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04-05-2010, 07:30 PM   #1
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Considering Photography as a Career?

I know there are a few threads like this... but... say... I was considering photography as not just a hobby? what could I do as a photographer? Is it suggested that I go to college/university for a degree after highschool? What's the best route? I've always been an artsy guy, but I also liked a bit of science. Music, Photography and Cooking is all a mix of science and art.

Yeah I don't know how to start or where to begin.

04-05-2010, 10:22 PM   #2
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Get "The Photographer's Marketplace" and "The Photographer's Guide to Marketing and Self Promotion" books.

See if that is really something you want to do. Photography is only half, or less, of the photography business.

Last edited by SpecialK; 04-10-2010 at 09:48 PM.
04-05-2010, 11:44 PM   #3
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Research it very carefully. There are numerous niches, but some of them may not have much room in them. I don't know how much stock to put in articles such as this New York Times piece, but you want to know what you're getting into, and where the industry is likely going to be 10 or 15 years down the road.

Wish I'd taken more arts courses. My high school had a pretty good photography program and I was o.d.'ing on Physics and Chem.
04-06-2010, 12:14 AM   #4
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Photography as a career? How? Making cute doggie pics for calendars? As a paparazzo? Renting US$100K in gear so you can get into SI? Competing for school yearbooks, weddings, corporate events? Competing with REALLY GOOD people for fashion shoots? Figure out what markets you're going for. Don't study photography; study arts, design, marketing, journalism, whatever area might buy the photos you think you want to make. Join the military as a photographic specialist. Whatever. A camera is just a tool. If all you've got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

04-06-2010, 12:49 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by RioRico Quote
Photography as a career? How? Making cute doggie pics for calendars? As a paparazzo? Renting US$100K in gear so you can get into SI? Competing for school yearbooks, weddings, corporate events? Competing with REALLY GOOD people for fashion shoots? Figure out what markets you're going for. Don't study photography; study arts, design, marketing, journalism, whatever area might buy the photos you think you want to make. Join the military as a photographic specialist. Whatever. A camera is just a tool. If all you've got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Haha, true.

Yeah ;/... not really sure yet what applications can photography apply to. I only know of photojournalism and wedding photographers.

I don't want to get flamed or anything... but pros use Pentax too right ;P?

Hmm... I'll try to narrow it down first then I'll update this! Thanks for the info so far.
04-06-2010, 05:56 PM   #6
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Okay, I'm back! with a list! Product Photographer,Restaurant Photographer,Photojournalist, or Event Photographer. Not my favourite but... maybe... Portrait Photographer. I like to travel a lot though ;(.
04-06-2010, 06:04 PM   #7
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Photography is fun when it is a hobby or side job, but if you have other skill for a full time job, then don't quit and turn your life miserable. Keep your job and live happy.

04-06-2010, 06:13 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by wlachan Quote
Photography is fun when it is a hobby or side job, but if you have other skill for a full time job, then don't quit and turn your life miserable. Keep your job and live happy.
Hmm... I don't quite get that sentence... but... can you become good at photography without having it to be a full time job? This is the same thing with music... a lot of competition and it is a "hobby" and art.
04-06-2010, 06:24 PM   #9
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I think people have valued the skill of photography so low, it cannot even be compared to music, painting, or whatever... Don't ask me why though.
04-06-2010, 06:32 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by wlachan Quote
I think people have valued the skill of photography so low, it cannot even be compared to music, painting, or whatever... Don't ask me why though.
;( I consider photography a skill! but it's true... now the technology is killing photographers in a way. It's so easy to do it yourself...
04-06-2010, 06:45 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by wlachan Quote
I think people have valued the skill of photography so low, it cannot even be compared to music, painting, or whatever... Don't ask me why though.
Got that right....
04-06-2010, 07:15 PM   #12
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People don't mix up pots and pans with chef, or paint brushes with painters, but when people think photography, they see the camera, not the person behind it. Sad but true.
04-06-2010, 07:27 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by wlachan Quote
People don't mix up pots and pans with chef, or paint brushes with painters, but when people think photography, they see the camera, not the person behind it. Sad but true.
Thank you for the insight. ;( Was science into art never meant to be?
04-06-2010, 08:31 PM   #14
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!

I recall reading that the average fast-food-joint manager earns more than the average working photographer. So get a job running a Burger Thing or Tim Horton's or whatever. Each day: Work 8 hours. Photograph 8 hours. Sleep 8 hours. On non-work days, travel and photograph 16 hours. Then back to sleep, and back to work.

Take your camera to work with you and fill in the spare moments. My artist sister moved from Nevada (painting murals in casinos) to New York City, and soon was working in the subways, selling tokens from little high-security booths. The bizarre customers she saw regularly became the subjects of her surrealistic art. Fast-food consumers can be just as worthy of preservation. Free models! Good light! Never a dull moment! Now you're a Restaurant Photographer! And you get paid!

Your other desires: Product photographer? Take classes in studio work; get an MFA. Portrait or event /wedding photographer? Be an unpaid gofer for a pro for a year or three, see how it's done -- it's called apprenticeship. Photojournalist? Get a degree in journalism, but avoid war zones. (Unless you take my suggestion to join the military as a photo specialist. Free training!)

And there's always blackmail. That's photojournalism, sort of...

EDIT: I almost forgot the Ansel Adams approach: marry someone whose family runs the photo sales gallery in a national park.

Last edited by RioRico; 04-06-2010 at 08:37 PM.
04-06-2010, 09:04 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by wlachan Quote
People don't mix up pots and pans with chef, or paint brushes with painters, but when people think photography, they see the camera, not the person behind it. Sad but true.
How sadly true. It's a tough way to make a living these days. Particularly as a wedding photographer. Studio work still has a better chance of doing well but also requires a much different skill set and a bigger investment.

Today's gear works so well that almost anyone can take the occasional good photo. As a result, they all think it's not worth paying much for.

Btw, I'm going to move this into the Business Forum.
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