I often get asked by students and people wanting to become photographers-how to.... Here’s my best advice for someone aiming to become a professional photographer-Please add your advice in comments so we can help those and ensure they have an understanding of how to actually become a professional Photographer and how to behave as such.
1. Master your craft.
For 15 years, when I started as a photographer, I worked in "Fashion". Shooting for top fashion brands. After this time I felt a little despondent with the fashion world and wanted to look at changing genre, to outdoor/lifestyle/fitness/sports and health brands. Don't get me wrong I loved the fashion genre, but wanted a change. I was fortunate, in that, I was working in the studio with a model, who also happened to be friends with a creative director, who worked for speedo. We got introduced and I fortunately then got commissioned, by this creative director, to shoot for speedo.
I have always been in two minds with regards to social media. Does it actually get you work. Well I guess it's how you use it and how much time and effort you have to put into it. The question I have always had as well. How genuine is it? People buy followers so it looks like they are almost famous or at least people love their work so much that they have thousands of followers worldwide. How seriously can you take social media and how best to utilise it. A lot of the platforms now have ads galore and imagery seems to get lost. I refer in particular to instagram.
James - a PU member lives in Brighton, James has been freelance since he graduated from the LCC ba Hons photography school in 1997 and has worked for a range of editorial, design and Commeriall clients, photographing people and places…. I’ve shot for vanity Fair, Elle, Elle Decoration, FT magazine, Harvey Nichols, Space NK, Unilever, Holland and Barrett, Offspring etc etc.
He is working on a personal long term project and series on long exposure landscapes that deal with man made structures and the time and tide.
If you have a website you have to consider if you have the time and inclination to do a Blog. You may feel you don't need to-Blogging isn’t necessary for photographers, but it can be a powerful tool for growing their brand, attracting clients, and showcasing expertise. It can be a way of showing potential clients how you work, what matters to you and how you achieve the imagery you do. There may also be an argument towards- giving too much information. A little mystery can be a good thing.
Here’s why it’s worth considering:
