How to become a photographer is a question many amateur photographers are asking. They dream of moving their passion for photography into a full time job as a photographer.
I really understand that dream as I have been taking pictures since childhood and enjoyed planning setting up for photography sessions, next to do the photography and finally to select the best pictures from the photo shooting session. In fact my main passion has been nature photography for decades: Taking pictures of flowers, animals and landscapes. Especially nature photography with a focus on bird pictures with telephoto lenses and insect photography with macro lenses is among my favorite activities as a photographer resulting in a large collection of high resolution pictures in my files.
But all too often the pictures were piling up in the drawers in former time because there wasn’t a need for all my shots or – mainly – because I was not in contact with the appropriate photo buyers.
To get in contact with picture researchers that want your pictures you can have different approaches that should all be known by the emerging professional photographer.
- You can join one of the many stock photography companies with expertise in stock photography selling. Such companies are having stock photography websites fitting the urgent needs of picture researcher who search for high quality and high resolution stock photos. The picture editing of these stock photography companies is crucial to keep their high standards of photos on stock. Each picture editor will have the responsibility for a certain section of the stock photo agency to help the external picture researchers to get what they want from their photo request. If you engage in stock photography images from your shooting have to be of a commercial potential. The creative photographer needs to dig into the whole field of commercial photography to grasp the ideas of what kind of pictures sell.
It isn’t enough that you are clever to produce consistent good pictures of dogs but you need to be capable of using Photoshop to optimize your stock photos and be able to use picture resizing software to comply with the requirements of the picture agency.
To provide exact picture captions is another must have ability for emerging professional photographer. It will all come with training, passion and persistence (hopefully).
- Another option to get in contact with people who need pictures is simple to establish you as a photographer with your own studio, office and website. A photo website is very important nowadays but you also need to be keen on marketing your photos for a wider audience. There is a lot to say about marketing photography and to be an independent photographer. In fact a large number of established photographers are working as freelance photographers. Sometime a rather stressing situation if you don’t know if you get the next job in time.
You could then add the question: How to become a photographer for a magazine? As that should solve the later problem and that is true. The difficulty is that you will have to prove your ability and personality to be able to get in as a magazine photographer. Your portfolio of pictures and your portfolio of completed jobs have to prove evidence of your professionalism as a photographer. But you are right – to get a permanent position as a magazine photographer is in high demand among many freelance photographers.
- A formal training to become a photographer is very useful and mandatory for many to have access to the main part of positions as staff photographers. The how to become a photojournalist question should be answered by referring you to a college or university that provide high quality education for coming photojournalists.
Another option for the person passionate with photography and pictures is to become a photo editor. The question How to become a photo editor is more difficult to answer. Photo editors can have a background as a photographer – that is obvious. But as the judgment of samples of photos is also based on other qualifications people with different backgrounds act as creative professionals and serve as photo editors, like graphic designers, Art directors ADs, and professionals with a background in visual art etc.
To become a photographer has many routes and many photographers have succeeded by following one of the above routes to reach their goal of becoming a full time professional photographer.
