In the past month, I have been consumed with photography. I've spent almost $4K on the hobby (good thing I'm doing alright as an engineer) and have been living and breathing and soaking this stuff up like a sponge. It has become more than a hobby. I am seriously thinking of doing it as a career. I was wondering, is there a respectable school I could attend to learn more about it? Would it be a trade school? I know nothing is better than experience as well as being lucky enough to be a natural, if there were such a thing. Maybe this is the rant of a person entering mid-life (I'm 39) but I feel like being a professional photographer might be my calling. I'm sure its tough, and that wedding photography would probably be the bread and butter. I would probably give up a lot from a financial standpoint, but I feel like I don't care about it. I have found a passion in photography I have never felt before. Am I making a mistake and should I just keep this, a hobby? Any advice from you pro's out there?
Keep your day job for now and make money with your hobby on the weekends. Start on something like photograph pets, kids, real estate and up to wedding. If you want to make the big bucks with an advantureous job than try out being a news photographer in Iraq, or blend in with the paparazzi for a candid shot of a star.
Nothing sucks the joy out of a hobby faster than turning it into your job.
As others have said, find ways to explore your interest without giving up your day job.
I think if you were to ask this in the Pro forum, you'd find in general that less than 50% of the effort is photography, the bulk of the work is running a busines: sales, marketing, customer service.
That said - what could be better than getting paid doing something you love?
