Going pro... Where do I start?

[Photolistic]

I have been taking pictures ever sense high school and I have been shooting digital for 5 years and I have had an SLR for about 3 weeks now.

I would like to take pictures for a living and was wondering where I should start??

I am thinking about a school program here at the local community college seems to have a good program.

I guess I have two questions;

one... What steps do I take to do professional photography?
and two... What can I do to start making money right now with the equipment I have? (canon 30D and 2 alien bees 800 lights and a backdrop.

Any help will be great!!

[grego]

Yes, the school program would be good. And get on their newspaper staff, which they should have. It'll help teach you some of the things you need to know. If you have a decent to good department they'll also help you understand how to market yourself in the classes.


Make cards, get some webpage out there
Meet people. Just regular people to get your name out there/network.
Do a lot of work early on(which means free stuff).
Ask questions to people already in the business
Build your portfolio

[MikeMcL]

offer to do kid and pet portraits.
you can advertise in the classifieds, and try to do local clientele mostly. people will pay you pretty well for sharp shots of their kids, and many studios dont hassle with pets as a norm.
if you advertise kid and pets as your "specialty" you will get calls for small family pics and other stuff now and then.

just explain to people that you are still in the process of learning and building a portfolio, and that is why your prices are so cheap (for a limited time)

dont do infants, groups, ugly people, and other hard to shoot targets. keep to the kids and pets and all your results will be good...guaranteed. well, not really.

as for becoming a real "pro", that is a tough one. anyperson can buy P&S camera and call themselves a pro. there is no real certificate or anything required. oh yah. get a couple muslins or whatever, people like to have portrait backgrounds, instead of out in their yard, or the cement wall in your basement.

I dont see a gear list, but you gotta have at least one decent lens. maybe 50mm f/1.4 or something, that is a common portrait lens, good DOF control. it costs roughly 300 dollars, not a bad price for a pro photog like yourself..

best of luck

[tim]

Get a business degree, with a minor in photography.

[Photolistic]

What about a degree in marketing and minor in photography?

[tim]

No. You need to be able to run a business, deal with the economics, do the marketing, and everything else. A business degree that includes marketing will be more useful than a marketing degree IMHO. That's where most people fall down as pros, the business side of things.

[MikeMcL]

most business degrees, including an MBA allow you to get up to 40 credit hours of chosen 300+ level classes. it is very possible to get a business degree that has a marketing base built in.

[symes]

most business degrees, including an MBA allow you to get up to 40 credit hours of chosen 300+ level classes. it is very possible to get a business degree that has a marketing base built in.

That's what Tim is saying...and he is right...from what I hve read and seen around me your talent as a photographer is unfortunately not the most important part of being successful...like any endeavour, you're business skills are more important than the product...however sad that is...

Cheers,

[lakiluno]

to back up the previous posters, look at school photographers. They sit there all day getting kids in, have a turn around of about 2 minutes per kid and they simply set the camera on a tripod, set up lights and then say smile. Talent required? Not much - for all you know the lighting setup could of been in a book they read. Are the professional? Yes, and they probably make good and reliable income from it.

They market themselves and run a good business.

[Carlson]

I find myself wanting to do the same thing. Recently I took my camera to a local festival on the base that im stationed at and took action shots of people and such. After that people wanted to know if i could do other events.

I figure I could have a nitch here being stationed in Japan on an American Military Base, not many other people to do the work. So demand is high and suply is low. Im not sure what camera to invest in right now but im looking to buy a 30D as a 2nd camera and I plan on buying 3 lenses: 50 1.4 USM, 24-70L 2.8 USM (also a quick question any of you ever seen the 24-70L IS USM? Its at a local camera store), and a 70-200L IS USM all in the next 6 months. I am working on making a nice, simple, clean looking website and will need to build a portfolio of sorts so I am asking family and friends if they or know anyone who would like to have there portait taken/pets or events. Im also investing in some lighting equipment and trying to find some backdrops for when I move into my new house here in a couple months.

I dont plan to do it as a pro, just as a hobby i can make some money with to try and suport my growing addiction.

[John Nicholas]

Carlson
Sorry to change the topic here but Did you say you saw a 24-70 2.8 IS at a local camera store? I'm sure many many people would be interested in that.

[Carlson]

Carlson
Sorry to change the topic here but Did you say you saw a 24-70 2.8 IS at a local camera store? I'm sure many many people would be interested in that.

Yes I thought so as well. Im not positve and it probably wasnt.

[tim]

There's no such lens as the 24-70 IS. If there was many people would own it, possibly including myself.

[liza]

There are about 100 million new DSLR users who want to "go pro." You have to put in long hours, invest in decent equipment, and market yourself constantly. Most don't make it, because they don't have good business skills and think it's going to be "fun." Read this thread for some insight from another who did this.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1893107#post1893107

[Carlson]

well we have to define pro here.. id say a pro is someone who makes a living off only photography. I myself dont plan on doing that for atleast 18 more years (when i retire from AF) I only would like to do somethign that helps me learn skills and to make a bit of a cash revenue.

[ssim]

well we have to define pro here.. id say a pro is someone who makes a living off only photography.

That's the ongoing debate and has been discussed here many times. What is the definition of a pro. You have defined it for you. I know other here that I would call professional but they also have daytime jobs. Neither connotation of it is wrong.

There are about 100 million new DSLR users who want to "go pro." You have to put in long hours, invest in decent equipment, and market yourself constantly. Most don't make it, because they don't have good business skills and think it's going to be "fun."
Absolutely correct. There are those that have been taking pictures for a long time and someone tells them they should do it for at least a part time income. I think it is great that they try it but most forget about the business side of this.

Make your plans very carefully. Taking good pictures is just not enough.

[taygull]

I did not take the time to read all the post but I will offer this advice as I "turned pro" in the last month.

Your sales and marketing ability will be twice as valuable as your ability to take great photos. Find a part time job somewhere and learn how to sell. There are millions of great photographers, there are a small handful of great photographers who are great sales people.

[grego]

What about a degree in marketing and minor in photography? I may do that.

Well you can make that your emphasis in grad school, as you'd still get an MBA. It would be a good way to go. You don't need any degree that deals with photography. You just need to take classes, and gain experience while building your portfolio. And network as much as possible. That's where going to a good grad school is important.

I'd go with 60% business, 40% skill. Build up a list of people at lower prices and as you gain more people, you can charge higher as you gain more skill.

[tim]

Build up a list of people at lower prices and as you gain more people, you can charge higher as you gain more skill.

You have to be a little careful with this, if you get the "good and cheap" reputation it might be hard to shake later when you put your prices up.

[gmen]

You have to be a little careful with this, if you get the "good and cheap" reputation it might be hard to shake later when you put your prices up.Indeed.

---- Gavin

[grego]

You have to be a little careful with this, if you get the "good and cheap" reputation it might be hard to shake later when you put your prices up.

Oh of course. I agree there. You have to be fairly stern with how you agree to things and state whether they are one time offers or what not. There is no simple answer to success to put it simply.

[Photolistic]

Thank you all for your responses. Having previously owning a sound system and DJ company I know that there is many things that go into a successful business.
Now I have some more insight on how to make this happen.

[michael_]

find a niche market and run with it.

[DocFrankenstein]

You need to find clients who are willing to pay you enough to support yourself.

Think about what kind of pictures the people want

[taygull]

You need to find clients who are willing to pay you enough to support yourself.

Think about what kind of pictures the people want

LOL,

If it were only that easy.