How did you become a pro?

I would love to get started in photography but I don't know how to go about it. I don't have anyone willing to help me out to even make a portfolio. I would even be willing to give free sessions just to get started and to build some kind of portfolio but how do I go about that?

I offered my DS's friends and girlfriends to let me do some practice shots on them but don't seam like they take it serious enough and don't say anything more after I ask them.

offer them cookies.

(no joke, i'm still starting out, but i got my first portfolio shots by offering friends cookies for an hour or two of their time. what college kid could turn down freshly baked cookies? )

just ask family members or close friends for quick favors, or just take your camera out with you when you hang out with them. you'd be surprised what kind of shots you can take in an informal setting. good luck!

I have 4 kids, so that helped me get a lot of practice. Once I felt like I could get a 10 or so nice shots in a an hour or two I started offering a free 8x10 to people willing to let me practice on their family or children.

Now that I have a bit more confidence in my skills I've taken the time to prepare a business plan, I've written my terms/conditions/polic​ies/prices etc... and I'm offering 1/2 off of sitting fees and prints until July 1st. I would really like some practice with maternity and newborn portraits, so I'm offering free sitting fees on those.

I'm not very experienced in this business yet, but that has worked well for me so far.

GL to you!

Portrait? Wedding? Editorial? more clues would be helpful.
As for shooting friends, if you look for the good light, this is an easy way to start: Angeline outdoors

Thanks guys. No way I could start in wedding photography because I would be to afraid of screwing them up but wouldn't mind being a second shooter just to get the practice. I want to just start with people for now until I get more confidence in my work.

OK, then start with seeing what the light is doing. Here's another easy example: VERY simple "outdoor studio"

PhotosGuy wrote in post #5446310
OK, then start with seeing what the light is doing. Here's another easy example: VERY simple "outdoor studio"

Great example Frank. Thanks for the link. I think I do that if I can get someone to take time out of their day

EVEN giving free sessions perhaps isn't the right way to think about it - perhaps you should think of it as until you can demonstrate your value to a customer why should they pay you anything? Everyone has a digital camera these days.

I started by doing a wedding for a friend of a friend, I read a LOT of books and forums in advance, and did lots of practice. It evolved from there, no formal training but LOTS of time reading and experimenting. I went from not knowing what an aperture was to full time pro in 3 years - though weddings here are seasonal so I do other things in winter.