I mean is it like modeling where you have a portfolio of your pictures? Who do you contact?
if you are working for your self you need to be just as good at marketing as you are at photography.
best thing is to start with magazines there is 1000 of them and they all need images
send out a low res portfolio to mags that use the images you shoot. all images have to be spot on or you wont get a look in. don’t be fooled it is hard work and my take some time bot it is a good place to start
if you need any more info have a look this web site
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/sellingyourphotography/
if you don’t know were to start or don’t know where to look for inspiration it is hard, a good place to start is stock image suppliers like this one
http://www.alamy.com/showcase/default.as…
look for images you can shoot like the ones you see maybe you are local to a work wide event or tourist attraction and can shoot it in all weathers and seasons, you have access to a fresh food market, is some on you know a cook, hairdresser, policeman plumber or stay at home mum? ask friends or relatives that will model for you
make a list of projects
Food
local sunset/ sunrise
news stories
anything collectable or old
anything you have an interest in (look in books and magazines to see what and how they shoot) contact the magazines and ask if they need images
I have talked to photographers that don’t want to sell through stock image agencies because they don’t want to give away half of the profit taken to the agency
The agency is just another tool. If you are marketing your images and selling threw an agency as well it is adding to your selling power. Stock images gives any image you take a secondary market. you could have a week with out work but still get a check from an agency from a photo you took 5 years ago on a cold rainy day in your kitchen on a day you did not have any work. so it is important to shoot, shoot, shoot.
make a list of your strengths in photography
strengths in photography
good knowledge of sports photography
good contacts with football club
love photography
got the basic equipment to do the job
good knowledge of PCs
large amount of stock images
weaknesses in photography
need experience in other areas
lack of contacts in sports and news media
funding for equipment
do not have web site or bank account
do not have business cards
list of equipment you feel you need
higher spec DSLR body
better tripod
new laptop
business cards ASAP**
list of equipment you don’t need and sell it to raise funds
old slr system
dark room equipment
1 year plan
better contacts with football association
contact equipment sponsors
make contact with council and tourist information
look into shooting wedding photography
market images to magazines and spots suppliers
sell images through stock image agencies
3 year plan
new camera body
set up own company in sports and wedding photography
This is not set in stone but you will have an idea of you direction.
Good luck
10 Responses to “How does a person get into professional photography?”
You just keep taking pictures, make a portfolio of them and show it around. Post your pictures on myspace, flickr, deviantart.com. There’s alot out there. You just need to get exposure.
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Sell some of your photos and "POOF" you’re a pro!
References :
There are many ways, but the path is normally build around a solid foundation and a good eye. To build that foundation, I recommend taking photography classes. Start at a local community college and go from their. You could also become a photographers assistant. Good luck, have fun and keep shooting!
References :
It all depends on the type of photography you want to get into. You may want to start by selling your photos as stock. Many of these sites will give you feedback on what photos are good and which ones need improvement. If you want to give it a shot, try the top 4 that I’ve had sucess with listed here: http://www.smilelikeumeanit.com/stock.html
References :
Go to photography school and learn everything there is to know about the business. Most of your photo teachers will be professionals as well so it’s a good way to get in.
References :
Create a portfolio and post it on your blog. Than invite people to see it.
References :
Go to drama classes !
Follow that up with doing a couple of beauty pageants and modeling classes.
What you need to be able to do is to be bitchy enough to claw your way forward. Your competition will be girls who have been groomed by their mothers from age three. They will be very bitchy and back-stabbing. You have to be able to rise above all that.
Going to pageants and taking part will give you first hand experience of the type of girl you’ll find on the catwalk.
By the way, have you ever wondered why its called catwalk. Maybe its obvious to you now.
References :
if you are working for your self you need to be just as good at marketing as you are at photography.
best thing is to start with magazines there is 1000 of them and they all need images
send out a low res portfolio to mags that use the images you shoot. all images have to be spot on or you wont get a look in. don’t be fooled it is hard work and my take some time bot it is a good place to start
if you need any more info have a look this web site
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/g.....otography/
if you don’t know were to start or don’t know where to look for inspiration it is hard, a good place to start is stock image suppliers like this one
http://www.alamy.com/showcase/default.as...
look for images you can shoot like the ones you see maybe you are local to a work wide event or tourist attraction and can shoot it in all weathers and seasons, you have access to a fresh food market, is some on you know a cook, hairdresser, policeman plumber or stay at home mum? ask friends or relatives that will model for you
make a list of projects
Food
local sunset/ sunrise
news stories
anything collectable or old
anything you have an interest in (look in books and magazines to see what and how they shoot) contact the magazines and ask if they need images
I have talked to photographers that don’t want to sell through stock image agencies because they don’t want to give away half of the profit taken to the agency
The agency is just another tool. If you are marketing your images and selling threw an agency as well it is adding to your selling power. Stock images gives any image you take a secondary market. you could have a week with out work but still get a check from an agency from a photo you took 5 years ago on a cold rainy day in your kitchen on a day you did not have any work. so it is important to shoot, shoot, shoot.
make a list of your strengths in photography
strengths in photography
good knowledge of sports photography
good contacts with football club
love photography
got the basic equipment to do the job
good knowledge of PCs
large amount of stock images
weaknesses in photography
need experience in other areas
lack of contacts in sports and news media
funding for equipment
do not have web site or bank account
do not have business cards
list of equipment you feel you need
higher spec DSLR body
better tripod
new laptop
business cards ASAP**
list of equipment you don’t need and sell it to raise funds
old slr system
dark room equipment
1 year plan
better contacts with football association
contact equipment sponsors
make contact with council and tourist information
look into shooting wedding photography
market images to magazines and spots suppliers
sell images through stock image agencies
3 year plan
new camera body
set up own company in sports and wedding photography
This is not set in stone but you will have an idea of you direction.
Good luck
References :
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/g.....otography/
If you are really good and you have great shots.
Gather your photos in a book/postcards set and publish it.
References :
If you know anyone who has a current Mac computer, you
can use IWeb to create a website showing your recent
photographs. Set up an .mac account [$99 per year] and
publish your IWeb webpage(s).
Acquire from Vistaprint.com a colorful business card
by selecting from their many templates a suitable one
that meets your needs. Make sure to list the URL of
your website along with a telephone answering device.
Do not place your home address or anything personal
such as a cellphone on this businesscard. Then when
you receive the finished business card, pass it around
to various churches, temples and the like to solicit
business.
When you receive a major photography assignment, visit
your local professional camera store and "rent" the
necessary camera equipment to fulfill this assignment.
When starting out, you don’t want to tie your money up
with a piece of camera equipment which because of ever
changing technology "becomes obsolete." Remember, that
90% of professional photographer are not "buying"
camera equipment continually which can easily become
outdated; instead, they merely "rent or lease" the
camera equipment for set period of time; thereby
keeping their money for other expenses. Even though
you may have your heart set on an SLR and film, you
may have to give up that concept for the moment, since
digital photography offers the most economic method of
photo reproduction. Digital imagery is easy to edit on
a computer and the print quality is often far superior
to regular film-generated prints.
You want to buy an "essential/basic" DSLR system which
has an all-around affordable accessory lenses, then
consider the award winning Pentax KD series beginning
with the Pentax K100D 6.1 mp DSLR with "image
stabilization" built into the camera body. "Image
stabilization" is essential for allowing you to take
telephoto pictures at weddings, parties, while on the
go and you don’t have to drag along a tripod to steady
your camera. Unfortunately, Canon and Nikon have
chosen to install their "vibration reduction" devices
into very expensive auxiliary lenses. But getting back
to the Pentax K100D which comes in a starter kit
consisting of two Pentax lenses: a 18-55 mm. normal
lens and a 50-200 mm. telephoto which sells for $650
at samys.com. Again, the Pentax K100D starter kit runs
circles around the D40 Nikon!
For digital print processing, find a private
professional film processing lab who can handle all
your client’s print orders. And with a resale license,
you will be qualified for considerable "professional"
discounts on lab fees. A search on the Google and
Yahoo for wholesale photo albums will connect you with
various distributors who, again, you can sign on as a
photography studio and get a dealer’s pricing for any
number of albums, guest books, etc.
Instead of renting a studio, take people pictures at
local parks and beaches and for indoor shots, go to
the client’s residence or office to set up a photo
shooting environment which consists of a set of
lights, reflective screens, background drapery, etc.
Good luck!
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