Tips for aspiring pros to earn money

I'd like to hear from the paid pros here.. How did you get started? What advice can you give to someone who is ready technically to make money, but doesn't know how to begin? How do you find jobs? Sell yourself?

Lots (I'm sure) of enquiring minds want to know.


- Joe

actually i started volunteering my services for free at one of the medical society here in my town. I got most of my pictures published in their monthly magazine. Of course i wasnt getting paid. But what i did get were do's and donts, free food, and plenty of film.

After a few months, i started getting calls for personal photos. For after hour banquets, and such. Now i earn some part time money, once a month. Not much.

Good topic.

I wouldn't say I'm pro, but I am selling a lot of photos. I do sports photography, mostly mountain bike races, Cyclo-Cross races, and freeride. I also do soccer and I am getting ready to do skatebaording, BMX and hockey. Baseball will be in the spring.

I started by posting my pictures on the Bike Bulletin Boards I frequent, and giving away full-size JPG files (2048 X 1360 pixels) for free from some of the races and other rides where it was all about photos. Then, after I got my name out there, and people liked what they saw, I opened up my web store with photoreflect.com. Sort of a teaser, I guess. "Here's some great photos for free." Later..."Sorry, I'm not giving them away anymore, but please check out my store on my website. Here's my card so you can go to my website to check it out."

I am also not a shy person, so everyone I approach, I tell them that I take sports pictures and I sell myself. I also had some "free" business cards made at Vistaprints.com. I got 250 cards with my website and other info on them. I carry the cards in my wallet and my camera bag, and hand them out all the time to anyone that will take one. My next step is to get a nice "polo" or button-down shirt embroydered with my logo so that when I am at an event, people will see it. Then they will be able to "see" my website name and hopefully they will approach me, either to get a card or at least chit-chat a bit.

As you can see, it's all about marketing yourself, and getting your name out in the community, not so much about your pictures. If you take great pictures, they will speak for themselves, and people will buy them. But you have to sell yourself to get people interested in looking at your pictures first.

Look at my website and see what I've done so far. (Click sig)

I preface my reply by saying that I am not a professional photographer. I have, however, worked as a professional illustrator, animator, writer, and filmmaker, so I have a little general insight into getting started.

I'd say that the portfolio is very important, regardless of the medium, not to impress someone with big clients and credits but to show that you are not an "aspiring photographer"; you ARE a photographer. The difference is important.

Do whatever work you can, initially, and do it for free if necessary. Build the portfolio, and learn the ropes, and learn to deal with people. Learn as much as you can about the business.

Dress appropriately. I work as a writer/director in Hollywood, so I'm not expected to dress up. I literally go to meetings in a tee-shirt and jeans and Converses. If I were to wear a suit, all anyone would be thinking is, "why is that idiot in a suit?" I don't know what the right attire is for photographers, but try not to dress too down or up. It changes peoples' perceptions.

Identify yourself with what you do. If someone asks what you do, don't say, "I work at KFC and do photography on the side." Say, "I'm a photographer." If they ask about business, say you're just starting but that it's going extremely well so far and that you really love doing it.

Offer to do portraits or other work to "test out new equipment". I did this years ago while illustrating. At a party, I'd pretend that I wanted to try something out with someone and would they let me do a pro bono gig? Doing so accomplishes many things. First, it creates a job that didn't exist. Second, it gets you the job while not making you seem desperate. Third, it establishes someone who has worked with you and hopefully is impressed with your work enough to spread the word. And the client will almost certainly say yes.

Lastly, regardless of the money you're getting paid or lack-of, go all out. Ask, "how can this project be great?" Do the absolute best you can, even if you hate who you're working with and are losing money, because in six months all you'll have left is the work itself. Do your best for you.

Matt MC - so how much money are you making by selling your photos, if you don't mind me asking?

I'm somebody else who would love to get into it, but wouldn't know how. additionally, I don't have a great deal of experience....in fact i've got hardly any, but I have sold a number of athletics photos, and since then I've invested in a zoom lens (it's only the 90-300 USM, but hey, i'm on a tight budget), so I should be able to get better pics of sport (among other things - portraiture is my other main photographic interest and what I'm less crap at :P). Reading what you've said sounds to be a good way to gain experience and promote myself simultaneously, so that's why I'm asking......

I guess the prospect of doing the usual start out as an assistant route for a few years scares me a little, as I don't have as much control and even less certainty over things then

I'm a pro course graduate, currently going through the new york institute of photography.

I haven't found a single way to get paid for my work. While i'm sure doing it for free is fine. I don't wan't to work at mcdonalds sweeping parking lots while I do stuff for free... Granted I have made the official change to digital and am no longer interested in using the crude and unreliable film cameras I should be able to sell digital pictures eh?

When I signed up for NYIP I got books on how to sell stuff but so far all of my attempts to contact the places in the books have failed. Not one single reply. Not even from places the sell your stuff for you. I've all but given up on those routes. If i don't find a way to get paid soon i'll starve. 23 year olds can't live with their mom and live off their paychecks forever...