How did you get into the business?

chinoamigo

Hey all,

A simple question: how did you get into the business & what do you do (i.e. photojournalism, wedding, freelance)?

I'm thinking about doing part-time or full-time (maybe in the future), but I'm not sure how people usually start! :scratch

Awais Yaqub

I wanted to purchase DSLR and had no $$$ for that. So i thought the only way was to do some commercial photography with PS camera i had to earn $$$. I emailed to several companies and got response from one of the leading hotels in Pakistan. They asked me to take some food photographs. Earned enough to purchase DSLR.

Now i shoot Architecture stuff for a firm in Pakistan. Sometimes different organizations such as UNDP, WWF contact me for purchase of images. I am focusing on this because my current gear can do the job.

I will jump into corporate portraits soon as i get hands on decent lighting setup but i have to save for that.

Not bad for a student :ivar

Chris H

I'm an architect working in Scotland. The global economy issues have hit the building industry hard, so when I had my hours cut a few months ago I started up the website and went looking for architectural photography work. It's slow for sure, but things are building momentum.

I also enter as many photography competitions as possible, have earned some cash from that too.

It's just supplementing my income for now, but who know's what the future holds.....

Chris

Cygnus Studios

I am a product photographer. I shoot everything from jewelry to cars. I shoot a few events now and then when I have the time.
The vast majority of my time is now spent editing and preparing images.

If you really want to get into the photography business, learn the business side of it. If you get to spend more than 20% of your time actually shooting you will be lucky.
Try to pick an area that you enjoy. A lot of photographers end up working and not enjoying the art. We would all love to shoot beautiful models everyday, but very few make a living that way.

AspectArts

A friend (who has been an advocate of my photgraphy since long before I began to pursue it as a career) asked me to shoot her sister's wedding as a "gift". One wedding, and I was hooked. lol. This is my third year shooting professionally, and I can see the momentum gaining I can feel that things are about to take off.

For me, a huge open door has come from an opportunity to shoot a dance event for free. I asked if I could shoot it for practice and experience (and to hopefully round out my portfolio a bit). I offered to burn copies of what I came up with for the cost of a CD to anyone who wanted one. Didn't even know if any would turn out-- I had no idea how to shoot a low light theatre setting. That "Freebie" turned into a HUGE market, with lots of fallout portrait work, and an invitation to shoot and sell prints of their most recent show. Sometimes you have to put yourself out there. Maybe others won't agree with my philosophy, but it has made a huge impact in my budding career. jm2c - if that is what you were asking, lol.

ARKreations

I'm a software engineer by day and the parent of a 12 year old dancer the other 24 hours of the day. I started out by trying to take photos of my daughter's dance performances. As my skill and equipment grew, so did my "exposure"to other dance parents. I've been shooting recitals and competitions for several years and recently shooting events for local sports clubs. I am now branching off into head shots and portrait work through referrals and will be venturing into weddings as I just couldn't say no to my cousin when she begged me to shoot hers in Sept. I'm almost to the point where my photo income covers my equipment costs. Basically, the more you shoot and the more people see your work, the more the demand will grow.