The Move from Amateur, to Semi Pro Photographer

I have been a photographer for more then 14 years now, ranging from nature to modeling portfolios. For all but the last two years its been my hobby shooting what I felt was moving or pretty or just emotional and interesting.

Now this is not what happens to everyone but if you followed me in this then you made the jump from trees and scenic, to models and sets. Now I will say there are more then enough disciplines in photography to make any writing incomplete at best. My personal area of this was free style shooting. Folding in glamour, fashion, artistic, and some nudes or implied.

What makes freestyle appealing to me and a lot of shooters (photographers) inviting is we can find our discipline and then focus on that. By ranging in the disciplines you can see what you do best and what makes you happy. Now what happens next is what floors most people when we tell them how it works.

Step one is to determine what you wish to do and what will you charge. Now don't expect to jump in to it and start making money right off the line. We do a lot of work for free, and most of us will continue working for free our whole career. If your goings for stock photography, start working on what it means and how many shots you're going to want to publish or post. It's a lot of work and a lot of computer time. If modeling is your forum then expect to be working for free to build your portfolio.

Now most think that well ill buy a camera or use my old family camera to start and then ill build as I go. It is done and can be used for a while to come. But at what cost, the best photographer in the world will tell you that this is not a great way to start but we use what we have. The gear we use is as important as the way we shoot. Most will go and buy a consumer grade digital SLR (single reflex lens) camera and a flash that think that is all they will need are in for a wake up call.

We have all seen the cost of having a professional do our pictures, and have asked why is this so expensive. Well the answer is in the cost to the photographer. That's right the equipment used is very expensive and the upfront cost can range from a little over a $1000.00, to as much as $100,000.00. Yes that is right the average pro grade camera will cost you about $1500 and then a lens will run you for a pro grade lens will cost around $600.00, to $1000.00. Then you are looking at another range of lights, studios, props, filters, computers, programs, and processing software. So when you walk into most studios you are looking at a lot of money waiting for you to make the perfect picture.

Now let's say you start off like me and most with what ever you already have for equipment. Then we have to promote our works, and make sure we are known and able to be found. There are many places on the internet to get this done for free. So you read and read and sign up for and read some more. You learn that this self made easy business is going to be very intensive in the beginning on your time and patients. Most will quit in the first year, and the phrase "starving artist" is very fitting for this time.

So after you start getting your name out there, and working for free and starting to make some money we have to decide if we are going grow. We upgrade our equipment, maybe start a studio or even go mobile and set up work in other areas. We have to decide at some point if we want to make this our career, or keep it as a part time job. Do we have what it takes and if so do we want to make the leap of faith to make this the bread winner. We start paying for models in some cases we look for more places to sell the images we create, we push our ability and we work for hours to make the perfect shot, the perfect everything. We proudly place our name on shots and with great joy see our works printed and published. We are forever looking for new clients, and new areas to expand our sales. The best images in the world will only make you money if you know how to sell them.

After you see this process and decide what you will do you see why they charge the prices that are charged, you see the work behind the scene and we see why we have had to pay the prices in the past. We know the battles and the work for each shot. We decided if school was best or if just winging it was enough. And we have put our soul into the works. But what is true for one shooter is not always true for others.

We see all types in this industry ranging from shooters of passion, to shooters that seek to use others for their own interest. We see people using the industry to try to date or worse. We see the ones that have little to know respect, and will destroy lives to get what they are seeking. You will see what happens when the wrong shot is put in the wrong place and you will see what happens when the right people see the right shot. This is a world in its self that has its own rules and its own responsibility.

Now you're asking your self why I would work for free. Well it's to build your portfolio as a shooter. You have models or places that you want to shoot. You offer to give them the use of your shots to build your own portfolio, and the help you learn. In the modeling industry it's called TF, TFCD, TFP or any of a number of other little acronyms. TF meaning Trade for, the last part meaning either CD of the work, or P meaning print or portfolio and everybody will have to do this from time to time. All meaning work for free and neither pay for their own expertise. In the modeling field it's done constantly.

Now why would a known selling photographer work for free simple really he gets to add to his works. But there are many that will sell the models shots after the shoot to bulk photo companies, or worse they will shoot nudes or shots that will not help a model to companies that sell them to porn sites or even worse then all of this are the photographers that video the shoots with out the models knowledge and can destroy a career with one sale. This is the bad side to modeling photography and I could and will write about this in my next work (modeling from the photographers' point of view. Do's and do not).

This is only one side of the industry that has more shades and sides then any one can imagine. Every thing in this industry can be beautiful depending on the eyes that see it. And with patients and intelligents can make you some money.