How to Become a Professional Photographer

Professional photography is an excellent career choice for anyone who wants to get paid for using their creative talents. It's one of the few fields where age and college degrees aren't as important as a good eye, a quality product, and self discipline. Photography is a competitive field, however. so be prepared to start small, while you perfect your craft and build a portfolio of your best work. The tips below should help get you started.
A major misconception about professional photographers is that you must have a fancy camera body or multiple lenses in order to be successful. While having a great camera certainly does improve your business, being a successful photographer has more to do with knowing the ins and outs of camera basics. Before considering photography as a business, you need to know your camera and gear like the back of your hand.

• Start off with a basic camera before jumping into buying a camera ranging in the thousands of dollars. A good photographer can take photos with a lower-end camera model, so get comfortable with a basic body first. As you begin to understand the camera and lenses, then look into purchasing new additions.

• Read books, magazines, and online articles for the most up-to-date information on Camera settings and tips and tricks. These will help to teach you new ways to use your Camera and lenses to create great photos.

• Make sure you are knowledgeable in how to use your other camera gear, such as a remote flash or different lenses. Having a background in these will significantly improve your photos.

 

 In order to get hired by someone who isn’t a close family member or friend, you will need to have a portfolio built up to show off your best work. Use photographs from multiple shoots with different subject matter to show the range of your talents. Make sure that your Portfolio is comprised of more than just five or ten photos, people will want to see the great work you've done.