 BetterPhoto Member |
Am i good enough to become a professional?
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Craig m. Zacarelli |
well Levix these three are great and sho some great potential.. I wish id'a started at 17 but I waited too long..oh well. Now, the biggest thing is, you need to try to figure out what it is your good at, landscapes, portraits, weddings, fine art? and then the biggest hurdel to overcome is shooting not what YOU like but what the public wants.. good luck there.. I suggest you go to a photography school and learn as much as you can and take the time to fine tune your shooting and find your style and niche. then, market the heck out of yourself, get a website, get out to art showes, craft shows, fairs and farmer markest, even sell at flea markets if need be all the while sending photos to magazines and news papers (if you do a photojournalism style shot) and just get your name and work out there... good luck!
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Mark Feldstein |
Greetings Levix: 3 shots? It's a start but I think the jury would still be out on whether or not you ought to turn pro. Are the shots professional grade? I don't like making those assessments. Rather, I encourage anyone who wants to do this kind of work professionally, i.e., for a living, to consider the following going in: (And I've said this a number of times here) First, professional is not just based on someone's potential, but it's a state of mind in the individual that kind of governs how you conduct yourself in a particular endeavor, whether it's photography, graphic design or other artistic callings. Second, as far as talent goes, there's a lot of talented people taking photos these days. You could say with digital cameras and photoshop, talent is running rampant through the photographic community. BUT, talent isn't enough to make it in this business. As a photojournalist, I spend about 90 % of my time handling business related matters, doing paper work, talking and presenting to prospective clients, maintaining equipment, planning and working with art directors or editors, traveling and managing my business in terms of shooting and stock photography. Only about 10% (ok, maybe 15%) of what I do involves making photographs. So, if you have an inkling to do this for a living, I strongly recommend that you go on to college, enroll in classes involving design, photography, studying fine arts, business law and administration, an introductory course in accounting, marketing, and get a degree that you can use to fall back on if your business doesn't fly or your photographic career stalls at some point. Learn how to promote yourself, as Craig suggested and shoot as much as you can while you learn to be your best and worst critic. Judge your work and be tough but fair on your judgments. Read alot, develop your particular shooting style, work hard, and also as Craig suggested, get your name out there and build your reputation over time. Lastly, for now, be honest and forthright in your dealings with others, whether they're photographers, assistants, editors, artists or anyone else for that matter, because so much of what we're so lucky to do as photographers, is conferred on us based upon our reputation to not only pull off a particular shot, but because others we deal with trust us to do right by them. Oh, and always ask questions. Meanwhile, take it light and good luck !!
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Christopher Delaney |
Well said mark! I could not agree more! There is a whole lot of differn't things that have to come together to run any successful business! I myself own two and only through hard work and long hours will any survive! You have to wear a lot of differn't hats and kiss some major butt. Whoever said "The customer is allways right" should be shot!
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Mark Feldstein |
Geez Chris, I thought in photography, the expression goes something like: "Whoever said the customer should be shot is right." LOL !! You'll notice our friend Levix got lost. But I have to completely agree with you and Craig too, btw. Lotsa hats, lotsa intersections with different things coming together, ad infinitim. Take it light
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Kai Eiselein |
Ummmm, not ALL photography requires opening your own business..... there's this other avenue called photojournalism...... and yeah we are every bit as professional as "art" photogs.
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Jerry Frazier |
Kai, With all due respect...WHAT?
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Kai Eiselein |
LOL, Mark and Craig went on about opening studios, marketing.....yada, yada, yada. I'm just saying that is not the only avenue in photography, there is a whole slew of options, not all require being a business owner.
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Mark Feldstein |
Maybe you haven't figured this out yet Kai, but the way this works is that if you're trying to make money from an endeavor, you're in business. And, if it happens to be your business, that makes YOU a business owner. For example, I'm a full-time photojournalist, even though I'm employed by a publication, I still make money from other aspects of the photojournlaism business including stock images, that makes me self-employed and a business owner. If you talked to the IRS about what constitutes income, .........nah, you're too smart for the IRS right Kai?
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Mark Feldstein |
Oh but Kai, you're right. You don't have to be a business owner to be a photographic hobbiest. But if you're trying to make a living at it and you don't treat it as a business including meeting the basic requirements for conducting a business, then one of two things is likely to happen: First, the government will probably step squarely into the middle of your endeavor, whatever you want to call it, hold their hand out and say pay them. And if you don't you'll perhaps lose everything you used to make that money in the first place. Second, if you don't run your profit-intending biz as a business, it'll likely fail and you'll still be a hobbiest. Seewhatimeanhuh? Unfortunate, perhaps, but history tends to repeat itself. :>)
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Kai Eiselein |
I'm not arguing your point, Mark. But the last thing a newbie needs to worry about is all the ins and outs of business ownership. Work for someone else, then decide whether you can, want, or have the fortitude to open a business. And yes I am a fulltime journalist and I do occasionally shoot "side" jobs. The extra paperwork and tax implications sometimes make it seem more of a pain in the butt than its worth. All I was trying to say is there are other avenues of employment as a photog other than running one's own business. My feeling is most people should work for someone else, learn the ins and outs, then decide whether to strike out alone. More often than not, they will fail. I know I did, twice even. Had two endeavors go under and one that flew, which I later sold.
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