Many of those who dedicate themselves to photography as a hobby end up making it a profession. It makes sense to make a living doing something you like, especially if you also do well. If you are considering taking the leap from the professional amateur world, there are a few points that I would like you to consider. They will help you direct your professional projection correctly.
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER..?
The expression "This is an amateur job" makes us believe that the amateur or amateur photographer produces worse results than the professional. Does "professional" quality always mean "better" quality? Not necessarily. I explained on more than one occasion that the difference between amateur photographer and another professional is that the former does it for love of art, for hobby; the second does it for a living. It is the only real difference. From there, you can find better and worse qualities in both groups. We have all seen excellent photographic works of amateur photographers, of a friend or colleague, who sees them and you are very impressed; and others of professional photographers who do not reach a decent minimum quality. You find a little of everything. So remember: becoming professional means you start earning a living like this. The quality of your work is another issue. Clarified this point, what do you have to consider if your goal is to become a professional photographer?THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU WANT TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER
This is like everything. You can jump into the pool and think "I am a professional photographer", and leave everything in the hands of luck. There will always be a clueless customer who will hire you regardless of how you are doing. Or you have the other option, to consider it as a project, draw up a strategy, set it as a goal and start working on each of the following or “useful” elements to be closer and closer to the objective.PHOTO CAMERA
Undoubtedly you need to get a good SLR camera, to be, a professional range. These cameras usually cost a relatively high price, but it is assumed that by dedicating yourself to photography in a professional way you end up amortizing them in a short time. The reason you need a professional camera has nothing to do with the quality of the photo. Or too little. Many photographers make virguerías with reflex SLR cameras. The difference is in the operation of these cameras: with a professional SLR you work comfortable, you reach most of the functions at a distance button thanks to its dedicated buttons (instead of having to get inside the cumbersome menu every time you want to change something in the settings). In addition, professional SLRs tend to be much more durable and resistant, as it is understood that you will not give it occasional use but rather intensive and continuous.GOALS
Forget your basic 18-55mm objective. As a photography professional you need specialized objectives. There are specials for portraiture, for sport photography, for Macro, landscapes, etc. Think about the type of photography you want to specialize in. From there you will find the answer to what objectives you have to buy. Although you have to invest some money in a few goals, quiet, it is a longer term investment. Generally, an objective will last you a lifetime. The camera body loses value over time, new models with more megapixels, better ISO behavior, etc. quickly come out, but the objective is there, time passes and its value does not practically fall.ACCESSORIES AND LIGHTING EQUIPMENT
White background, black background, interior lighting kit, light boxes, one or two flashes, reflectors. Over time, as a professional you will accumulate a good heritage of material that you will acquire according to your needs. You don't need to have everything from day one. And like the objectives, the type of material you need will depend on the type of photography you want to specialize in. Portraits require a little more investment usually. What is certain is that a powerful flash and a good reflector will be needed almost from day one.LOCAL / STUDY
As you can imagine, you need a local or work studio. This at the beginning is not usually very defined since if you cover weddings and social reports you may not need a work study as such, or at least not necessarily. On the other hand, if you specialize in fashion photography, models, etc., you will need to prepare a space (which can be in your own home) to attend and work with customers.COURSES AND STUDIES
Although you can master the photographic technique in a self-taught way and learn to produce great photographs on your own, I will not hide that an academic study of a Degree or Master of Professional Photography will give you a lot of knowledge that will be good for your career as a photographer. In an official photography course (in a good one) they not only teach you technical knowledge, things of composition, exhibition, edition and digital retouching, but you also take the dynamics of the professional world, you meet teachers which are both professional photographers, you have closer and more direct contact with model agencies, advertising agencies, etc. In a professional photography course you receive guidance on the type of photography in which you should specialize, for how much you should bill your reports, and countless tricks and tricks that you only acquire while being in intimate contact with the people of this world. You can certainly become a professional photographer without having to go to a photography school or academy, but if you can afford to study a degree or master's degree in photography, do so. It will be very good for you.WEBSITE / PORTFOLIO
You cannot pretend to establish yourself as a professional photographer and not have an online website or portfolio. An online gallery is your showcase for potential clients whose work you might be interested in. You need to have some kind of online presence that goes beyond the typical profile on social networks like Flickr, Instagram or Pinterest. There are a multitude of online services that allow you to set up your own website or online gallery as a photographer, I especially recommend one that is the one I describe, step by step, in the following tutorial .CHARGE AS AUTONOMOUS, OR NOT?
One of the first decisions that you will have to make in your first weeks as a professional photographer is the billing and collection mode. The most legal thing would be to register as a freelancer and start issuing invoices to all your clients and in all your work. This means that you have to register as a freelancer, pay a monthly fee (at least in Spain) of more than 200 Euros if I'm not mistaken, and out of all your income set aside some money for VAT and IRPF taxes . Satisfying all these requirements is a tricky trick at the beginning since very few jobs are covered and you enter very very little. It is very common, therefore, to start working the first 2-3 undeclared works. When you see that you already start to have a more or less stable rate of income, you begin to consider billing as a freelancer. In any case and as far as I understand, the law in Spain contemplates that the need to register as a freelancer arises at the moment when you begin to receive "regular" income. In other countries I do not venture to comment. I dont know. Upgrade: Matizo, given the stir caused in social networks by this paragraph: I do not invite or ever invite anyone to do work in black. I think that is wrong. I think that if you do jobs in black, you are participating in fewer hospitals being built, fewer doctors are hired, fewer roads are fixed and fewer people in need are fed. I only say that, according to the legislation of each country, in your first jobs you may be exempt from declaring until you reach a minimum of annual income, serious, significant and regular, from which you already begin to be obliged to declare. As I do not have the detail and as this will be different between countries and even in the same country between one year and another, do not take this article as a reference. Get advice from a tax professional before making the decision.HOW MUCH DO I BILL FOR WORK?
Each photographer has their own billing policy. There are those who try to offer competitive and extremely cheap prices, there are those who seek to position themselves as a "Premium" option and charge a high price. Only you will know how much you should invoice for your work, since several factors come into play that only you can assess. To name a few:- Have you specialized in a rare genre, or on the contrary, are you in a saturated market of photographers who do the same type of photography as you?
- Have you just started and therefore you are interested in charging too little or even giving away jobs to attract customers and build a portfolio, or on the contrary, you receive too many jobs and are interested in raising the price to filter a bit and dedicate yourself to the most solvent clients ?
- Do you offer something different that other photographers do not offer? Any complement that makes the client feel exclusive and spoiled?
SPECIALIZATION
The professional photography covers many genres. Choosing a specialization will depend on several factors. The competition is clearly an important factor, it is not the same to have to break through in a saturated market than in an emerging market or with less supply than demand. For the professional photographer, the first thing that comes to mind is the typical wedding photographer, but the one who covers sports meetings is a professional photographer as well. Whoever photographs for National Geographic or for Lonely Planet is a professional photographer. And he who makes the McDonalds or Burguer King posters is also a professional photographer. Some criteria to consider when choosing a specialization:- Economic pretensions: Brands and companies pay better than individuals. If what you want is to cover yourself, you will have to do a thorough study of the remuneration strips that are paid in your geographical area for the different types of photography.
- The desire to travel: Some photographers charge just enough, but they are traveling all the time, covering events or portraying natural landscapes. For them being able to travel constantly with expenses paid is much more valuable than any money. It compensates them.
- Future projection: The type of photography in which you specialize will condition what you may become in the future. For example, being a product photographer brings you closer to the world of advertising and marketing. Many Directors of advertising agencies started as product photographers. If you prefer to specialize in the world of sports, who knows if tomorrow you will start your own magazine or online sports website?
THE "IDEAL" TIME TO START AS A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER ...
… is today. Right now. If you like photography and want to start earning a living with it, start right now please. You don't need to invest money in photographic equipment costs right now, you don't have to have your own studio right now. This is a gradual process in which you are gradually entering the professional world. All the material you need you will get on the fly, you do not need to start with everything from day one. It is only enough to have a SLR camera, even if it is not professional at all, and many, very eager to dedicate yourself to this. If you do not have a cool camera there is no problem, there are places where you can rent a camera or a lens for a few hours, and thus go pulling. That you have no study either? Nothing happens, you can make your first sessions outdoors, in a park, or even renting a studio for hours (they leave it with lighting kits included and everything). You don't become a professional photographer overnight. You become professional looking forward and focusing all your efforts and all your learning towards that unique goal. Ah, finally: if you want to do it for money, great, go ahead please, there is nothing wrong with wanting to charge for a job especially if it is well done, but be careful, do not even think about it (but never, ever) do yourself Professional photographer if you do not feel passion for the photographic. If the photograph does not enchant you, if the shutter click does not drive you crazy, if you do not enjoy looking for the adjustment by adjusting in manual mode, if the photograph does not move anything inside you, do not charge for taking pictures. Please. Thanks for reading me.