Three common misconceptions and six life tips. Three common misconceptions and six life tips Is it possible to become a photographer on your own?

Do you also think that in order to become a photographer and start earning money you need a professional camera?

First, let go of this myth, which is supported by photographic equipment manufacturers.

Beginners make the mistake of thinking that they need a professional camera. And this misconception costs a decent amount of money.

It doesn't matter what you shoot with.

It's how you shoot that matters.

What matters is what your client wants and how well you meet the client's expectations.

Beginners have big problems with the ability to take photographs, because they do not have any knowledge of the basics of photography and composition.

There is no understanding of what light is and how to work with it.

Moreover, many beginners deliberately neglect these concepts, recklessly considering them unnecessary or superfluous.

The reality turns out to be much more complicated.

Where to start to become a photographer

I once noticed how much the number and quality of posts in the public pages of novice photographers has fallen over the past few years.

For many, photography turned out to be a more complex subject than they might have initially expected. It’s not appropriate to talk about the difficulties of making money from photography.

What is the problem of people who not only could not become photographers, but also could not learn to take photographs?

The answer is simple.

They have no desire to learn without speaking.

Many people believe that it is enough to click the shutter in automatic or semi-automatic shooting mode and high-quality photographs will be obtained by themselves, thanks to professional and expensive equipment.

Get over it.

This is wrong.

To become a successful and sought-after commercial photographer, you need to know the following:

Be fluent in the basics of photography:

Excerpt
Depth of field
Exposure of the frame
Histogram

Learn to focus correctly and understand how camera autofocus works
Be able to construct, frame a frame and understand the composition of a photograph:

Rule of thirds
Aerial perspective
Symmetry
Central composition
Diagonal construction, minor and major diagonals

Be able to select and combine colors when shooting and processing:

Color spaces
Itten Circle
Color schemes: related, contrasting, chord etc

You need an understanding of painting and classic photography

The list is very extensive and any item is divided into many sub-items, which I was too lazy to list in more detail.

What is already there is quite enough to instill slight panic in inexperienced beginners.

The desire to study photography as an art should stand above the desire to become an ordinary wedding photographer or a bombshell from children's parties.

The point is that you will be descending from the top of your understanding of the art of photography to the level of the wedding bomber, rather than trying to reach it.

Think about it.

Understanding this is more important than hastily studying the list provided.

How to start earning money

Self-organization is simply necessary to become a successful commercial photographer.

Try to imagine a successful and famous photographer who is always late and does not keep his word or promise.

I think the answer is obvious.

If such a photographer exists on the photography market of any city, it will be for a very short time.

I have repeatedly been convinced that most clients prefer to work with not the most skillful, but reliable photographers.

Few people would risk working with a photographer whose reviews speak of his unreliability and irresponsibility.

And the more expensive the shooting package, the fewer people will be willing to take risks.

In addition to the schedule of working with clients, you need a schedule of training and study of photography itself and processing.

It is impossible to be a beginner photographer yesterday and a sought-after experienced professional today.

In other words, if you are no different from other photographers in the city, then it’s a matter of time before the price of photography completely collapses and a crowd of “professional” photographers begins to greedily divide the remaining crumbs.

It's funny, but many commercial photographers do not know the true size of the photography market in their city, believing it to be small and preferring to cry about the lack of orders.

The essence of the problem is clear.

The photographer does not meet client expectations and market trends.

It is easier for a photographer to blame the economic situation in the country than to admit his ineptitude or his inadequacy in communicating with clients, which explains the lack of orders.

Is it difficult to become a successful photographer?

If you decide to become a commercial photographer, then proclaim that your first goal is to quickly break away from the faceless gray mass of other photographers in the city.

You need to learn how to photograph and process better than most other photographers in town.

It’s always easier to negotiate with a couple of top competitors not to bring down prices than to try to do the same with a huge crowd of dumping freeloaders who bought cameras and declared themselves photographers in the hope of easy money and quick earnings.

How to achieve this?

A well-planned training schedule and awareness of your weaknesses. This will allow you to quickly grow into a sought-after photographer.

You can easily find many books, manuals and guides online on time management and planning your day.

This is no longer related to the photography itself, but you can’t do without it.

You decided to become a photographer and start taking photographs for money, but have you thought about where you will take orders and look for clients?

Do you think that it’s enough to hang advertisements on nearby poles and the whole city will rush to order?

I'll disappoint.

You can take very good photographs and even better editing, but without the ability to offer services and negotiate, you will not get your client.

Do you know why?

Nobody simply knows about you.

A highly paid and in-demand photographer is not about high quality photography and processing. This is about the ability to sell your work and fame at a high price.

In one well-known public page, a bunch of commercial photographers tried to prove to me that photography is primary.

The humor of the situation is that half of them, although they know how to take good photographs, constantly complain about the lack of orders.

It is rash to assume that your photographs will speak for themselves.

If clients don’t know about you, then they won’t find you, even if they want to.

A truly successful photographer is unthinkable without knowledge of marketing, the ability to promote on social networks and a fluent tongue.

In the article “How to get promoted as a photographer and start a career from scratch or looking for clients for your first orders,” you will learn about the main points of promoting a novice commercial photographer.

Websites and communities of marketers will help you deeply study the topic of promoting your products and services.

And this is where the question of learning photography and how you will learn arises.

If you have the ability to plan your day and have a great desire to become a photographer, then it doesn't matter where or how you study.

Photography courses, master classes or work as an assistant to an experienced photographer. All this will help you quickly achieve your goal and gain professionalism.

Understanding what the local photography market is like will help you enter it and work successfully.

Being aware of your competitors' image quality problems will make it easy to bypass them.

And the most important thing.

Do not dump or organize promotions.

Once the price drops, it will be difficult to raise it back. If you run a cheap promotion, you won't get customers. You will get a crowd of freeloaders who will be waiting for your next promotion.

There are some key aspects you should pay attention to if you really want to be famous. In our case, a famous photographer.

1) Your strengths

Let's start with a very simple question to ask yourself: what are you doing? It is very important to recognize your own strengths and boundaries. This will help you take one step closer to stardom in the right direction and with the right attitude. By sticking to your specialty, you'll create a remarkable portfolio that can inspire viewers.
Don't blindly follow other authors, whether it's street photography or wildlife photography. Show the world the actual vision. This is your individuality and your strength, which will evoke admiration and recognition from your fans.

Photo: Stephen Criscolo

2) Communication

How do you plan to promote your work? When it comes to social media, look at the millions of photographers already out there with billions of pages. High competition raises doubts about the effectiveness of this method. The key here is your belief in yourself. Start planning and setting goals. Ideally, you need to learn new things, but remain unique.
There are many ways to tell the world about your creativity. For example, one photographer distributed his photographs in 1,000 envelopes around the world, and another set up a personal exhibition gallery in the middle of a busy market area. Yes, by showing such initiative, you can accelerate recognition and fame.

Photo: André Bernardo

3) Habit of winning

Play a game with your photographer friend who knows about Bresson.
Start guessing 10 Bresson street photographs.
Mark pictures in two lists.
90% of the photos could be of both of you.

In all forms of art, it has been proven that “winning” photographs remain in people's minds forever. Our artists become famous with dozens of stunning photographs they produce during their lifetime. Don't forget that we call them "masters" because they have at least 100 brilliant photographs. But this is a small part of what they shoot throughout their career. Start creating a winning painting that will be difficult to erase from people's memories. This is the shot that will ultimately make you famous.

Photo: Marie Taylor McCormick

4) Inspire others

Inspiring others is easy. Love art and trust that your vision will be preserved for many, many years in your works that will bear your name. It may take a long time and you will have millions of followers who may not know you personally, but they will be familiar with your art.
There is a kind of dedication to art when you constantly create without thinking about the people who will appreciate it. And don't try to impress those who were critical of your previous creations. Understanding your vision and translating it into beautiful creations is in itself a great formula for inspiring others.

Photo: Aaron Nace

5) Followers

Imagine that you have achieved recognition and your work has fans. Your group of fans may be constantly growing, but how to maintain this army of fans? What if they suddenly move away and disappear?
Think about your reputation and be consistent. Analyze every post you make and constantly ask yourself, is this work good enough to show to my fans? Be your own harshest critic. Your fans deserve to see the best of what you can do. Then they will cherish you for many years to come.

Photo: Luke Takes Photos

6) Fruits of activity

While traveling along the thorny path to fame, do not forget that success in itself cannot be the main reason for your activities. When creating great creations and realizing your vision, don't think about the outcome.
Let's look at history. How many great artists have had nothing to do with fame during their entire lives. None of Van Gogh's paintings were sold during the author's lifetime. Moreover, people were not even ready to take his paintings for free. But today his name is known all over the world and we all know who he is. Although his recognition did not overtake the artist during his lifetime.

What distinguishes a professional photographer from an amateur? The answer is very simple - obtaining a guaranteed result under any conditions.

How to become a professional photographer

How to become a photographer from scratch, on your own - the first steps begin with passion. Then comes the understanding that you are not satisfied with the quality, you feel that you lack knowledge and education, and you are not satisfied with the photographs received. You begin to look for sources for education, inspiration, experience.

If they tell you that everything depends on predisposition, this is not entirely true. To become a professional photographer you have to go through a difficult path of development. You won’t see the fruits of your efforts right away either.

Where to begin

First, you must learn to analyze your own mistakes. View your photos with different moods, attitudes, try to learn to be impartial to your creations. If the opportunity arises to repeat the photo, do it as flawlessly as possible.

Competitions and photo exhibitions.

I categorically do not recommend amateur photographers to participate in them for one simple reason - they manipulate you. You need to understand that the existing practice of holding such events has a commercial interest. Receive a fee from you for participating in the competition. Of course, the feeling of competition has a positive effect, but not in this case.

Practice in photography

Take as many photographs as possible. Without photography experience, you won't learn anything. Even if you take bad photos, this is a good reason to draw the right conclusions and accumulate statistics on your mistakes and miscalculations. If you're interested in portrait photography, shoot people in all lighting conditions; on the street, in any interior, different types and images.

Use the capabilities and means that are at hand at the moment you press the shutter button. If you happen to have a flash in your bag, experiment with a pulsed light source; if the light is only from a window, this is a great opportunity to learn how to work with natural light. If you don’t know where to find a model for a photo shoot, shoot friends and acquaintances. This way you will have your first portfolio.

How to introduce yourself?

Once you've become an experienced amateur photographer, it's time to make yourself known. What's the best way to do this? If you do this correctly, you need to create your own website. Facebook, Odnoklassniki, VKontakte, Instagram are not a website. You should have thematic photo galleries. The viewer must understand in which area of photography you are positioning yourself; , architecture, landscapes or photography of products and things, for online stores.

What technique should I use?

You must understand that having an expensive camera will not make you a professional. Don't rush to spend your savings on top-of-the-line equipment. Collect a simple but correct set of photographic equipment that will be able to complete most of your tasks.

Mid-price camera
Flash is a must
Universal zoom lens
A fast, inexpensive lens, such as a 50mm F-1.4

How to start earning money

When you begin to receive your first royalties for your photographs, treat yourself as a businessman; you should have a clear understanding of the principle of pricing your services. Understanding the business approach is the key to successful commercial photography. Be sure to work according to contracts. If you don’t have your own, find a standard contract and remake it to suit your tasks, be sure to indicate in it that the professional must have his own price list.

Be prepared for failure.

You will have contact with different customers. Some of them will be poorly versed in photography, you must be prepared for this. It is possible that the customer will be dissatisfied with the result obtained, what to do in such a situation? First of all, you need to be objective.

Find out the cause of dissatisfaction and eliminate the reason for disagreement, find a compromise. It is possible that they simply want to get a discount from you or reduce the price. But there is also a reverse, positive side to the current situation. If you are able to come to an agreement with the customer, then, as experience shows, he will become your regular customer.

What to do when there are no orders?

Many photographers waste their time. Walking and chatting with friends does little to promote professional growth. If you have free time, it is better to spend it on self-development; visit museums, watch the best films, read books on fine arts. Many museums host free seminars by artists, sculptors, and art historians. Do it, this is a great opportunity to improve your perception.

Free photography lessons for beginner amateur photographers from Mikhail Ushakov.

Many people interested in photography often have questions like: “What camera should I buy to take up photography professionally?”, “What courses should I sign up for to become a pro?”, “Where is the best place to take professional photographs?” etc.

However, none of these questions are fundamentally wrong!

With this article we open a series in which we will talk about the realities that everyone who wants to become a professional photographer should be prepared to face.

After reading all the articles in this series, you will be able to find some practical tips on how to become a professional photographer, taken not from books and seminars, but from real life. So, subscribe to our website updates and stay informed.

Ready? Then let's begin.

Do you want to shoot whatever you want with a professional camera, anywhere and anytime? Do you enjoy traveling around the world and would you like to do it whenever you feel like it and it's convenient for you?

If yes, then the only way to do this is to work in your profession where you work now and take photographs in your free time.

If you want to get into professional photography, then be prepared for the following:

you will earn less money (at least until you acquire regular customers or make a name for yourself);
that you'll have to shoot boring things in crappy places because that's what you were hired to do;
that you will have to shoot the way the client wants, even if, in your opinion, it is absolute nonsense, etc.

Making good money in photography is not that easy. And it’s certainly more difficult than many people imagine, in whose understanding you just have to buy a SLR camera, offer your services as a photographer - and money will flow like a river into your pocket. In addition, most often the work for which the photographer is paid the most money is the most boring and tedious. Do you think you can easily find an employer willing to hire you as a travel photographer? Think again.

Professional photography is very similar to golf, tennis or surfing. Golf is great, exciting and prestigious, but finding people willing to pay you for doing it is almost impossible. Only one in hundreds of thousands makes really big money from surfing, tennis, photography or golf. Much more people are making very good money from everything connected with this, selling not only material things, but also dreams. Take a look on the Internet and see how many different courses, techniques and textbooks there are on photography that promise to teach you how to make big money. This is the very sale of a dream (in this case, a dream of good income for doing what you love), from which people earn much more than from the photograph itself.

An amateur is a person who is forced to work somewhere in order to be able to paint pictures. And a professional is a person who has the opportunity to paint pictures because he has a working wife. (Ben Shan)

One more example. We all know that there are very few actors earning multi-million dollar salaries. While there are thousands of actors who earn much less in a year than a box-office film actor earns in one film. For example, the Screen Actors Guild website even has advice on how an actor can earn more money: “To increase your income, learn another profession.” What does photography have to do with it, you ask? And despite the fact that photographers earn even less than film actors.

A person who has spent time studying stage lighting and then comes to work in cinema or theater very quickly realizes that the work of a lighting technician is not that creative or interesting. And it’s not the one who works with lighting equipment who makes the most money, but the one who sells it.

Well, finally, answer this question: who earns more - an actor or an agent who receives 10% of the fee of each of the actors he represents? The answer is obvious.

Therefore, if you want to make big money in photography, then photography is probably not something you should consider.

Of course, you can succeed and become a super popular photographer, but this will largely depend on your self-promotion and luck.

So, when wondering how to become a professional photographer, you should not ask yourself another question: “How can I make enough money from this?”

Professional cameras and professional photography

Many people think that taking up professional photography will give them the green light to purchase a new “sophisticated” camera.

If you decide to take up photography just to earn money to purchase equipment that is absolutely unnecessary for your business, then this is a very bad idea.

More expensive and high-end cameras only make it easier for you to get results. They won't magically make your photos look significantly different from the ones you took with the camera you already own.

Work in the field of photography

There are very few full-time positions in photography. The only full-time jobs include, perhaps, working in a darkroom or working as a photographer in the documentation department.

In addition, your local newspaper may have one position for a photo editor. All other photojournalists most likely work as freelancers. Large newspapers may have several photographers on their staff. Great - five jobs in a city with a population of one million! Most newspapers get photographs for their articles from people to whom they pay no more than a few thousand rubles for each photograph. Working for a newspaper can be interesting, but it is not highly paid.

Why photography jobs don't pay well

Photography is not a profession. Anyone can call themselves a professional photographer, because photography does not require any special license or even higher education!

Many people take photographs for pleasure, not for money. It is precisely because so many people shoot for pleasure that ordinary people, looking at the work of photographers, think that they can always find someone who can do it cheaper.

Payment for work directly depends on the demand for a particular specialty and the availability of qualified specialists; in addition, if your work brings money to the employer, then he will be more willing to pay you more.

There are tens of millions of photographers in the world. And photographs, as a rule, do not bring a lot of income to a business. Therefore, there is not a lot of money in the world of photography that employers are willing to spend on paying you for your work. In addition, when there are many photographers who are ready to work for little money, employers are tempted to reduce their pay - after all, there will always be someone who will agree to the conditions they offer.

The photographer's main tool is his eyes. (Manuel Alvarez Bravo)

How to become a professional photographer: Education

Photography is one of the areas where a self-taught person can feel like a fish in water. Any education for photography is a pure formality. Sure, it's nice to have a degree from a big-name photography school, but for your career, it's honestly not worth the time and money.

If you have what it takes to take photographs, you can master a skill much faster on your own. On the Internet you can find many, and that will help you master the art of photography.

In other words, if you don't have eyes or don't know how to use them, no training course will teach you how to do this.

What you really should study if you decide to take up photography professionally is everything that will help you launch your own business in a very competitive market segment.

So, if you are thinking about becoming a professional photographer, think twice before you trust the touts of various photography schools (who are just trying to sell their product). Photography schools may have a distinguished history, but they are primarily just a way for their creator to make a living and will do little to help your career.

Continue reading in our next articles:

What do you think about the possibility of making money in the photography business? Is it possible to earn money easily and a lot from photography?

More useful information and news in our Telegram channel"Lessons and Secrets of Photography". Subscribe!

Discussion: 4 comments

You can make money in photography, and by our standards it’s pretty good money. But the fact is that there is great competition in it, and the percentage of dumping “photo masters” who are ready to shoot cheaper than the market price in photography is simply off the charts. I won’t talk about the dangers of their activities - everyone understands it. Thank you for the sober thoughts in the article, if at least 1 out of 100 who want to row golden mountains, photographing weddings, etc., reads it and thinks about whether he is ready to enter this market and what he can offer the client, besides low prices , then this will be a big plus.

Answer

Yes. You can earn money. If you read carefully, there are photographers who earn a lot. But there are only a few of them out of hundreds of thousands of others. The rest are right, constantly struggling with competition between those who earn money and those who MAKE money with photography. But there are fewer and fewer people who resort to the services of photography. Soap cameras and cell phones and iPhones began to take better, cooler photographs than before. And this quality is enough for ordinary people. Just look at what people post on social networks; the photographer deletes such photos directly in the camera. And they have continuous likes and admiration. They will also have their wedding photographed by someone who works part-time and they will think that everything is fine and wonderful.

Answer

I agree with your words. Another huge disadvantage is the mainstream. Hundreds of thousands of identical photos, with identical filters, etc. negates the cost of real creativity.

Answer

If photography is perceived as a way to earn money, then business, marketing, and other related sciences should be studied in parallel. There is an opinion that you can be a successful photographer, but still produce so-so photographs. Conversely, there are good photographers who could earn more with their talent, but this does not happen. The fact of the matter is that being a photographer and a photographer who makes money are completely different things. I can't even say that
more important is studying photography or business. Surely both options, but there is no other way.

Answer

Everyone starting a photography career unanimously asks the very logical question of where to start. After all, only at first glance it may seem that this work is quite simple and extraordinary; you press a button and get a beautiful photo. In reality, everything is far from the case. The profession of a photographer is a complex creative path with certain difficulties and obstacles, requiring a lot of hard work, patience, and most importantly, an irresistible desire to improve and always move forward. To immediately recharge your batteries with energy from the TOPs in photography, watch our video:

If for some reason you cannot use the services of photography schools and specialized master classes that provide express training courses, but are looking for information on how to become a photographer yourself, we will tell you several optimal techniques that require only time investments.

Learning the theory to become a photographer yourself

Fundamentals are the initial stage of any profession. Before you start taking photographs, you should study the instrument itself - the camera. It is important to understand the principle of its operation, the features of managing the functionality and the inherent capabilities. Having mastered the basic knowledge, you will also be able to determine for yourself the necessary parameters of the future camera. You can get information from books, free video tutorials, feature articles, educational programs and interviews with famous photographers. It goes without saying that this will take a considerable amount of your time, however, it will not incur financial costs.

Practice is the path to perfection

There is nothing better and more effective than practical skills. But, at the same time, you should not focus on the number of photographs taken, but pay attention to their quality. Each of your shots should be thoroughly analyzed, errors should be corrected and, in the end, a high-quality result should be achieved. You can gain good practical experience by working together with a professional. Working as a photographer's assistant is the most profitable option. You will be able to learn mature knowledge from a specialist who has already traveled quite a long way and knows all the intricacies and nuances of this profession. Such a person is able to realistically evaluate your work and point out errors that, one way or another, will arise. As part of the website photography training, you can not only gain all the necessary skills, but also gain a large amount of practical skills in building a photography business.

Correct photo processing

The profession of a photographer is not only about shooting, emotions and interesting places. There is also a routine stage of the process, which consists in the subsequent processing of the photographs taken. As a rule, Photoshop is used for this. Having studied the basic rules of its operation, you will be able to make competent image adjustments. But it is worth remembering that this procedure takes a lot of time. Therefore, please be patient.

When starting to make money from the knowledge you have acquired, do not forget about the great competition in the photography market. Create your own feature that will set you apart from the rest. Don't stop learning about how to become a good photographer on your own, even if you've already landed your first client. There is always room to grow and something to strive for. Good luck with your photos and success in self-realization!