How to convince your family that photography is a real career

If you have decided to start a photography business, it can come as a shock to your friends and family. Especially if you give up a steady day job to become a freelancer. It can be hard to convince them that this is your calling and something you want to do probably for the rest of your life. If you’re struggling with this right now, this video from Chris Hau will help you go through it and convince your parents, family, and friends that photography is a real career you want and should pursue.

1. Make a business case

When you decide to work as a photographer, explain to your family everything about the different jobs you can have in the industry. Explain all the careers you can do as a creative or photographer other than photography, such as shooting YouTube videos, making tutorials, giving workshops, etc. They care about you and it will make them calmer to know that you have many options available.

2. Tell them about earnings

Costs of life are expensive, and your family is probably worried that you won’t manage to financially support yourself by doing a job as a creative. So, you need to prove to them that this is not the case. Reach out to people who work as photographers in any of the fields I mentioned above. Presuming that you’re close enough to them, ask them how much they earn. Relying on this information, your parents how much it’s possible to earn as a photographer.

3. Set up meet-ups with successful creatives

Finally, you can arrange meet-ups with successful creatives and bring your family members along. This way they can hear success stories and realize that people can be successful and make a living from creative work.

I don’t work as a photographer, but writing is a creative job as well. And trust me, it was difficult to convince my family that I want and can make a living out of it. Of course, I had my ups and downs, it’s not easy, but writing is something that makes me happy and fulfilled, and I’m glad I chose it as a career. Plus, I get to write mainly about photography, so I think I won a jackpot.

The bottom line is that your family and close friends wish you only the best and that is why they may not approve your decision at first. But as Chris puts it, “it sucks to let your family down, but it sucks even more to let yourself down.” So don’t give up on your dream and plan, and I hope his advice will help you convince your mom, dad, and other family members that photography is something you should be doing for a living.

[How to convince your parents that photography is a real career | Chris Hau]