# Working towards becoming a professional photographer



## Surflife42 (Mar 7, 2014)

Well the title says it all, I want to work my way up to being a professional photographer. Now I know this is no over night thing so I'm willing to put a lot of time into this. As of right now I have a Panasonic Lumix Tz-30, nothing major but wanted to have something decent to take a picture here and there. I'm planning on getting a DSLR kit this summer but I need to buy a desktop computer first. Here soon Im Going to be releasing a HUGE HUGE project that I'm going to be doing. It will be posted on the forums soon so keep your eye out  I'm really excited about it. I'm really hoping I can ether find some places or meet some contacts so I can get into the business. I would love nothing more then to get paid to take pictures but I would be  just as happy working for a company or someone for free to. 
So if any of you have any advice or people I should talk to, any help would be very very greatly appreciated.


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## tecboy (Mar 7, 2014)

Seems like everyone wants to be a professional photographer now on these days.  Just keep learning, keep shooting, and have fun.


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## robbins.photo (Mar 7, 2014)

tecboy said:


> Seems like everyone wants to be a professional photographer now on these days. Just keep learning, keep shooting, and have fun.



I don't.  In fact I've been going out of my way to avoid it at all costs.


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## vintagesnaps (Mar 7, 2014)

Once you get a DSLR then try it out and see how you like it. You're talking about professional work before you even have the camera. 

It takes years of learning and you'll have to love it to do it well, to put in the hours it takes to get good at it. You'll have to discover if you have a passion for it or not before you'll know if it can become something you can do at a professional level.


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## Surflife42 (Mar 7, 2014)

Yeah I agree with you guys. I honestly don't see me being a professional photographer for a long time. But that's ok, right now I'm enjoying doing it for fun


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## Nevermore1 (Mar 7, 2014)

I'm not a professional and don't think I would want to be one either.  It would take some of the fun out of it for me.  A good place to look for others to learn from is meetup.  In my area there are tons of groups for photography ranging from beginners to professionals and everything in between.  It would give you a chance to meet others in your area who are also into photography and you can learn from them (and them from you).


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## KmH (Mar 7, 2014)

The business of doing photography has changed dramatically as a result of the explosive growth of digital camera sales and the growth of the Internet.

Staff photographer jobs essentially no longer exist, and those that used to be staff photographers either now do freelance work or are in some other industry.

As a consequence, today the most important skill set a aspiring professional photographer needs to acquire is business skills - accounting, marketing, promotion, sales.
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...s-forum/353434-so-you-want-professhional.html

There are 3 main professional photography business models:
Retail - Usually a local photographer that does portraits, weddings, event photography bought by the people in the photos. Most new retail photography business fail before their 5th year because the new business owners don't have business skills sufficient for running the business so it provides sufficient income. 

Commercial - Commercial photographers are often hired by advertising agencies that are in turn hired by companies to develop and produce the advertising and promotional materials the company needs. Commercial photographers sell their creative ability and use licensing (a photo rental fee) for the images they produce. in other words the people paying for the photos aren't the people in the photos. Commercial photography pays the most, is very competitive, and requires the most in the way of technical/artistic knowledge and business skills.
Travel photography, real estate photography, fine art photography, landscape photography, etc would all be one form or another of commercial photography, but are not well paying genres in the commercial photography field.

Editorial (Photojournalism)- Editorial photography used to be what a lot of those staff jobs that no longer exist were all about. Editorial is now mostly done by freelance photographers and of the 3 photography business types pays the least.

So - what type of photography do you do.


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## TWright33 (Mar 7, 2014)

I typed a very long post to go on here, but I just deleted it...

There are going to be people everywhere that complain about there job and say never to enter the field because it is too much work... (and yes I hate my job)

I wasn't raised to have a job where the money was free. You earn your keep...

If you want to be a pro, work at it, and make your money...

Don't listen to what most people say, heck don't even listen to this post if you don't want...

Do what makes you happy. Period.


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## KmH (Mar 7, 2014)

So far no one complained about being a professional photographer, nor recommended ever entering the field.

In fact, being a professional photographer can be a very rewarding job in a variety of ways.

I made a living doing photography for 30 years, but the reality is that professional photography today is very different than it was in the past.
The same applies to most industries and the key to entering any field is to have a solid foundation built from the fundamentals.
If you want to have a photography business, you need business and photography fundamentals.

Professional photography is more about business than it is about photography.
There are truly gifted photographers out there that can't make a living from their photography because they lack the needed business kills, while average photographers that have excellent business skills have flourishing photography businesses.

Perhaps this will add some perspective as far as how one aspect of the business of commercial photography is conducted: Case Study: Producing A Successful Estimate | DigitalPhotoPro.com


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## Steve5D (Mar 7, 2014)

If you want to do it, do it. Allow no one to sway you. 

I used to make a rather handsome living in the music industry. As good as it was, though, it sucked the life out of me. I was on the road for weeks at a time, home for a few days, and then back out again. It destroyed a 28 year marriage. The money was exceptional, but it couldn't make up for what it was draining from me and from other aspects of my life.

So I walked away.

Aside from the music industry, I know how to blow stuff up and break things, and I know how to shoot photographs. The "blowing stuff up" thing has pretty limited application opportunities outside the military, so I went for photography. I've had a camera in my hands since my freshman year of high school, so I figured "What the Hell?"

Well, let me tell you, it's a grind. I scratch and kick and fight for every penny I make. I'm always "networking" when I go out, whether I'm in a bar or at a restaurant or just walking around the shops in St. Augustine. Everything I do gives a nod to my business. It has to. 

But I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't have anyone but myself to answer to. I shoot what I want, and when I want. I'm beholden to no one when it comes to the decisions made about what I do. I don't know that I could shoot for someone else on a regular basis. I could do an occasional second-shooter gig, but that's about it.

It's tough, but it's doable. And it's infinitely worth it...


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## tecboy (Mar 7, 2014)

Get yourself a decent dslr first, and you will shoot like a professional.


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## table1349 (Mar 7, 2014)

tecboy said:


> Seems like everyone wants to be a professional photographer now on these days.  Just keep learning, keep shooting, and have fun.



Been there......Done that........Have the T-shirt.......and a real steady paying job.


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## manaheim (Mar 7, 2014)

What KmH said. You can pretty much end the thread just after his remarks.

Not that you shouldn't chase your dreams, but I'll tell you that you cannot imagine a career with worse competition these days, and I've seen several articles detailing the worst possible career choices, and photography is ALWAYS in the list.

2013 Best and Worst Careers -- Ranking - WSJ.com

Artist is #140 or so of 200.
Photojournalist is #188.

The real kick in the teeth on that list for me is that Software Engineer is like #3... and that was what I was in the process of becoming... before I got sidetracked into what I do now. lol


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## GertjanGoetynck (Mar 9, 2014)

manaheim said:


> What KmH said. You can pretty much end the thread just after his remarks.
> 
> Not that you shouldn't chase your dreams, but I'll tell you that you cannot imagine a career with worse competition these days, and I've seen several articles detailing the worst possible career choices, and photography is ALWAYS in the list.
> 
> ...


As a university student Webdevelopment who was considering photography as a way out in like 20 years, that list really is a kick in the nuts.


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## minicoop1985 (Mar 9, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> tecboy said:
> 
> 
> > Seems like everyone wants to be a professional photographer now on these days. Just keep learning, keep shooting, and have fun.
> ...



I keep getting asked to do weddings because I have a big camera (obviously they've never seen my work, or they... wouldn't be asking). I agree-I have no desire to do that. Or portraits of people, families, and pets. I have been roped into taking product shots for a couple clients thanks to my stepmom and my father in law... Hey, it's money, and I haven't disappointed them yet.


Vintagesnaps hit it on the head. There's a lot that goes into being a professional photographer, particularly one that does the weddings, couples, portraits, etc. There's a LOT that goes into shooting people, and I don't begin to know about that. Then there's the editing, the marketing, the sales, the packaging, etc, etc. First, really see if you enjoy photography. I love shooting landcapes and city scenes, but hate doing portraits, etc. You might find this too. You never know what you're going to enjoy until you really get in there and try it. Basically, this is a poorly worded addendum to Vintagesnap's post/rewording of said post. lol


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## robbins.photo (Mar 9, 2014)

minicoop1985 said:


> robbins.photo said:
> 
> 
> > tecboy said:
> ...



Unfortunately for me I got roped into doing senior pictures for one girl and now I'm going to be stuck doing two more shoots for friends of hers.  I tried to beg off but couldn't get out of it, well at least not without maybe making things a little uncomfortable at work.

Worse yet a friend of mine sells real estate and his company was having problems with the photographer they hired.  He bailed on a scheduled shoot for one of their houses so the guy called me up and begged me to come out and shoot it for them.

Now he wants to replace their old photographer and even wants me to reshoot several houses and some city scapes for his website.

I really didn't want to do it but the guy is an old friend so I agreed to fill in temporarily until they could find a replacement.

I really like being am amateur and just  taking pictures of what I want when I want.   Not really wanting a part time job but for now at least I'm kind of stuck.  

So I think from now on if anybody asks me how to open their own photography business my advice will be just start telling everyone you know that you don't want their money and you don't want to be a pro.  Seems to be the best way to get people to want to pay you to take pictures.

Sent from my LG-LG730 using Tapatalk


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## Tony S (Mar 9, 2014)

That list sucks..... lol.    After 33 years I'm still stuck  at a firefighter that only came in at #167, really??  Only 5 spots above a photographer??  

  go to school, suck up as much education and life experience as you can. Have fun taking some pictures because what you want to do in life will most likely change at least 5 or 6 more times. And who knows? Maybe you will land as a pro photographer.  But be careful what you ask for, you might get it and it might not be what you truly wanted.


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## minicoop1985 (Mar 10, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> minicoop1985 said:
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> 
> > robbins.photo said:
> ...



That's kinda what happened here. My stepmom co-owns a small business, so her business is one client. My father in law decided to tell a bunch of his contacts that I do product shots, and bam, I've got a couple of people throwing money at me for little pieces of my soul. Too bad I'm not a ginger, or this would be easier.


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## robbins.photo (Mar 10, 2014)

minicoop1985 said:


> That's kinda what happened here. My stepmom co-owns a small business, so her business is one client. My father in law decided to tell a bunch of his contacts that I do product shots, and bam, I've got a couple of people throwing money at me for little pieces of my soul. Too bad I'm not a ginger, or this would be easier.



Lol.. I'm sure there would be some advantages to being souless.  You know on that first senior pictures thing I wasn't all that confident, I don't shoot a lot of portraits and it was definitely outside my comfort zone.  Funny thing I discovered though is that the vast majority of people out there are not nearly as critical of photographs as I am, they don't really seem to notice things that I do that detract from the photograph.  The photograph they picked out as being their absolute favorite was one that I wasn't even sure I'd put in the keeper column.  It was borderline for me, but they loved it.

So not nearly as stressed about the other two senior picture sessions - but man I really don't want this to turn into an ongoing thing.  I've already got a full time job and I don't really need a part time gig on top of that, I'd rather spend that time out at the zoo or when the weather gets nicer out hiking and taking pictures of stuff I like taking pictures of, rather than dealing with clients and running all over taking pictures of stuff that doesn't really float my boat.

So hopefully soon I'll be able to return to my full amateur status, I don't mind doing this for a short period of time but I definitely do not want this to become an ongoing concern.


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## timor (Mar 10, 2014)

Surflife42 said:


> Yeah I agree with you guys. I honestly don't see me being a professional photographer for a long time. But that's ok, right now I'm enjoying doing it for fun


 There is a big, big difference of doing things for fun and for money. Which venue are you planning to take ? Fashion ? Photojournalism ? Weddings ? School yearbooks ? Paparazzi ? Babies in Walmart ?
Huge Projects are usually few and far between, not enough to pin the life to it. What's your business plan ?


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## bribrius (Mar 10, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> minicoop1985 said:
> 
> 
> > That's kinda what happened here. My stepmom co-owns a small business, so her business is one client. My father in law decided to tell a bunch of his contacts that I do product shots, and bam, I've got a couple of people throwing money at me for little pieces of my soul. Too bad I'm not a ginger, or this would be easier.
> ...



totally hear you on this. i can see it coming for me to with people asking me to shoot things i don't like


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## Asiertxo (Mar 26, 2014)

|this is like the most impresive case. From 0 to profesional. As they said, gets years od learning and shooting until you get there. but work on it. Followed this trhead for a wile and looked for some people usefull coments and others not. Finaly decided to sing up in the forum to open a new thread. Lets see if it goes better.

  and good luck with your dreams man!


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