:text-yeahthat: After you get said webcam, it's really easy to use it to film videos! I don't have any professional pictures or videos, just things that I shot myself or with the help of Mr. Fox.

When I first started, I made the mistake of spending my first paychecks on things like makeup, bras, and toys (even when I was putting myself out there as a non-nude model - I was just happy to see money coming in and wasn't thinking about what I was spending it on). I still haven't upgraded my cam, but you can bet that's the very next thing I'm going to buy. That's a huge regret - don't wait to buy a good webcam!! Just do it as soon as you can!

As far as lighting goes, try removing the shades from your lamp and you might not have to spend anything on lighting at all :twocents-02cents:

 

[Innocent_x]

Thank you guys, that was very useful.

I think ill invest in a logitech next pay-day (found one on ebay for £29), but maybe give all the other things like new outfits, pro pics ect a miss for now, and maybe just use another of my living room lamps for lighting.

Thanks for the help lovelies .x

 

[AshleyFox]

Thank you guys, that was very useful.

I think ill invest in a logitech next pay-day (found one on ebay for £29), but maybe give all the other things like new outfits, pro pics ect a miss for now, and maybe just use another of my living room lamps for lighting.

Thanks for the help lovelies .x

Awesome plan :thumbleft: But please don't think that you have to shell out a bunch of money for pro picsets. Once you get your new webcam, you can use it to shoot super great quality videos from which you can pull super great quality photos! LadyLuna made this priceless thread explaining the process: https://www.ambercutie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=4767&hilit=Avidemux

Good luck and have fun!! :handgestures-salute:

 

[Fay_Galore]

I try avoiding thinking about how much money I've put into camming so far , not to mention how many extra hours.
but here's a list of expensis I can think of on the top of my head:

- stable internet connection
- good webcam
- tons and tons of glitter, glue, cardboard, paint, crafts supplies
- clothing, costumes, lingerie
- lighting (you can go as expensive as you want, but here's a good tip for making cheap softboxes/spotlights yourself: http://www.diyphotography.net/)
- whiteboard, wheels, games etc.
- mailing out cards, photos, packages


things that you might otherwise have spend money on too, but probably less and would be smart to think about for budgeting too:
- electricity
- gas/travel expensis if you cam on location, get supplies, go to post office etc.
- good laptop/computer
- all sorts of beauty products as well as manicures, facials, hairdresser, hairdye, waxing etc. etc.
- room decor

time (hours) (don't forget these, they cost money too, any hour you're working and not making money comes off your earning)
- making graphic/profile
- social media
- research (ACF )
- preparing shows
etc etc

optional:
-investing in a graphic designer for profile/website
- investing in professional photos/videos.
- dance classes etc.

as far as photosets go I've been very lucky rolling into this from modelling and having a nice group of photographer friends who do mine for free, videos I just do myself.

 

[JickyJuly]

I started with a laptop and a built in webcam. Then, upgraded to a better cam. To work Streamate, I got a better computer and the fastest internet available. Most of that other stuff you can do on your own or wait to do until you can afford to. Any money you spend on making money is a tax write off, and the upstart cost of camming compared to the payoff is beyond compare really. I mean, even if you only make $30 an hour, you're making more than some people who have put in 4 years of college before even starting to see money back!

 

[UncleThursday]

$50 for a decent webcam, and after a few weeks I bought some toys for variety (though plenty of girls don't use toys and are quite successful).

You don't necessarily need a super professional light setup, DSLR camera, and a huge toy chest to start out, but you really really really need a good webcam. The difference is night and day between my Logitech and my built-in.

Do what you can to earn now, but I'd really suggest a nice webcam being at the top of your priority list.

I agree with Chalotte. A crap webcam is not going to earn any model any money. And, let's face it, even the iSights built in to the Macs aren't as good as Apple would like people to believe. They're astoundingly horrible if the lighting isn't real good.

Logitech makes good cams. even a c615 like I have, which is an older model, can do real well. It's only about $70, maybe less now. But the best Logitech cams on the market are around $100.

However, I'm going to add on to what she mentions by saying the other thing you need is a good internet connection, especially your upstream. Since Charlotte is on SM most of the time, she knows having a good stream is important. I know people with great webcams, that can record them really good, but since they are on slow internet connections, they look like ass when we do group calls on Skype to record podcasts/vidcasts and such stuff.

Your cam can only do so much. If your internet connection isn't good, then it doesn't matter if the cam was the best webcam that will ever be made and given to you by God, Himself. Find out from your ISP what they have for your area if your upstream is any less than 1 mbps. I recently upgraded my internet on FiOS to a 50 mbps download and 25 mbps upload speed, mostly for gaming, uploading to YouTube and streaming to Twitch, and it has worked wonders. On good days, I even get way more...



It's more expensive to have a good internet connection, if it's even available to you at all. But, if you want to do any sort of video online with a decent looking feed, it's an absolute must.

 

[goldenaye666]

Save receipts for anything you spend money on to be on cam. Webcam, lighting, Internet service, cam room decor, lingerie, etc... Could all be a business expense to deduct from taxes later, depending where you live.

 

[curvyredhead]

Save receipts for anything you spend money on to be on cam. Webcam, lighting, Internet service, cam room decor, lingerie, etc... Could all be a business expense to deduct from taxes later, depending where you live.

word

 

[Bocefish]

Word... you can claim it all on your taxes and if the IRS audits you, just say your hard drive crashed or your pimp hid it and his dog ate it. :shhh:

 

[kyrabrooks4u]

Awesome plan :thumbleft: But please don't think that you have to shell out a bunch of money for pro picsets. Once you get your new webcam, you can use it to shoot super great quality videos from which you can pull super great quality photos! LadyLuna made this priceless thread explaining the process: https://www.ambercutie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=4767&hilit=Avidemux

I can't read that forum, for some reason it tells me I'm not authorised?

 

[SaffronBurke]

Awesome plan :thumbleft: But please don't think that you have to shell out a bunch of money for pro picsets. Once you get your new webcam, you can use it to shoot super great quality videos from which you can pull super great quality photos! LadyLuna made this priceless thread explaining the process: https://www.ambercutie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=4767&hilit=Avidemux

I can't read that forum, for some reason it tells me I'm not authorised?

Yep, it's Models Only, you need to be verified by Amber to gain access. Check this sub-forum for details: https://www.ambercutie.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=24

 

[NerdieBirdie]

I know I am months late to this party, but I wanted to say for any new girl that might see this thread who doesn't have "proper lighting" yet, that camming in a window does wonders during the day if the sun is out. I literally cam IN my window. The laptop sits on the ledge. And since I am primarily an AM cammer, I have excellent footage with my decent-grade cam.

 

[Sinna]

I agree. The best lighting is still sunlight. Sunlight has a quality to it that no other lights have (even those who state that they have sunlight quality ). In sunlight, I noticed that even a bad camera can record with great quality and my good camera makes much bigger files for the same amount of minutes filmed (due to higher quality I think).

Whenever possible, sunlight is the best lighting. As I rarely get that, I bought a set of softboxes, 4 of them for $70 I think. The (daylight) lamps were already in there and normally cost around $30 each. It's from China but it's actually a pretty good set for starters (and me). You can find it on amazon

 

[UncleThursday]

Save receipts for anything you spend money on to be on cam. Webcam, lighting, Internet service, cam room decor, lingerie, etc... Could all be a business expense to deduct from taxes later, depending where you live.

I'd like to mention that not every accountant will necessarily work with you on writing off everything, especially your internet connection.

My accountant, for instance, said that if a cam model came in and expected to write off her entire internet bill, she wouldn't do it, unless they had proof that that internet connection was used only for camming. IE, 2 connections, one for personal use, one for business (camming and camming related, like uploading videos). If there was only one internet connection, she's only be willing to write off part of it, since the internet connection would be being used for both personal and business use.

The same goes for makeup and lingerie and such... if they would also use the makeup and lingerie for private, personal use, she'd only allow that client to write off part of the cost.

There may be accountants that will allow models to write off all of it, but don't just expect every accountant to do so.

 

[nikki_bbw]

I use H&R Block for taxes, and when writing off you can list your deductions and then specify what percentage of said deductions is going towards business expenses. So if 50% of your internet usage is for your business, then you can indicate that. In the case of internet connection (a reasonably good one in the U.S. will run no more than $60-ish per month), the amt of return you get for it is negligible. I'm talking a handful of dollars. Not really worth the hassle in the case of an audit.

Anyway:

I'm going to go ahead and agree with the rest. Decent lighting is numero uno. Amazon has beginner kits for less than $50. Even with your integrated webcam you will notice a major improvement. After that I'd work on getting a decent webcam. You can get a quality pre-owned Logitech for half the price of a brand new one on Ebay.

Toys? Meh...if you really want to go for it. But most members just want you to enjoy yourself. Very few see not having toys as a dealbreaker. I see more members say they don't like toys than those that do.

Outfits? For MFC specifically the "sex kitten" look is not required. It's more geared towards everyday fun, flirty, girl next door. Unless you're trying to go for the weird off the wall, who the hell knows what she's going to do in her room vibe, then don't worry about outfits for now.

Make sure your pics are reasonably clear (no clutter or messy backgrounds because it looks unprofessional). Same goes if you're going to offer vids. But that goes back to lighting. With the right lighting the quality of your pics/vids will take care of itself.

And finally, again specifically regarding MFC, I think money spent on games and activities in free chat is definitely money well spent. And not necessarily alot of money. I don't know if "dollar" stores exist where you are (in your currency), but if so then there are plenty of items you can purchase that will suffice for free chat activities. Card games, post-its for random draws, etc can be purchased for dirt cheap. All in all less than 200USD would cover this. And with steady traffic you could recover that in a day or two depending on how many hours you worked.

Definitely worth it if you're planning on camming long term.

 

[Ana_Babe]

well I have spent about 500$ on equipment and I am still not 100% satisfied wit lighting..Im bought 2 studio lights with umbrellas(curently using only 1, cuz caming from smaler room+ 1 usual standing lamp with 2 bulbs)..Im using Logitech C920 and love it.
I have like 5 toys..ANd cooupleof otfits, not a lot.since guys prefer to see me naked IM not concentratig on byuying 10000 undies lol

 

[Hyaena]

I've never had anyone complain about my built in cam and I'd be surprised if it boosted my sales in a direct way. It would make me happier though and people notice that. Also, I would obviously rather have fun. I'M the one that gets frustrated by it. Fucking impossible to get my whole body in the frame. I could use more pillows too. My regulars are so nice to not complain about how much re positioning I have to do, especially for gag/deep throat shows (a fan favorite...somewhat regrettably at the moment). Anyone know the cheapest place to get the logitech 920? I'll take my main regular up on his offer to buy it for me but I'd like him to get the best deal. I'm a decent human being like that, ya know.

I don't feel like I do a lot of outside work in order to get traffic. The stuff I'm doing now is just going to make me get more exposure on top of what I get from signing up for streamate through camsharks. Almost everytime I see a camsite I've never heard of I end up already being a model on it. Anyway, the networking I'm doing through twitter, etc. doesn't seem like real work to me because I live for mindless internet bs. Makes me feel like a fancy business person. All I need is my clipboard and some jingle keys. I'm important.

 

[Empress Mika]

I started out using my desktop computer I already had with a decent webcam that I already had. I used my phone to take photos and the webcam for videos. I didn't buy any special outfits or anything else so my start up cost was essentially $0.

However, after I gained more popularity and a more steady income, I did upgrade and buy a lot. I bought up-lighting, outfits, props, a professional mic, the best HD webcam on the market, furniture and decorations for my cam space and a fast laptop. All of this combined was around $4,000 (which, in my grand scheme of things, isn't that much). It really depends on the type of show your doing and such, though. It'll be different for every girl. For me, I really wanted to step up my shows and such.

Best of luck!

 

[SNATCH]

I started out using my laptop built in cam, && it sucked. I noticed $$ really started rolling in once I got a new cam. Also, the saying that you have to spend $$ to make $$ is very true. I can almost guarantee if you get a GOOD webcam, that you will make a lot more $$ than before. The first thing I ever bought was a Logitech C910. To be honest, I bought it for $120 from Best Buy, checked it out, started making better $$, then I returned the little fucker, && bought a brand new one off eBay for $85... So I saved myself some $$, but I always check out a stores return policy, && buy things to test stuff out like that, && then return it, && buy it somewhere else for cheaper, or just keep it if it made things better.

As far as toys, I never buy toys. If people want to see me use them, then they need to buy them. That's always been MY personal policy... I just don't want to spend the $$ on them... I personally have more important things to spend $$ on. I tend to cam wearing casual clothes, that I've made slutty... Rather than buying a lot of lingerie, etc. I stopped buying VS stuff, because it get's ruined camming anyways, so I buy cheapy cute/pretty bras from Walmart/Target etc instead

 

[Ambers Troll]

I thought all costs would be passed on to the member.

I would assume the investment a model places into camming as an investment in herself, and her ability, therefore expect more successful models to invest more in dollar terms, but get a better return on their investment.
I guess there would be an optimal amount, then the return drops, i.e. you begin spending more for less success.

In the end what a model spends would all come down to risk and their capacity to invest in their work. Each individual will have to decide what level of commitment they want to make.

To answer the question from this members POV, as a bare minimum, I want to be able to find you (that you offer what I like and that you are online), be able to see you properly (same standard of camera and lighting as most other models, plus a decent internet connection), and to hear you. All else is about you as a person.

Before camming, a decent camera, some lighting (lamps), and a good internet connection is pretty much a must. You seem to have that, so what you invest in next will depend on the type of shows you do and room you create.
You know your members by now, what will they enjoy? What does your room ask for most?

Some things such as a whiteboard, a wheel app., on a tablet, certain types of toy, and even certain types of look, can be a cheap investment, with many uses, and good fun for your members.
If you have more to invest I would go for improving being found/ finding a more diverse audience, seen or heard better. Some kind of video offer usually does well for increasing audience. You will need to have a plan and be creative with any larger investment, develop that first, then just take the risk and see what happens.

 

[AutumnDayKink]

Save receipts for anything you spend money on to be on cam. Webcam, lighting, Internet service, cam room decor, lingerie, etc... Could all be a business expense to deduct from taxes later, depending where you live.

I keep an excel sheet with all of my incoming money (paychecks) in green and all of my expenditures (toys, lingerie, room decor, lighting) in red and have excel do the math on what my profit is month to month. It helps me get a grasp on when to invest in a good new toy and when to scrimp a little.

 

[Minnie]

I keep an excel sheet with all of my incoming money (paychecks) in green and all of my expenditures (toys, lingerie, room decor, lighting) in red and have excel do the math on what my profit is month to month. It helps me get a grasp on when to invest in a good new toy and when to scrimp a little.

Would like to see this as an example so I can make my business expense sheets. starting a new business in 2016 , could use something simple to know my numbers