So I never considered the possibility that clients wouldn't come..

I'm kinda curious about mellofelo (or hower you say it)'s post..am I really that bad? At the beginning of the thread I remember people commenting saying my work was pretty good, as far as I know they had no reason to lie to me..

no, you aren't that bad at all, your pictures just dont jump off the page as anything unique, in my opinion. don't think of this as a bad thing - you're very young and it's common to not have a style at this point.

you've got to find your own style and niche.

someone should be able to look at that and say "that's a shadowonthedoor."

i know when i look at a chase jarvis or joe mcnally shot, i instantly know. they have unique styles. they are very successful. strive to be like that.

like i said before, i can think of 3 or 4 photographers on this board who do that. pham, airfrogusmc, nustyR and FlyingPhotog are the ones that come to mind (plus some more in the architectural thread but that's because we all know eachothers work like the back of our hands)

there could be more, i generally stay out of the 'people' sharing sections, but you get my drift. it's rare and it's hard.

I absolutely agree, I will whole heartedly admit that I've had a lot of trouble finding out what my style is, or even how to have a style, or know when I do..I mean, I have a style for handwriting obviously, as well as design work, but I have no idea when or how I actually developed those styles, I don't remember ever looking down and saying "there's my style"..seems like something that happens subconsciously.

you are only 19 man....you are speeding through this process....just enjoy your gear and stop worrying about making money, it'll take the fun out of shooting before you even start....your work is alright, nothing spectacular, but definitely not bad....you have good gear, you just need patience.

I find little fun in just shooting for the sake of shooting, the goal of being a big name professional is what I find exciting, that might sound a bit weird, but the best feeling ever is getting an email saying "we want to hire you", I really miss that feeling since I stopped shooting sports, I had a style when I did that, I just can't seem to find it in my portrait work yet with so many different faces and environments.

Shadow on the Door wrote in post #13539679
I find little fun in just shooting for the sake of shooting, the goal of being a big name professional is what I find exciting, that might sound a bit weird, but the best feeling ever is getting an email saying "we want to hire you", I really miss that feeling since I stopped shooting sports, I had a style when I did that, I just can't seem to find it in my portrait work yet with so many different faces and environments.

I'm not sure if that means we've all been wasting our time or what! Making a living at photography, like most professions, is hard work. To set out into that profession without a passion for it seems incomprehensible to me.

Sure, shooting for the sake of shooting is a negative concept, but what about shooting for the love of creating, for the sake of improving your craft, for the sake of learning new processes?

Sure there will be times, if you ever achieve your goal of being a "working photographer" that photographing for pleasure may wear a bit thin, and you may rather walk the dog or read a book or whatever takes your fancy, but right at the moment, when you don't have clients beating a path to your door, for heaven's sake get out there and practice.

I know some "big name professionals" as you call them...one of whom is a countryman of yours, and who is paid huge amounts of money to fly to various parts of the world...without exception they have arrived at their success by working, not by wanting!

Don't get me wrong, I love seeing something I imagined show up on the screen and knowing that that work that people love was something I did, but I cant see myself as a hobbyist in this industry.

You're not going to become a big name just by fantasizing. Heck you may not become a big name even with hard work. There's a lot of luck involved in finding the people who have tons of money to blow.

I won't become a big name by not trying to, either.

Oh to be young...I'm done here...good luck

Shadow on the Door wrote in post #13539679
I find little fun in just shooting for the sake of shooting, the goal of being a big name professional is what I find exciting, that might sound a bit weird, but the best feeling ever is getting an email saying "we want to hire you", I really miss that feeling since I stopped shooting sports, I had a style when I did that, I just can't seem to find it in my portrait work yet with so many different faces and environments.

You've said this numerous times throughout this thread and it's what bothers me the most. If you don't love shooting just for shooting's sake, money isn't going to change that. At the end of the day, you either love it or you don't. There's a saying that applies here, "Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life." If you don't love it unless money is involved, that's not love to begin with.

Shadow on the Door wrote in post #13540449
I won't become a big name by not trying to, either.

Don't under-estimate the value of this opportunity. You've got youth, health, and energy and there's a pretty good chance you'll never be in this position again. Work hard, take risks, and keep at it until something clicks. (Incidentally, when I say "take risks" I do NOT mean you should borrow money.) At your age, clients will be much more tolerant of your mistakes and supportive of your goals but five years from now they'll just wonder what's taking you so long to get going.

When I was your age things were different. I choose my school and schedule based on maximum skiing days and my degree was all I needed to get a good job. But times have changed and employers no longer have slots to fill with whoever comes along.

The best case would be to work full time at developing your business as you go to school full time and graduate in four years. (Almost all of my successful friends worked full time while going to school.) Those four years of extremely hard work would just about guarantee you a sweet life. Or work a little less and have an ok life, or work a lot less and struggle for the rest of your life.

elrey2375 wrote in post #13542299
You've said this numerous times throughout this thread and it's what bothers me the most. If you don't love shooting just for shooting's sake, money isn't going to change that. At the end of the day, you either love it or you don't. There's a saying that applies here, "Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life." If you don't love it unless money is involved, that's not love to begin with.

I don't agree, do you love photographing birds? Cars? Weddings? Spiders? Not everyone does, but some people do..personally, I like shooting commercial photos, ads, etc. I want to see my work on the sides of buildings, busses, billboards, TV, etc. THAT's what I like about photography, I don't see the problem.

Your problem is that you think you have all the answers, before you've even started your career. There are people here on this thread who have been shooting in a professional capacity far longer than you have, and have experienced what you've gone through. The reality of it, being a professional photographer is becoming a very competitive field especially since technology and photoshop can be had by anyone, and while your work is decent, it has a long way to go to compete with the big names in the industry.

I guess the only thing that will really teach you is the school of hard knocks.

The OP is just going to have to learn on his own. No amount to talking to or advice will change his outlook, I don't think.

What's wrong with having big dreams and going for them? It's not like the OP is borrowing 10s of thousands of dollars to go after his dreams.
When you are 19 years old the world is your oyster (as they say) and dreaming big is the first step to getting where you want to be.
Without mistakes and mishaps, there is no way you'd ever make it in any field.

Go for it!