So you aren't completely confused, this article has nothing to do with bounce lighting. It's just what I choose to call certain little photo cash projects that practically any photographer can carry out in his area, if he's so inclined.

Let's start at the mall. Go to almost any shopping mall at Christmas time and you're likely to see a line of kids - little kids - with parents or possibly grandparents waiting to meet on of life's earliest con, Santa, while a photographer, camera on tripod, photographs each and every one of them as they sit on Santa's fat lap.

Enter an amusement park, and you may find your family (or the group you're with) photographed as you enter, given a number, and told to stop by the booth before you leave - where you'll be offered a key chain viewer with a color transparency of your party as a souvenir.

In the 50's, when TV westerns filled the airwaves and could be viewed almost every day of the week and every kid wanted to be a cowboy or cowgirl, going around with a pony and photographing young wranglers in the saddle was another possibility.

Even groups have taken to photo gimmickry to raise money for their organizations. At a nearby Air Force base, one club has taken to photographing kids in the cockpit of a jet fighter or trainer during the installation's annual open house.  Many thousands of people bring their kids to this air show, and certainly enough of them pay a few dollars to have their child photographed in the craft to help support the groups projects.

Another example of a photo fund raiser is what one area animal shelter does during the Christmas Season. They've borrowed the Santa idea and schedule a Saturday when pet owners can bring in their dog or cat and have it photographed with the elf 'himself'. Surprisingly, it's been a big hit.

Still another gimmick involved a photographer near a military base whose "prop" was a gorgeous young woman. Young soldiers, far from home, eagerly paid to be photographed with their arm around her to make the gang back home drool.

Opportunities like these are out there. You take them or you make them. They probably won't make you rich, but if you're a hobbiest, they can pay for your camera or buy you a lens. While the price per picture can't be high, volume can, at the end of the day, add up to a tidy sum. And getting known as a photographer in any way can lead to other work from someone needing pictures.

When you look to line up shoots such as these, remember that depending on your angle, someone might have to be paid a fee or a percentage... if you arrange to help with a fund raiser, maybe a good percentage. A lot can depend on who you talk to, who you know, what kind of deal you can cut, and how enthusiastically it's received by whoever it is you approach. Of course, whether it's successful or not will ultimately depend on how well it's accepted by the public.

Such 'off-the-wall' opportunities do exist, and may be worth investigating. Hordes of photographers aren't fighting for them, so if you want them, there's a good chance that you can get them... if you get out there and set them up.

Larry Stepanowicz