What made you become a pro?

Foodguy - Growing up in Houston, my Dad worked for A.J. Foyt for over a decade. A.J. had one of my favorite quotes - "I make my own luck"! There's some truth to making your own luck and then there is also "out of the blue, fall into your lap, blind luck". I like to be somewhere in between those two.

STPimages wrote in post #17873388
Foodguy - Growing up in Houston, my Dad worked for A.J. Foyt for over a decade. A.J. had one of my favorite quotes - "I make my own luck"! There's some truth to making your own luck and then there is also "out of the blue, fall into your lap, blind luck". I like to be somewhere in between those two.

Gotta agree with you and A.J.!

Looking back, I was incredibly lucky when first starting out. I made some great connections, pursued more opportunities than rabbit holes and things came together in ways that I can only attribute to 'luck' whether self made or blind. And as you say, most likely somewhere in-between.

By the same token, I know lots of photographers who are incredibly talented with great business minds that can't seem to find a break and struggle year to year to keep going...despite having all of the textbook qualities for success.

STPimages wrote in post #17873388
Foodguy - Growing up in Houston, my Dad worked for A.J. Foyt for over a decade. A.J. had one of my favorite quotes - "I make my own luck"! There's some truth to making your own luck and then there is also "out of the blue, fall into your lap, blind luck". I like to be somewhere in between those two.

With a name like McLuckie....
(if it wasn't for the luck in my name, I'd have no luck at all.)

Foodguy wrote in post #17873540
Gotta agree with you and A.J.!

Looking back, I was incredibly lucky when first starting out. I made some great connections, pursued more opportunities than rabbit holes and things came together in ways that I can only attribute to 'luck' whether self made or blind. And as you say, most likely somewhere in-between.

By the same token, I know lots of photographers who are incredibly talented with great business minds that can't seem to find a break and struggle year to year to keep going...despite having all of the textbook qualities for success.

Hey Foodguy, I'm not sure what making your own luck means. If it means working your butt off to deliver on time and on budget that's what I did. I actually almost turned down my best account ever, I billed over 100K a year too them alone for 15 years. That was working my butt off for 2 weeks a month, the mistake I made was not building other clients. As it turned out when that account disappeared I was left to scramble for work. I was lucky in that other clients did eventually take up the slack and I had to pivot (don't you love buzz words) to another identity. Even with that and slow periods because of recession I was able to retire recently after more than 30 years in business doing something I loved. That was the reason I started my business in the first place, I failed twice before getting the break I needed but I was not going to settle for a cubicle, a fate worse than death for me.

Once I got going again I never looked back and did it all without marketing or a website. It was all word of mouth from happy clients. I guess you can say some of that was luck because advertising is a mobile business and many of my past buyers ended up in great places that were a benefit to me.

I agree that it isn't all talent and business sense, some very talented photographers I know are no longer in photography, a real shame.

welshwizard1971 wrote in post #17855640
I came across a website of a local pro today, and, well, it was bloody awful. Even a basic shot of a few flowers was hopelessly out of focus, the 'portrait' was a woman who had no right wearing a bikini on a beach in the worst lighting and pose possible, I genuinely spat coffee on my keyboard. I was going to post the link but they're so bad, I'd feel bad for the guy doing it. So, if he can go pro, why the hell can't I? Sorry, just mumbling aloud really, why the hell don't I just go for it??

So here's why I think you are not ready and should really do some very serious soul searching before trying to "go pro":

1. Body shaming potential clients: Just because YOU think someone looks bad in a bikini doesn't mean SHE does, or the photographer who took the photo and posted it on his website either. For all you know, she was totally happy and paid him a ton of money, and that's the end of it. And holy crap she's probably in your area and, if you were in business, could be interested in working with you. So check your attitude about what people look like because that is absolutely none of your concern. (Unless you're being paid to take pictures of hot young women and only hot young women [lol] in which case why would you give a crap about some guy photographing random everyday women in bikinis???).

2. Wasting energy and time: If you're going to go into business, do it FOR YOURSELF because you believe you can do it, not because someone else down the road is so much worse than you and their style offends you. Putting energy into what other people are doing just takes away from focusing on yourself and building your potential business.

TL; DR: Talking sh*t about potential clients (and also your potential competition) on the internet says a lot about you and your (lack of) professionalism. There are just some thoughts that should stay inside of your head instead of coming out of your mouth or your keyboard.

breal101 wrote in post #18234264
Hey Foodguy, I'm not sure what making your own luck means. If it means working your butt off to deliver on time and on budget that's what I did.

Yup...pretty much the same. I was singularly focused on what I wanted to do- advertising photography. Had some breaks and luck (!); some of it 'right time/right place' others as a result of something I'd set in motion. In fact at almost 30 years in the business, I'm still operating the same way, spending most days that I'm not shooting trying to figure out how to get to the next level and as long as it's still fun and profitable personally and professionally I'll keep plugging away.

welshwizard1971 wrote in post #17855640
The reason I'm asking is that I came across a website of a local pro today, and, well, it was bloody awful. Even a basic shot of a few flowers was hopelessly out of focus, the 'portrait' was a woman who had no right wearing a bikini on a beach in the worst lighting and pose possible, I genuinely spat coffee on my keyboard. I was going to post the link but they're so bad, I'd feel bad for the guy doing it. So, if he can go pro, why the hell can't I? Sorry, just mumbling aloud really, why the hell don't I just go for it??

I think talk of 'going pro' is nonsense.

I make money from my photography, I have work regularly featured in national magazines and I have provided photography services for private and commercial clients. However, photography is not how I make my living, it is a self-funding hobby and there is a world of difference between me and the true professionals in my area.

I also strongly agree with PaintedLotus, it is disgusting to say that someone has no right to be on a beach or in a particular kind of swimwear and that alone is a strong sign that you are not in the correct mindset to operate as a professional photography business.

STPimages wrote in post #17860843
I made my living as the General Manager for IT related businesses for years. I had a complete grasp of what running a business takes. I was a slightly above average photographer and decided to go full time after a few years of doing it on the side. The photography quality is important, but much less so than being a good business person.

Every day, some or all of these happen in my photography business and as a sole proprietor, I have to do them all:

Invoicing
Accounting
Data entry specialist
Tax remittals (State Sales Tax, Annual Franchise Tax, etc.)
IT department
Sales
Social Media Marketing
Google Ads
Regular Blog posts
Client contact
Prospect contact
Email follow up
Retouching specialist
Printer
Creation of sales and marketing materials
Bank deposits
Outgoing mail specialist
Calendar Manager

and LASTLY, photographer

One thing that I did learn by working for two very successful and talented photographers just after college is the odds of you being good as you need to be at all of those things on that list are very slim. So I learned to capitalize on my strength and get help in areas that I don't love and are weaknesses. One thing that I have noticed with really successful photographers is most that have studios have studio managers to run the studio. Most commercial photographers have reps especially in the beginning when establishing themselves. And in other areas where someone is not strong my advice is get those that are as passionate and as talented in their world as you are in yours. There also needs to be a very good accountant involved. That leaves a photographer to do what makes him the most money and the reason that he started doing it in the first place. Knowing ones strengths and weaknesses and filling in the gaps where one is not strong with those that are strong in those week areas is smart business because most will not be able to do it all well. And I don't know about anybody else but if I spent 80% of my day doing the #s and the other business end I wouldn't have remained in the business for 3 decades and not been as successful or as happy as I am.

Why should photography be different from other professional fields that are specialized? Like say, a chef. Most chefs will either partner with a business partner that knows the restaurant business to run the restaurant or hire a manager to run the restaurant. That leaves them to not only do what they are good at but what they love and makes them the most money. Physicians also have office managers so they can practice medicine and do what they do best. And another thing they have in common with a lot of successful photographers is they all have very good accountants. Why should photographers be different?

This was in another thread but I thought I would paste it here because it sorta explains my experience as a pro and why and what made me do it. I studied photography and art in college (B/A). I have also taught part time on the college level. I have been doing this full time and supporting the family with it since 1986. (30 years this year). I have seen them come and go over the years and one thing that I see in those that have longevity is most do personal work outside and separate from their pro work. The professional work feeds the beast and pays for everything including the base to do your personal work from. Professional work is the clients. It revolves around what they and their agents (and by agents I mean people like art directors, designers, account managers, etc) need. If you don't feed that need and exceed that need consistently you wont stay in business. Personal work is where the passion is. The pro work feeds the family. The personal work feeds the soul.

I feel more passionate about photography now than I did 30 years ago. I am a photographer. It's not a hat that I take off the shelf and put on when needed. It really defines who I am. So my personal work is the hobby side of it for me. No one tells me what I should photograph or how with my personal work. My pro work is usually a collaboration. I actually enjoy that side of things a lot but I know in the end that it's not mine, it's the clients. As I have said, if I don't exceed the clients expectations consistently then I don't stay in business.

Here's a couple of great photographers and what that took pro work to support themselves and their art and this is what they had to say:
"When money enters in, - then, for a price, I become a liar, - and a good one I can be whether with pencil or subtle lighting or viewpoint. I hate it all, but so do I support not only my family, but my own work." - Edward Weston

"There’s always been a separation between fashion and what I call my “deeper” work. Fashion is where I make my living. I’m not knocking it. It’s a pleasure to make a living that way. It’s pleasure, and then there’s the deeper pleasure of doing my portraits. It’s not important what I consider myself to be, but I consider myself to be a portrait photographer." - Richard Avedon

Passion is very important. What will win out in both the professional world and the art world is a desire. I think persistence is the one thing that separates those that do well from those that fail and the desire to do what one has to do to make it is the key.

I read that someone is some tiny town in the middle of no where say that they have no commercial photography experience and they are now doing commercial work and they ask how do I get business. I respond move to New York, Chicago or LA and work for a known commercial photographer in one of those markets for next to nothing for 3 or 4 years then after all you learn about the biz and the people you meet then maybe give it a shot and the odds would still be against you. The response is I don't want to move. Then you know that they don't have what it's going to take.

I love what I do. Though I have had some success with my personal work I don't make near enough with that to give my family the standard of living that they deserve. So the base is the pro work. That buys the cameras, pays the mortgage, the insurance, health and business, the cars etc and gives me the freedom to create exactly what I feel in a very honest and real way with my personal work. It is mine.

What I am trying to show and say is for me and many others that a separation between what you do for you and what you do for others can be very important. If I didn't have my personal work and only do commercial work I would have probably lost the passion and been burned out a couple decades ago. But my personal work is my true creative outlet and that makes it all worth it. I have seen them come and go over the years. Many of them are still good friends and one thing that they lost was the passion and all of the ones that have failed where those that only picked up a camera to make a buck. I can also say I know a few that are no longer working professionally but still are photographers. One thing I do know is if you have lost the passion and desire already and you are just starting out then maybe this isn't for you.
Thats my 2 cents. Take it for what it is worth.

Allen

What made me become a pro is I have no other marketable skills and there is nothing else that I see myself doing..