Here I am, sitting on my couch, bored and unemployed. I have just gotten out of the military after 8 years of working on electronics, moved to a new city and now I need a job. I have spent the last few months looking for a job to do more electronics, but really there just isn't anything out there in my city and I currently refuse to move. Like many here, I love photography. There are two local shops that aren't commercial companies. Thats it.
Heres the deal. I want to get into doing what I love for a living. Be it behind the lens, in the lab, or repairing camera's. I don't care. I want to wake up every day and go, man, I love my job. Monday I will be going to the local shops and seeing if they have a bulletin board of people needing assistants or what not.
So, If you have any suggestions, life stories of how you got into photography professionally or just want to say good luck or something not so nice, then please reply.
Photography is one of the most competitive careers you could choose to enter. You will be competing against Dad's with Cameras at every turn, local sports, weddings even low end product photography... everyone today thinks they can make a few bucks with their camera, and tries to undercut everyone else... On the high end, the market is flush with more photography and MFA grads than we could ever have jobs for (most are working in check-out lines and would jump at a chance to use some of their expensive college education).
If you are going to succeed you need to be a good businessman before anything else. You need to have a very good understanding of accounting, taxes, accounts receivable, accounts payable, cost accounting, sales and marketing. You will need to understand your REAL costs and understand how to create a workflow that actually allows you to make a profit. You need to know how to do market research to help figure out what your market is and what you need to do to fill the demand.
As my photography professor told me many years ago, if you can possible picture yourself in a different career, consider that career first...
Good Luck to you. It is possible to succeed in photography, but it is a very long and difficult road.
Thanks for the words. Since the 8th grade, photography is the only thing that has kept my interest. I don't know that I would ever make a living as a photographer, because I just don't think I'm that good, but I would like to be in the industry at least. One day, maybe opening a store.
Right now I'm off to the local stores to see if anyone needs an assistant or if there are possibly lab or salesmen positions open.
Ramen noodles are good! If you get some cheap frozen vegetables and throw them in a big pot with an egg and a pack or two of ramen you can eat for a while
Buy - Best Business Practices for Photographers by John Harrington, it's helpful.
Keep a low stress part time job and devote all of your free time to building a portfolio and clientele. If you're interested in being a shooter find wedding shooters and studios that need interns. Once you've got some work, keep building your portfolio and get it seen.
If you don't want to shoot it's all a bit different. You could do grip work for movies or go to school for lighting and stay in the same field. Just a thought.
A lot of people turn pro and lose the zest they used to have. It can apply to any field, not just photography. You've got to shoot what pays the bills, it's not that people will pay you regardless of what you shoot and how good you are at it. Good luck--you'll need it.
If you make your hobby into your profession you end up without a hobby. That is kind of what happened to my uncle, he loved photography and did tons of it for a whole bunch of newspapers, after doing it for 10 years he just got tired of it, always the same thing, going to some big soccer match, photographing some famous person, etc... He still works for a newspaper, but doesnt do photography anymore.
Doing pure art photography im sure would be great fun, but unless you are magically tallented (which im not saying you arn't), you might get quite bored of weddings, school photos, passport photos, etc...
An example you might be able to relate more to. Im currently in the army and before the army started i was really looking forward to getting my own gun, I used to go shooting app. 2 times per year and really enjoyed it. Right now however i hate the gun, shooting multiple times per week, cleaning it, dragging it around everywhere, learning combat techniques, etc... I'm prety sure the same would happen to me and photography if i were to make it into my profession
