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What does it take to become a professional photographer?

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Perhaps you have a dream of becoming a professional photographer or you have already started your professional photography business. If for you it’s still a dream what is it that’s holding you back? If you have already started how was it for you? Did you start part-time, nervous about taking that first step or did you, like me, jump straight in?

I read so many articles and hear far too many comments from other professional photographers who tell you what photography equipment you need and what photography training courses you should go on before you even start. The camera, the lenses, lighting, training it all adds up.

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Six misconceptions about professional photographers and the truth behind them

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When you enter the world of photography, you’ll hear a lot about the industry and the job of a professional photographer. However, many things won’t be true at all. In this video, Scott Choucino goes over six most common misconceptions about professional photographers and what it means to be one. If you’ve just jumped into the rough water of professional photography, I believe this video will help you keep the course steady.

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Now you don’t even have to be a professional photographer to be a certified professional photographer

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I don’t mean to step on any toes, but <deep breath> here we go…

Dear PPA,

A couple weeks ago, I asked to sit down with your top brass and discuss what is happening with our beloved PPA over some pie. Who doesn’t like pie, right? It was going to be a long conversation and, well, difficult discussions just seem to go better with pie. Granted, the request was made via a Facebook post, so you probably didn’t really take me seriously.

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Three reasons why you don’t have to be a pro photographer to make great photos

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What does it mean to be a professional photographer? Many people will assume that the tag “professional” automatically means that you take amazing photos. But is it true that only pros are great photographers? In this great video, Mark Denney discusses three reasons why you don’t have to be a professional to still take great photos. And if you’re a hobbyist like me, you’re gonna enjoy this.

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This fancy photo booth promises high end headshots for professionals on the go

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This has to be one of the silliest things I’ve seen for a while. Not the product itself, but how it’s being marketed. Iris claims to offer professional automated headshots in a booth for $20. Your $20 gets you a “photo session” including half a dozen shots, “helpful posing tips”, and one free high res digital file (the other 5 cost an extra $5 each).

When you watch the promo video, don’t worry, your speakers aren’t broken, there’s just no audio to go with it.

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A wedding photographer’s guide to building a pricing structure

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Structuring your prices as a wedding photographer or any business in the creative industry can be a difficult task, especially if you’re self employed/running your own business. Not only is the creative industry a competitive one, it’s also a very saturated market with some very interesting pricing structures.

With so many businesses charging less and less for their services, it’s easy to price your own services too low, but go in too high and there’s the potential you might loose custom. Pricing your services is a huge task in itself, but once you reach that point you then have questions to ask yourself regarding deposits, payment plans, where will you advertise your prices and will you offer discounts.

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Let me tell you why professional photography is “worth it”

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Being in the photography business successfully for 40 years has been an amazing journey and a great accomplishment for me. I believe that the people I meet are the best clients anyone could wish for.

For the most part, my clients book an appointment, look at the images and then make a purchase according to the price list I provide, and they go home a happy camper. Once in a while, though, a new client will express concerns about what they perceive to be the high cost of professional photography in general, and they wonder aloud if it is really worth it.

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Study finds the average photojournalist is male, self-employed, earns little but happy

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Have you ever wondered how you compare to other news photographers? Perhaps you’ve felt that you’re earning less than your colleagues or that your occupation is especially dangerous?

A new study on the state of photojournalistic practice, conducted by the University of Stirling and the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in association with World Press Photo, offers fascinating insights about “the world’s professional photographic community with a special focus on photojournalists”.

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What Do You Think? Can A Service Like Togally Help Pro Photographers Earn A Living?

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San Diego, California based start-up company, Togally, is hoping that it’s new platform will help connect photographers with clients by taking a slightly different approach. The company has designed and built a website which allows photographers (which they refer to as “togs”) to post a free profile on their website so that anyone with an internet connection and a need for a photographer can look them up and hire them. ( I find it to be like a combination of the services Thumbtack and ImageBrief provide.)[Read More…]

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