How Do You Start A Career As A Photographer?

When you are trying to decide what career path you want to take and you don’t really have a clue, it’s a good idea to think about the things that you are passionate about. Many people don’t entertain the idea of pursuing a creative career because they see creative endeavors as a hobby rather than a profession. However, there is no reason why your passion for the creative can’t be a lucrative career and photography is a prime example of that.

If you are a keen photographer, there are plenty of ways that you can make a living from it, but it’s a tough industry to get into. If you think that photography might be the career path for you, here are a few tips to help you get your foot in the door.

Buy A Professional Camera

The first thing that you need is a professional camera. If you are serious about pursuing photography as a career, you need to be willing to invest a bit of money. That doesn’t mean that you have to buy the most expensive camera on the market but you do need to at least invest in a good mid-range one so you can take professional quality photographs. You won’t get by with a cheap camera because you are limiting yourself and the quality of your work will not be up to scratch.

Start Building A Portfolio

Once you have your camera, you need to start taking a lot of photos and building a portfolio. This portfolio will be the thing that gets you jobs because it shows that you have talent. It’s important that you demonstrate a range of skills, so take landscapes and nature shots as well as portraits and experimental photos. When showing your portfolio to people, you will need to tailor it depending on the nature of the job, so it’s vital that you organize all of your photos (you can find great tips here to help you do that). Creating a portfolio will help you to apply for jobs but it also gives you a chance to hone your skills and work out what kind of photography you are best at and enjoy the most.

Pick A Niche

There are a lot of different ways to make money from photography so you need to decide which is best for you. Wedding photography and family portraits tend to pay the most but that shouldn’t be the only factor. Maybe you have a passion for sports photography or you love documenting live music events. It’s important that you think about what really excites you because you don’t want to lose passion for your chosen career.

Looking For Internships

Internships are a great way to break into competitive industries like photography. When you are first starting out, look for internships at magazines or with photographers that you admire and see if you can get a bit of experience. Once you have some work on your resume and you have a great portfolio, you should be able to start landing more paid jobs.

Getting into photography is tough, but if you follow these steps and persevere, you should be able to make a career out of it.

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