One option is to start earning money from photography while having another job. Then, when you’ve built a solid platform and have sufficient business, contacts and potential, quit the 9 to 5. This ‘softly softly’ approach works in many areas of photography. You can shoot weddings at the weekends, portraits in the evening, and stock and magazine/calendar submissions anytime. However, you’re not likely to get commercial, advertising or fashion work as a part-timer.
If you’re single, and don’t mind taking a few risks, then you might consider ‘going for it’ – just handing in your notice and devoting yourself full-time to photography.
Getting commissions in the early days can be difficult. No-one will commission you until you’ve got a portfolio of published work to show them, and the only way you’ll ever be able to produce the required tear sheets is if you get commissioned.
So the best way to take the first tentative steps towards building a career as a professional is by shooting speculatively with a view to possible sales in the future. This is the way many freelance photographers work, the great advantage of operating this way is that you can take pictures of what you want, when you want.
This is particularly convenient when you’re trying to fit your photography in around other commitments such as a full-time job. Whenever you get some free time you can spend it shooting saleable images. Weekdays, for most employed people, offer little opportunity for picture-taking. By the time you’ve gone to work and then got home and recovered, it’s dark – except for a few weeks in the summer when you might fit in a few frames before dusk. Of course dedicated souls will get up early or make use of their lunch hour – but there are often other demands on that time. Weekends offer a better prospect, though even then there may be family commitments, such as the weekly shopping trip or providing a taxi service for your children, which sabotages any shooting expeditions.
In most parts of the world, including the UK and America, you don’t need any qualifications to become a professional photographer. It’s not like being a dentist, solicitor or accountant, where you have to undergo rigorous training, often over a number of years, and belong to a recognized body in order to work in that field. Photography is completely unregulated as a business. You can call yourself professional whatever your level or experience, or indeed ability. There are no barriers to entry whatsoever.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no value in studying photography or gaining qualifications. Quite the opposite. The more knowledgeable you are on the subject, and the more training you’ve undertaken, the better your pictures are likely to be.
Becoming a registered member of a professional organization, such as the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) or British Institute of Professional Photographers (BIPP), has a many advantages. One is that the level of membership is determined by an assessment of submitted work – so if you’re accepted you know you’re up to professional standard. Another is that being a member means you can use letters after your name, which reassures clients of your abilities and gives them confidence in choosing you.
Professional photographers come in all shapes and sizes, types and temperaments. There’s no one set of character traits or skills that suit all areas of the business. It’s true that many social photographers are outgoing and bubbly and some commercial photographers are more serious and reserved, but there are plenty of exceptions that ‘prove the rule’. I know some wedding and portrait photographers who are quiet to the point of shyness, while some industrial and advertising photographers of my acquaintance have larger than life personalities. So whatever kind of person you are you have the potential to make it as a professional.
The most important thing is that you are passionate about photography, since you’ll spend lots of time doing it. That may seem blindingly obvious, but I’m constantly astonished at how many people go into occupations they really don’t enjoy.
Given that you are reading this book it’s unlikely to be an issue – in fact there’s probably nothing you’d enjoy doing more than waking up every morning and taking pictures.
You’ll also need to be self-motivated if you plan to go freelance or run your own business. When you work for a company you normally have a boss who keeps an eye on you and makes sure things get done. When you work for yourself you need to provide that impetus yourself – setting yourself goals and seeing you achieve them. As someone who has worked for myself for more than twelve years, I’m often asked how I stay motivated. How come I don’t just laze around watching TV all day? It’s pretty simple really: If I don’t work, I don’t eat. That’s sufficiently motivating for me.
You need to be creative as well, being able to express yourself visually. This is particularly true in the world of commercial and advertising photography, where you might be given a widget and asked to ‘make this look interesting’.
You’ll find that you also need to be personable, and able to get on with people, both as clients and subjects. Persistence is essential, because you’ll suffer rejection on a regular basis. And you won’t get far without self-motivation.
Now you may be wondering why I haven’t mentioned photographic ability. That’s because it’s not the most important thing when it comes to success as a professional. Yes, really. A competent photographer with skills in marketing and promotion will earn more than an awesome photographer who’s lousy at publicising and selling their own work.
That doesn’t mean, of course, that your pictures can be absolute rubbish. If they are no one is going to buy them – and you’ll be endlessly banging your head against a brick wall. That will get you nowhere fast.
What I am saying is that when it comes to making money from photography you only need to be producing professional quality work. You don’t need to be a star who’s pushing back the boundaries and constantly winning awards – although the more accomplished you are the easier you will be able to negotiate.
To the outsider, photography often sounds like a glamorous profession, because its public perception is shaped by the exploits of high profile snappers like David Bailey, who always seems to be jetting off to the Bahamas with a bevy of beauties on his arm and a million dollar budget to spend.
The life of the average pro is mundane in comparison. You’re more likely to be found in a tatty old studio in the back of beyond, taking shots of a spotty kid or the inner workings of a stopcock.
Yet, even at its most routine, photography is a great way to earn a living – and I count myself privileged to have done so for more than 25 years. It has to be said, there are few jobs which allow you to get paid for something you really enjoy doing – and which also give you the opportunity to express yourself creatively.
Whatever path you decide to take, I wish you every success in making money from photography, both now and in the future.
Equipment & Materials
As someone who