Professional Photographers Aren't Born - They Learn to Become!
How often have you looked at a great photograph and envied the person behind the lens? A panoramic landscape, an award-winning portrait, a beautifully presented piece of culinary art, stunning wild-life pics, magnificent historical sites/monuments or a psychological moment captured by the camera and they seemed to be effortless and spontaneous works of genius. But the reality is quite different!
What is professional photography?
Essentially, anyone can take a fabulous photograph - it's a matter of having an eye for detail, color, balance and aesthetics, reasonably good equipment, being in the right place at the right time, good lighting and a lot of luck. Some may be part-time professionals, covering events or specializing in certain genres, but they need to make it profitable and they're responsible to clients or whoever has commissioned the work to deliver a good product. But the real difference between a gifted amateur and a professional is that professional photographers earn their living from it and treat photography as a business.
People may be full time career photographers, but if they earn their entire income from photography, then they are truly professional photographers. Being a professional means one follows a competent and organized way of doing things. Practicing good customer service, insurance, contracts, setting pricing parameters, investment in equipment, advertising and in related businesses like printing, graphic design are some of the hallmarks of professional photographers.
What it takes to become a professional
Photography is an art and a craft. While people do need a certain amount of creativity, aesthetics and talent, turning a hobby into a profession does require training and education. Many professional photographers learn on the job, get apprenticed to a professional or take the trouble to get a technical education in photography. It could even be short-term courses. A background in science helps.
If you aim to practice a particular genre of photography like scientific, architecture, travel, food, journalism, glamor etc, then experience and expertise in that field is crucial.
Establish Your Brand
Striking out on your own after you feel you're ready can be challenging. You now need to break away from the pack and make your work unique, client-driven and unmistakably yours. Professional photographers are actually brands in themselves. In today's networked world, it's important to establish your identity through social media, word of mouth and targeted advertising.
Diversify
Photography is not just about clicking pics. It can also involve fields like maintaining a pool of stock photos/images or selling exclusive art prints. Technical aspects of the business like supplying lenses, studio equipment, setting up a professional graphic design studio, training etc are all part of diversifying your skills as professional photographers.
Conclusion
Photography is a very lucrative and rewarding profession, but it takes effort and consistent quality to make it your career.
Comments
Post a Comment