Many of those who take up photography as a hobby end up turning it into a profession. It makes sense to earn a living doing something you love, especially if you're also good at it.
If you are considering making the leap from the amateur to the professional world, there are a few points that I would like you to take into account. They will help you direct your professional projection correctly.
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER..?
The expression "This is amateur work" makes us believe that the amateur or amateur photographer produces worse results than the professional. Does "professional" quality always mean "best" quality? Not necessarily.
I have already explained on more than one occasion that the difference between an amateur photographer and another professional is that the former does it for the love of art, as a hobby; the second does it for a living. It's the only real difference. From there, you can find better and worse qualities in both groups. We have all seen excellent photographic works from amateur photographers, from a friend or colleague, that you see them and you are totally impressed; and others from professional photographers who do not reach a minimum decent quality. You find a bit of everything. So remember: going professional means that you start earning a living that way. The quality of your work is another matter.
Having clarified this point, what do you have to take into account if your goal is to become a professional photographer?
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN WANTING TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER
This is like everything. You can jump into the pool and think "I'm a professional photographer", and leave everything to chance. There will always be some clueless client who will hire you regardless of how you are doing it. 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 elements or "tools" to get closer to the goal.
PHOTO CAMERA
Undoubtedly you need to get a good SLR camera, preferably a professional one. These cameras usually cost a relatively high price, but it is assumed that by dedicating yourself to photography professionally, you end up amortizing them in a short time.
The reason you need a professional camera has nothing to do with photo quality. Or very little. Many photographers do fancy things with entry-level SLRs. The difference is in the operation of these cameras: with a professional SLR you work comfortably, you reach most of the functions at a button distance thanks to its dedicated buttons (instead of having to get into the cumbersome menu every time you want to change something in the settings). In addition, professional SLRs are usually much more durable and resistant, since it is understood that you are not going to give them occasional use but rather intensive and continuous use.
GOALS
Forget about your basic 18-55mm lens. As a photography professional you need specialized lenses. There are special ones for portrait, for sports 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 lenses you should buy.
Even if you have to invest some money in some objectives, don't worry, it is a more long-term investment. Generally a goal will last you a lifetime. The camera body loses value over time, new models quickly come out with more megapixels, better ISO performance, etc., but there you have the lens, time goes by and its value practically does not drop.
LIGHTING ACCESSORIES AND MATERIAL
White background, black background, interior lighting kit, light boxes, one or two external 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 just like the objectives, the type of material you need will depend on the type of photography in which you want to specialize. Portraits usually require a bit more investment. What is certain is that a powerful flash and a good reflector will be needed almost from day one.
PREMISES/STUDIO
As you can imagine, you need a local or work studio. This is not usually very defined at first, since if you cover weddings and social reports, you may not need a work studio 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 meet and work with clients.
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 am not going to hide from you that an academic study of a Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Professional Photography will provide you with 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, composition, exposure, editing and digital retouching, but you also learn the dynamics of the professional world, you meet teacherswho are professional photographers at the same time, you have closer and more direct contact with modeling agencies, advertising agencies, etc. In a professional photography course you receive guidance on the type of photography in which you should specialize, how much you should invoice your reports, and endless tricks and cunning that you only acquire by being in intimate contact with the people of this world.
Without a doubt, you can 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 it. It will do you good.
WEBSITE/PORTFOLIO
You cannot pretend to establish yourself as a professional photographer and not have a website or online portfolio. An online gallery is your showcase for potential clients who might be interested in your work. 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 I describe, step by step, in the following tutorial .
CHARGE AS SELF-EMPLOYED, 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 method. The most legal thing would be to register as a freelancer and start issuing an invoice to all your clients and in all your jobs. 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 set aside a little money from all your income for VAT and personal income tax. .
Satisfying all these requirements is a bit complicated at first, since very few jobs are covered and very little is paid. It is very common, therefore, to start working the first 2-3 jobs without declaring. When you see that you are already beginning 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 self-employed person arises at the moment in which you begin to receive a "regular" income. In other countries I do not venture to comment. I don't know.
Update:I qualify, given the commotion caused on social networks by this paragraph: I do not invite and will never invite anyone to do black work. I think that is wrong. I believe that if you do black jobs, you are participating in building fewer hospitals, hiring fewer doctors, fixing fewer roads, and feeding fewer needy people. I am only saying 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, serious, significant and regular income, after which you are already obliged to declare. Since I do not have the details and since this will be different between countries and even in the same country from one year to the next, 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 bill 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 market saturated with photographers who do the same type of photography as you?
- Have you just started and therefore you are interested in charging very little or even giving away jobs to attract clients and build a portfolio, or, on the contrary, do you receive too many jobs and are you interested in raising the price to filter a bit and dedicate yourself to the most creditworthy clients? ?
- Do you offer something different that other photographers do not offer? Any complement that makes the client feel exclusive and pampered?
SPECIALIZATION
Professional photography encompasses a multitude of genres. Choosing a specialization will depend on several factors. Competition is clearly an important factor, it is not the same to have to make your way in a saturated market than in an emerging one or one with less supply than demand. For a professional photographer, the first thing that comes to mind is the typical wedding photographer, but the one who covers sporting events is also a professional photographer. Anyone who photographs for National Geographic or Lonely Planet is a professional photographer. And the one who makes the posters for McDonalds or Burguer King is also a professional photographer.
Some criteria to take into account when choosing a specialization:
- Economic claims: Brands and companies pay better than individuals. If what you want is to get rich, you will have to do a thorough study of the remuneration ranges that are paid in your geographical area for the different types of photography.
- Eager to travel: Some photographers earn just enough, but they are traveling from one place to another all the time, covering events or photographing 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 determine what you can 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 out as product photographers. If you prefer to specialize in the world of sports, who knows if tomorrow you will found your own online sports magazine or website?
THE “IDEAL” MOMENT TO START AS A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER…
… is today. Right now. If you like photography and want to start making a living from it, start now please. You do not need to invest money in expensive photographic equipment right now, you do not have to have your own studio right away. This is a gradual process in which little by little you are introduced to the professional world. You will get all the material you need on the go, you don't need to start with everything from the first day. It is enough to have an SLR camera, even if it is not completely professional, and many, many desires to dedicate yourself to this. If you don't have a cool camera, no problem, there are places where you can rent a camera or a lens for a few hours, and get by. That you don't have a study either? It's okay, you can do your first sessions outdoors, in a park, or even renting a studio by the hour (they leave it to you with lighting kits included and everything).
You don't become a professional photographer overnight. You become a professional by having the desire and focusing all your efforts and all your learning towards that single goal.
Ah, lastly: if you want to do it for money, great, please go ahead, there is nothing wrong with wanting to get paid for a job, especially if it is well done, but be careful, don't even think about (but never, ever) doing it professional photographer if you don't feel passion for photography. If photography doesn't cast a spell on you, if the click of the shutter doesn't drive you crazy, if you don't enjoy looking for the right setting in manual mode, if photography doesn't move anything inside of you, don't charge for taking photos.
