Photographer

Embark on a creative journey as we unveil the path to becoming a photographer. Discover the steps and skills needed for a thriving career behind the lens.
How to Become a Photographer

If you love taking photos and feel like you have the talent to turn your hobby into a profession, the field of photography offers an abundance of opportunities for you to turn your passion into a career. As a photographer you can earn a living while practicing your art and share your unique point of view with the world. As a professional photographer, you have a lot of options for the type of work you can pursue, as well as what you want to specialize in.

Before you strike out on your own, it’s a good idea to consider what kind of photographer you want to be. Do you want to specialize in family portraits or maybe travel photography? You might enjoy working with models or celebrities or landscapes and nature. Once you have an idea of where your passion and talents may lie, then it’s time to start researching exactly how you can turn that dream into a reality.

What Is a Photographer?

A professional photographer is someone who has an advanced understanding of the principles and techniques of photography and applies them to their work. Photographers use their expertise to proficiently capture a moment or scene, either through the lens of a camera or otherwise.

While many people have heard of photographers, there are some who think that only photojournalists, media professionals, and videographers can be considered professional photographers. This is not the case; in reality, anyone who practices the art of photography and maintains their skills and credentials can be considered a professional photographer. For example, a wedding photographer, a family portrait photographer, or even someone with a point-and-shoot camera can be referred to as a professional photographer.

Though some photographers take up photography after attaining considerable experience in another field, there are others who are self-taught and started on the path to becoming professionals in photography as hobbyists.

Popular Types of Photography

Photography has been around for hundreds of years, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that photography became a developing profession. Since then, photography has grown to become one of the most popular and in-demand professions today. It’s no coincidence that three out of four professional photographers worldwide have an annual salary higher than $60,000 and are also self-employed in some way.

The field of photography is broad and diverse, offering a wide variety of career paths for individuals seeking a full-time income or supplemental income. Here are some of the most popular and in-demand types of photography:

Wedding Photography

A wedding photographer captures the most important moments of a wedding: the ceremony, dances, speeches, and well wishes. They are responsible for making sure that all of the people in the photographs look their best, and for capturing special moments and details.

Portrait Photography

Portrait photography is a genre of photography that captures the personality and likeness of a person or group. There are many styles to portrait photography, but the most popular is “studio” or “traditional” style, which is sometimes called “formal portraiture.” Much like other forms of commercial photography, traditional portraits are common in advertising, where they function as an endorsement for the product or company.

Travel Photography

Travel photography is a broad term that encapsulates a range of different styles. This includes images taken for family vacations, side jobs, or as a hobby; long-term projects such as city walks or visits to developing countries; and nature shots from around the world. Travel photography is prevalent in industries such as tourism, marketing, and advertising.

Sports Photography

Sports photography is a form of photography that captures the fast-paced action of sporting events like soccer, football, and baseball. Though sports photography can be done with just about any camera, a sports photographer may use a range of photographic equipment such as a camera with interchangeable lenses for taking action shots at high-speed 1/8000th-second shutter speeds to capture decisive moments from a sporting event.

Fashion Photography

Fashion photography is a term that can refer to two different fields of photography. One is describing the style of photography and approach taken by fashion photographers, often in magazines and advertisements, which is characterized by posing models against geometric or structural backdrops. The other definition describes still life imagery of the fashion industry as a whole, including fashion designers’ products from garments to accessories to clothing details.

Nature Photography

Nature photography is the art of taking pictures that focus on beautiful natural scenes and scenery. Nature photography can encompass many different aspects of the natural world including landscapes, animals, plants, insects, and even weather. Some people also include urban photography as a sub-type of nature photography which encompasses images from city settings as well.

Other Types of Photography

Qualities of a Successful Photographer

A photographer who is successful at their craft knows the fundamentals of composition and exposure. They take their time to think about what they want the viewer to see and convey an idea that will stay with them long after they have put down a camera. They use the tools they have with precision and purpose, choosing the right lens for the job. They are able to shift their focus easily, becoming involved in their environment, and able to adapt to whatever it might throw at them. Other key skills and competencies include:

Camera Operation

A successful photographer knows how to operate their camera. They know the exposure controls, understand them completely and know how to change settings. A professional photographer knows how to change a lens, set aperture and shutter speed, and compensate for the scene conditions, whether they are bright or dull, high contrast or low contrast, etc.

Composition

Composition refers to the way elements of a photo are arranged. A photo composition can be made up of several cohesive elements, or only a few, depending on the message the photographer is trying to communicate to the viewer.

Story Telling Ability

A photographer who is a successful storyteller can capture an image that conveys a moment of inspiration, tension, and emotion. A single photograph or series of photographs can tell the story of the subject matter without using words. Effective storytelling involves the use of conceptual elements such as mood and narrative with technical elements such as lighting, composition, and point of view, to elicit an emotional response from the viewer.

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Photographer

Every career has it’s pros and cons, even when your job is your passion. So it’s natural to wonder if the trade-offs are worth it. Hopefully, you will find that the benefits of being a professional photographer outweigh the negative aspects of the job. Here’s a list of the pros and cons of becoming a photographer.

PROS

You Get to Pursue Your Passion

For many artists, getting get paid to pursue their passion is the biggest perk of the job. The same is true for most professional photographers. No matter how frustrating the work gets or how difficult it may be to get started, you still get to take photos for a living.

You Get to Work With People

Photographers don’t work alone. You will be interacting with models, makeup artists, stylists, production assistants, and clients on a regular basis. Even if you work as a portrait photographer and spend most of your time shooting in the studio, you will still get to meet new people on a regular basis.

You May Be Able to Travel the World

Photographers can travel the world without leaving the job at home. This unique opportunity to fullfill your dream of travel while completing an assignment for work is one of the greatest perks of the career. You will have a chance to explore exotic locations and meet interesting people around the world that would be impossible without a job as a photographer.

You Can Be Self-Employed

Most professional photographers are self-employed, which means they set their own hours and work from anywhere with an internet connection. This is a huge opportunity for anyone looking to live a more flexible lifestyle.

CONS

It Often Requires an Initial Upfront Investment

Photography is a capital-intensive business: cameras, lighting equipment, studio space, even computer software. If you plan to go pro with your hobby photography, you need to set aside some cash upfront for the equipment and other resources you’ll need. And then there’s the matter of selling prints, which can cost up to eighty cents each to produce.

Clients Can Be Challenging

Most photographers would agree that occasionally dealing with demanding customers can be an unpleasant part of the job. This is especially true in the case of wedding photography, where brides, grooms, and their families often have very strong opinions about your work. The best way to overcome this obstacle is to remain polite and professional at all times.

You Have to Build Your Reputation First 

When you first launch your business you can expect new opportunities to come your way from friends and acquaintances. But you can’t survive on friends and family for long. You’ll have to figure out how to attract clients. To start, you may have to hustle just to make a low wage or even work for free to earn positive reviews and build your brand. It may take some time before you make enough money to support your pursuit of photography as a full-time profession.

You'll Have a Business to Run

As a self-employed professional, you will have to deal with things like taxes, insurance, bookkeeping, and all of the other business aspects of running a company. Not to mention, invoicing and possibly hounding your clients for payment. You’ll also have to do a lot of scheduling, email communication, and customer service related tasks. You’ll have to find time for regular business activities like marketing, advertising, and self-promotion to keep the clients rolling in. All of these activities can fill up your day before you have snapped a single shot.
4 %
Job Growth
$ 50210
Mean Annual Wage
14 K+
Job Openings Per Year

Photographer Salary

As of May 2022, the median hourly wage for photographers was $19.31. In this context, “median” refers to the wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more, and half earned less. At the lower end of the scale, the lowest 10 percent of photographers earned less than $12.98 per hour. Meanwhile, the highest 10 percent earned more than $39.64 per hour, indicating a significant wage range in the profession.

It’s important to note that some photographers work part-time, allowing for flexible hours. The flexible scheduling caters to meetings with clients, site visits, and other necessary tasks that may not adhere to a traditional 9-to-5 workday. Furthermore, the workload can fluctuate with the season for certain photographers. For instance, wedding photographers typically experience peak demand during the summer and fall seasons.