# Beginner tips & advice



## RoxxieRAWR (Jun 15, 2013)

Hi everyone, I'm 19. I've recently decided to become a photographer. I've already got a fuji film camera, the motivation, the creativity. I just need to know what I need to do to get started.

I'm planning to start going to school for it & earn a degree. But what else could I do?
I currently work at wal mart as a cashier & I'm miserable. But I need the money to get by. Anyone have any advice in how I could make money with photography without having a degree or experience yet?
Photography is my passion & I have no kids, no responsibilities, & I'm as young as ill ever be. So, I figure now's the time to chase my dreams & work towards my goals.
Any advice whatsoever, with anything about photography & what to expect that you could give would be greatly appreciated.
What's the average pay? How do you get to work with businesses? What all is needed? How did you do it? give me all the mental tools ill need to really pursue this. 

Thanks so much everyone! xo &#127800;
My Instagram below &#11015;&#128247;
Instagram.com/roxxierawr

Sent from my iPhone using PhotoForum


----------



## Light Guru (Jun 15, 2013)

The best step you could take toward becoming a successful photographer would be going to business school.


----------



## RoxxieRAWR (Jun 15, 2013)

Light Guru said:


> The best step you could take toward becoming a successful photographer would be going to business school.



Why's that?

Sent from my iPhone using PhotoForum


----------



## MetroRuss (Jun 16, 2013)

Hi,

I wish you luck in your pursuits of self improvement.

Reading up on how to write a business plan or even googling "photographers business plan"
Could possibly give you some future visions of what type of commitment, investment and knowledge will be required to start up your venture.


----------



## Designer (Jun 16, 2013)

RoxxieRAWR said:


> Light Guru said:
> 
> 
> > The best step you could take toward becoming a successful photographer would be going to business school.
> ...



You can't pay the bills and put food on the table with "good intentions".  A business degree will open lots of doors for you.  

Meanwhile, continue learning about photography so that when you decide to quit an $80,000 job to start a photography business, you will at least know where to start.

That's why.


----------



## manicmike (Jun 16, 2013)

You can learn photography from reading books and practice. A business degree would be the best thing for starting your own business.


----------



## o hey tyler (Jun 16, 2013)

Being business savvy is as important as being a good photographer. They really go hand in hand. 

Learning photography is relatively simple, but being good at it is another skill entirely. Having a creative vision and being able to execute what you see in your head is the most challenging part. 

Don't expect to get your first DSLR and to start a business the next day. You really should hone your skills for at least two years, plus or minus. There are a plethora of people that think that they can start a business the second they look through the viewfinder of an entry level body. This is the wrong way to go about it and will ultimately set you up for failure.


----------



## 480sparky (Jun 16, 2013)

RoxxieRAWR said:


> Light Guru said:
> 
> 
> > The best step you could take toward becoming a successful photographer would be going to business school.
> ...



Knowing how to operate a camera is one thing.

Knowing how to operate a _business _is *totally different*.


----------



## cgipson1 (Jun 16, 2013)

RoxxieRAWR said:


> Hi everyone, I'm 19. I've recently decided to become a photographer. I've already got a fuji film camera, the motivation, the creativity. I just need to know what I need to do to get started.
> 
> I'm planning to start going to school for it & earn a degree. But what else could I do?
> I currently work at wal mart as a cashier & I'm miserable. But I need the money to get by. Anyone have any advice in how I could make money with photography without having a degree or experience yet?
> ...



Just keep in mind that there are millions of "semi-professional" Photographers out there (yes... they get paid, so they meet that "Professional" requirement, but they have entry level equipment, and very little knowledge, hence the "semi" since the work they put out is not professional in quality). 

Many of these "semi-professionals" actually don't support themselves (their spouses are the real breadwinners).. so they can charge outrageously low prices and actually think (pretend) they are a successful business, even though most of them have no clue what running a business is about (and how do you compete with someone like that?). 

But the "low prices / poor quality" are starting to affect the overall market... and people are less willing to pay good money for professional photography, since the last "professional" they used.. delivered CRAP for a very low price! So why should they pay more? (Most non-photographers don't know anything about image quality, composition, exposure, color, etc... and can seldom tell a good image from a bad one! That is why facebook and Instagram are so popular... so many BAD images out there... ugh!)

Even in the Marketing / Sports / magazines / newspaper realms... the quality of the photography has dropped, because they can always find a semi-pro (low-priced crap)... or a total amateur (who will GIVE their images away), instead of paying a "real" professional to get the shots they need.

You are probably making more money at Wal-Mart in a month then most of the "semi-professionals" make in six months! So think about that....

IF you go to business school... and learn HOW to run a business, that is much more important than being a great photographer (especially with the quality standards being so low!), then you might have a chance of making it... but photographers typically don't make what I would call "GOOD money" unless they get very lucky!


There is an old joke that is very pertinent here:  What is the  difference between a Large Pizza, and a Professional Photographer?        (A Large Pizza can actually feed a family of four!)


----------



## IByte (Jun 16, 2013)

cgipson1 said:


> There is an old joke that is very pertinent here:  What is the  difference between a Large Pizza, and a Professional Photographer?        (A Large Pizza can actually feed a family of four!)



Mmmmm foood, going to order me one riiiight now...wait what were we talking about again?  Oo


----------



## Designer (Jun 16, 2013)

o hey tyler said:


> Don't expect to get your first DSLR and to start a business the next day.



Say WHAT?  

Aw, MAN!  I had 1,000 business cards printed up, too!


----------



## 480sparky (Jun 16, 2013)

Designer said:


> o hey tyler said:
> 
> 
> > Don't expect to get your first DSLR and to start a business the next day.
> ...



You'll need to reprint them... you forgot the link to your FaceySpacey page.


----------



## nola.ron (Jun 16, 2013)

There's 2 types of degrees in the world:

Ones worth paying for (engineering, IT, business, law and med, etc)

Ones that won't get you a job worth a crap (english, history, art, photography)

What type do you think my multi-million dollar company hires for?  

So many young kids go after degrees that DO NOT MAKE THEM HIREABLE!!  Those are those jobless graduates you hear about so often.  Med school, engineering, etc graduates get a job.  

Get a business degree while you teach yourself how to be a pro photographer.  Dont waste your time in college to go no where.  Then when your photography business doesnt take off or you learn you want to make more money then you are not starting over from scratch at 30 - you take those business skills into another market or company and get HIRED.


----------



## cgipson1 (Jun 16, 2013)

nola.ron said:


> There's 2 types of degrees in the world:
> 
> Ones worth paying for (engineering, IT, business, law and med, etc)
> 
> ...



Serious degrees require a lot more work than some things! And I suspect that is one of the reasons Photography is seen as such a popular career (especially by those that know nothing about it!).... No work required, just buy a camera! (unless you want to be good... that might require some work, mediocrity doesn't!)


----------



## tirediron (Jun 16, 2013)

Okay...  so by now you've probably figured out that maybe this isn't quite so straight-forward.  Dont' misunderstand; no one is saying that you can't do it, but to become a true professional photographer (that is, you make your living from producing professional quality photographs) you need a lot more than just photographic knowledge.  In fact, understanding business is more important than understanding photography.  If you're going to school as part of this goal, then as others have said, take business courses, learn how a business operates and what is required to be successful in the business world.  The photography part you can learn on your own, after hours, etc.  I'm a firm believer in education, and I take LOTS of courses and seminars, but I don't believe a degree in photography is ever going to put food on your table!


----------



## KmH (Jun 16, 2013)

There are very few staff photographer jobs anymore.
If you want to make money doing photography you will need to be self-employed.
There are 3 main photography business models: Editorial (which used to be staff jobs but is now mainly freelance stock photography work). Retail (portraiture, families, weddings, events, infants, kids, etc), and Commercial (usually making images for a company to use for their marketing and promotion). http://asmp.org/links/1#.Ub5u_-dzji0


Free business advice:
Starting & Managing a Business | SBA.gov
www.score.org

Photography business info:
How to Start a Home-Based Photography Business, 6th (Home-Based Business Series)
The Business of Studio Photography: How to Start and Run a Successful Photography Studio
The Real Business of Photography
Photography Business Secrets: The Savvy Photographer's Guide to Sales, Marketing, and More 
Profitable Photography: Start and Run a Money-Making Business 
Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition 

Legal (assuming you're in the USA):
U.S. Copyright Office
A Digital Photographer's Guide to Model Releases: Making the Best Business Decisions with Your Photos of People, Places and Things
Business and Legal Forms for Photographers (Fourth Edition)
The Photographer's Guide to Negotiating

Selling
Profitable Photography in Digital Age: Strategies for Success
Selling Your Photography: How to Make Money in New and Traditional Markets
Licensing Photography
The Psychology of Salesmanship
How To Sell Your Way Through Life

Marketing:
The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly 
15 Marketing Trends In 2013 And How Your Business Can Use Them
Guerrilla Marketing, 4th edition: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business

Self promotion
Self-Promotion for the Creative Person: Get the Word Out About Who You Are and What You Do
Self Marketing Power: Branding Yourself As a Business of One


----------



## 480sparky (Jun 16, 2013)

KmH said:


> Starting & Managing a Business | SBA.gov
> 
> How to Start a Home-Based Photography Business, 6th (Home-Based Business Series)
> The Business of Studio Photography: How to Start and Run a Successful Photography Studio
> ...



And all that has to do with _digital photography_.......... how? :scratch:


----------



## KmH (Jun 16, 2013)

480sparky said:


> And all that has to do with _digital photography_.......... how? :scratch:


Only because the business part of the OP was posted in this forum.


> What's the average pay? How do you get to work with businesses? What all is needed?


----------



## 480sparky (Jun 17, 2013)

KmH said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > And all that has to do with _digital photography_.......... how? :scratch:
> ...



Again..... which was what to do with digital gear?  Help me out here.... I'm not seeing a 'digital' discussion here. I'm reading a thread about _starting a business.

_


----------



## RoxxieRAWR (Jun 17, 2013)

Thank you so much everyone! I will definitely take everyone's advice to learn about the business aspect of it. I got to talk to Eric Wittmayer & he also gave me good advice. I have a lot to do but I don't wanna look back & wonder what could've been.

Sent from my iPhone using PhotoForum


----------

