I know that it has crossed your mind, if whether you can make out a career for yourself in this business when you have built some great photography skills and are managing to produce amazing photographs consistently. Well, the short answer is yes, you can start a career in photography. Will it be easy? No, like every career you will have some difficulties at the start, even if you are extremely talented. Today, I will try to explain to you some various ways that you can kickstart your career in photography, whether you want to be a full-time pro, a part-time photographer, or just a freelancer. While everybody can do this regardless of your skill level, you have to put in many hours of hard work, practice, determination and develop an eye for photography.
Education
This should be your first focus when you start considering seriously starting a career in photography, education. This is also the most important part of photography, as this will be the base of your skills and knowledge in photography. Generally, there are several routes you can take to educate yourself in photography.
You can take the self-taught route, and this is the most popular way to learn photography. If you know a thing or two about photography, you are already on the way to become a self-taught photographer. However, you should take this seriously, and on the internet, you can find a vast array of courses and workshops that will help you improve your skills and results significantly. Be a member of photography forums, r/photography subreddit is a safe place to start as it has 2 million members already, and all of them are ready to answer your questions and share new techniques. In this way, you also need to experiment a lot with photography, take a lot of photographs look for new shooting opportunities and try new things.
The second way is to take a formal education, this means that you have to go to college and get a degree in photography, and this is a sure-fire way to land a safe job in the photography industry. This way you will learn about the craft more specifically, taking lessons from art professors and photographers with years of prowess. However, always research individually about how you can improve your skills and techniques.
Research and Networking
These two aspects intertwine with each other as they are crucial when you start earning money from the business. These two things will show you how much you will earn from photography. Know what the market wants, make research in your area first, what kind of photographers are in demand, what is popular and what can bring in more money. Networking is also pretty important, open up a blog to portray your portfolio, spread the word and network with people that might help you get your next gig. Instagram is a great platform for spreading the word and showing your work to the masses.
Find your Niche
While we all consider ourselves very versatile people, in this business an all-arounder can’t go a long way. You should see what you excel, that is why it is worth trying new ways of photography and experiment. Try portrait photography as this is the most popular niche, this includes event and wedding photography, maybe you got the knack for capturing the best in people. Commercial photography is also a great way, taking photos of products, buildings, artifacts, and even scientific work, while this may initially require a degree if you have the skills you can enter this field. Photojournalism is also a great field, it is also pretty interesting and adventurous. If you have the skills and talent you can even try to be a fine arts photographer, this means that your photographs are not just photographs, but works of art.
Never Stop Learning
To conclude this article I want to remind you that you never should stop learning, always be ready for new work, and study other photographers. Learn to use different equipment and learn a little about other art forms, because every little bit will help.
Photo & Videographer
A photographer with a passion for capturing the beauty of nature and the human form. My work has been featured in galleries and publications around the world, and I strive to create images that evoke emotion and tell a story.
