Start Your Career in Photography

How to Start a Career in Photography

The Professional Photographer

Ever thought of getting jobs with your digital camera? How about photographing models? Here are some ideas for a career in photography for you if you are willing to study and work hard. For some people, taking pictures is just a now and then activity. You take pictures of family parties, backyard barbecues and during the holidays. Other people just love the photographic medium, approaching it more as an art form than just a simple snapshot.

You are the type that never leaves home without the camera in tow, always on the lookout for an interesting plant, cloud formation or an intriguing building or person. Did you ever think of making a career in photography? If you love taking pictures, you should take a closer look at some of the income possibilities available to you as a professional photographer.

Photograph what Interests You

Today, a career in photography offers much more than running a portrait studio. While portraits make interesting subjects and can provide you with a nice living, you can certainly expand your horizons in a variety of venues. Let's take a look at just a few areas you may want to explore. Chances are that you already have some photographs suited to a commercial purpose, right in your photo albums or CD stashes.

Create Photographic Greeting Cards and Sell Them

You've probably noticed the blank greeting cards with photos on the front, which are carried in many specialty gift stores. If not, go take a look at some of these shops. Some have racks of these cards, with subject matter ranging from land and cityscapes to humorous animal compositions.

With the abundance of photo software available, it's easy to enhance that dramatic sunset or make a cutout of that cute and silly dog photo, adding a funny one-liner in a cartoon bubble above his head. People love these types of original cards. After all, you're the only one who snapped that particular picture. Your customer won't find it again elsewhere.

Photographing for Calendars

Creating calendars are another popular way to build your career in photography. Just about everyone has at least one calendar. Some people are real calendar freaks, with one in the kitchen, one in the home office and a smaller, weekly calendar in the car. The kitchen holds family appointments, birthdays and such. The home office calendar contains client contact information and business appointments.

The car calendar records to-do lists, such as errands, shopping sales info and the like. Hey, some people like to be super organized. The bottom line here is that you've got a lucrative and plentiful niche market, waiting for you to produce the goods!

Artistic Pictures from the Professional Photographer

Here's yet another way to grow your career in photography. The dyed-in-the-wool camera buff usually has a cache of artsy photos which are well suited to a display in an art gallery. While you may be reluctant to mass market these special photographs, you may be willing to sell them as limited edition prints at a commensurate price.

With just these three venues, you can make a living. You must have a website for maximum exposure. Think of the possibilities! A career in photography is not just a dream.

Learn Digital Photography

Bob Pardue Photography