Is this you? You enjoy taking pictures, lot's of pictures. It probable
stated with a few snapshots here and there at social occasions, friendly
get-togethers, etc.. These days, you find yourself snapping pictures from
early in the day, and late into the night, sometimes for no real reason.
Now your thinking of turning your new skill into a profession.
Most of us become serious photographers for the same reason that some
people become anything, simply because we like it, and the knowledge that
talented professional photographers are always in demand.
Of course, some people are content to remain casual shutterbugs, happy
with taking occasional snapshots of friends and family or those dreaded
pictures of summer vacations. Yet, most of those who get serious enough
about photography, sooner or later become advanced amateurs or working
professionals.
Anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills can
set up a home business, marketing photography. You need only to convert a
room of your house into an office, and then you can work immediately.
With modern technology in the form of SLR digital cameras, you do not even
need the room for a dark room. You need only to have a personal computer
and a photo-editing program. The standard is Adobe Photoshop.
When I first thought of getting into the travel photography business,
just about everyone already in the business said the same thing: you
must be mad. "The field is saturated," "there's no money to be made,"
"it's very competitive," and the obvious statement, "there's a huge amount
of really good material already out there."
In short, the advice was a resounding, "you don't have a chance." Not
one bit of encouragement from anyone. I soon discovered why. It has
nothing to do with photography. Success in this business depends on one
and only one thing: good business sense.
If all people were equal, the advice I got would have been right. It'd
be just like a lottery, where your chances of success are equal to
everyone else's. In the photo business, there are so many players—in fact,
more people in the world take pictures than ever play the lottery—your
chances of success are worse.
Thing is, not all people are equal. What's more, there are huge numbers of
very skilled photographers who aren't successful. Is success distributed
only to those who are skilled? I probably don't need to tell you the
answer to that one—we have all seen pretty awful images in everything from
ads, to magazine stories about travel, to brochures. The point of
differentiation is not skill, nor how many people are in it, or any of the
typical explanations.
The one factor to success is how smart you are. Sure, you need to be
"good enough" with your photography for people to really take you
seriously, but that standard is sufficiently low that just about anyone
serious about getting into the business of photography, is probably a good
enough photographer.
It is not necessary to clutter yourself with equipment you do not need.
You can hire equipment on and when you need it basis, today you have the
freedom to work part time for a while until you can devote yourself full
time to photography.
There are two types of photographers that makes their living from
photography, the serious photographer and the very serious photographer.
You can always bookmark this link and then you can quickly access just
about all you'll ever need from here.
Whilst the technical skills needed to make a successful photographer have
never been easier, other aspects have changed the business. The market for
photographs of virtually every type has widened, the world seems to have
an insatiable appetite for photographs. However the price has fallen as
the marketing net has broadened. Photographers are needed in many more
fields.
It is now easier than ever to turn your dream into reality and create a
worthwhile business out of an engrossing hobby. However in today’s modern
world there is more to it than simply pointing a camera, and shooting a
picture.
You need to be aware of marketing techniques, and here marketing simply
means transferring ownership of a product, in this case an image from a
buyer to seller. You also need to be aware of any local gaps in the market
in your local area.
You should also try to be on top of your competitor’s prices, to
undercut an existing photographer is one choice, but to neglect to value
your skills and not charge enough to cover your overheads is another
matter entirely. Remember this, its an important point. Use your skills to
the best advantage of the business and define what you want from it.
Only you can determine if you really have the desire and
self-confidence to follow a path to a money making photo venture, and to
what end. Because people's objectives in life vary, there is no "correct"
path into the photo business as the end goal may not always be the same.
"first, believe in yourself, and then follow your dreams."
Lennie Lenze
Lennie Lenze is not only a successful photographer, but publisher and
author of the best selling
"How-To
Start A Profitable
Home-Based Photography Business."
