There is no better time to turn your serious photography hobby into a career. Thanks to advanced technology, photography equipment is more advanced and easier to use than ever.

And although the 2021 global prices of consumer goods are up, photography equipment is relatively affordable for entry-level photographers.

Let's be clear, becoming a successful professional photographer is no easy feat, and it remains a highly competitive industry. You still need to have the right skills and business acumen to generate a modest income in your early years.

You will have to work hard to generate new clients and business. And, like most professions, moving into a higher income bracket will take advanced skills, experience, time, and dogged determination. Yet, becoming a pro-level photographer is probably more accessible than it ever has been.

There's more to becoming a sought-after photographer than just shooting good images. Before you launch a photography business, ask yourself these three critical questions:

Why do you want to become a pro?
How many hours can you dedicate to the work? Is this a side hustle or a new full-time job? (Building a successful photography business is a full-time job, requiring a lot of work.)
What sort of photography do you want to specialize in (portrait, sports, wedding, event, etc.)?

If you're comfortable with your answers to those three questions, read on for our tips to become a professional photographer.

Pro-level skills

One of the two most essential skills for a professional photographer includes creative skills (the other is business acumen and more on that later in this article).

Your creative skills should consist of what you already know and what you will learn and master. You can't be stagnant in the creative learning process. It's the kiss of death in the business! Be sure you've mastered all of the basics and are well into the more complex theories and techniques.

Even if you're just launching your business, you should be able to work a photography shoot with your camera. As a professional photographer, you never want to find yourself in front of a client who knows more about photography than you do.

2. Practice & Experience

Experience is critical to success. But how do you get experience when you're just starting out? Practice! And then more practice.

You need to be at a level of experience where the decisions you make during a professional photoshoot come effortlessly. This means you know what equipment to grab for, when, and what to do with it. Practice is how you develop that level of expertise.

Whether you practice with friends or create your own scenarios, the more you practice, the better and more comfortable you will become. A good tip is to carry your camera everywhere with you and take pictures to add to your portfolio of images. (More on portfolios further down.)

But that's not all. You'll also need to implement new techniques as you practice. It's how you build a cadre of experience and knowledge.

3. Education

Education can help get you to a higher level. Take some high-quality photography classes taught in a reputable program. While many photographers are self-taught, many have turned to education at some point in their careers. (Tip: You should check the professor's qualifications before registering.)

There also are excellent online courses. However, these are typically not live and don't allow for the Q & A opportunities you might get from a live class with an instructor and other students.

4. Mentors

Another learning opportunity is working with a more advanced photographer as your mentor. A mentor can help you learn critical new photography and business skills. You can also learn from their experience, including their mistakes.

The key to a successful mentoring relationship is to work with someone more advanced than you and willing to commit consistent time to mentor you. A good mentoring relationship can be invaluable to your career, and it's worth taking the time to identify a good mentor.

5. Genres

Unless you've developed your skills exceptionally in one specific genre and intend to pursue only that genre professionally, you'll want to explore the different kinds of photography. Some beginners make the mistake of picking one genre without exploring other areas and having the most suitable skills for the selected genre.

For example, if you don't like working with children, you might want to avoid photographing family, infants, and children. If you're not the outdoorsy kind, landscape and nature photography probably aren't your cup of tea. That's why exploring various genres before picking one is prudent.

However, keep in mind that the more genres you're proficient in, the greater the possibility for revenue and building your business. Being good at various genres opens up more opportunities.

6. Niche photography

Creating a unique style and brand can help you develop your business in a particular niche of photography. This usually means you love and excel in a specific or unique area of photography that allows you to help build your clientele.

For example, you might want to focus on food photography, a niche of commercial photography. However, you will want to avoid becoming so narrowed in focus that there aren't enough clients to sustain a business.

If you specialize in a photography niche, a good general rule is not over-narrowing your business potential.

7. Gear

You will need the correct gear to be a professional photographer. Note that we said correct gear, not best gear. You do not need the most expensive equipment on the market to create stunning images.

You just need to use the good quality gear that's appropriate for the work you're doing. If you've been a serious hobby photographer for a while, you probably already have enough stuff to launch a business. If you don't, your options are to buy (new or used) or rent what you lack.

We suggest you be very selective in what you purchase. There's no sense in spending a lot of money when you first start your business and have limited income. Quality over quantity is a good rule of thumb. It's better to have fewer high-quality pieces than have a lot of mediocre gear that doesn't meet your needs.

8. Careful editing

A hobby photographer can choose to spend little time editing pictures. A professional photographer doesn't have that luxury. They're beholden to their clients, and editing is a critical part of excellent professional work.

Almost all images need some level of editing, whether it's cropping or fixing minor flaws. Technology is highly advanced today, but it's not perfect. And even the most experienced and talented photographers edit their images. Post-processing editing makes a good picture into quality worthy of a client paying for it.

For the best quality edits, we suggest you learn to master editing techniques on software like Lightroom. The only way to do that is through practice - and some patience. Don't skimp on the amount of time you spend editing your work before showing it to a client.

9. Building a portfolio

Your portfolio (your body of work) is like your resume. It is the reason people will hire you. This means that a high-quality portfolio is critical to building and sustaining a business.

When you're just beginning as a professional, its worth can be even higher since you don't yet have a regular stream of returning clients. You can learn and find inspiration from other professional photographers by browsing their online portfolios. Your portfolio should only contain your very best images.

10. Create a business plan

Before you launch a business, you will need to create a business plan. Your business plan should detail your business objectives and how you're going to achieve them.

Basically, consider it a vital roadmap guiding your decisions related to finances, marketing, and operations/services. (There are plenty of examples available online.) If you're working with a mentor, they can provide some guidance based on their business experience. A well-written business plan can be invaluable in your early years as a fledgling professional.

11. Professional photography website

Today's websites are yesterday's storefronts. Your photography website could be the first contact someone has with you, whether they found your site through an internet search or word of mouth referral. Most reputable photographers have a website and social media presence (more on the latter one later in this article.).

It also gives a home to your portfolio, which can appear as an image gallery on the website. You'll also want to list the services you provide and contact information for you. Your website must appear high-quality and professional and incorporate SEO techniques to help you rank higher on an internet search.

It should have a client portal where you can share images of a shoot with a client. Some photographers like to set up online scheduling as well. Remember that your website is as critical to your business as your body of work.

12. People and business skills

We said earlier that there were two important skills to possess as a professional photographer. One is creative talent, which we already discussed. The second skill is business acumen, including people or networking skills.

You can be the best photographer in the world, but if you can't run your business (or hire someone to run it), you're not going to succeed. Being a professional photographer also means being a business person. A critical part of running a business is dealing with clients. If managing your own office and bookkeeping isn't your thing, you can hire someone.

However, dealing with clients and networking with others to build your business will fall to you as the photographer/business owner. You don't have to be a gregarious extrovert, but you do have to connect politely and effectively with others you'll meet. It's critical that your business runs efficiently and that you communicate well with others.

13. Social media & marketing

Too many photographers starting out forget to develop a marketing strategy. How are people going to learn about your work without any marketing? Do you have a budget to pay for marketing? Ads? Social media is a terrific way to market your work, both for free and through paid ads.

We can't imagine any photographer today not having a significant social media presence. Besides being a form of marketing, it's also a way to network with others. Social media can expose your work up to an enormous global audience. You can follow other photographers and find inspiration from their posts.

Additionally, your website is part of a marketing strategy, as is blogging. Small businesses today know that an active blog helps drive SEO traffic to their websites. Unlike a business plan which is a bit more rigid, a marketing plan is often an organic plan that changes with time according to your business, clients, and needs.

Conclusion

Becoming a professional photographer can be a daunting challenge, but it can be gratifying as well. Running your own show, so to speak, can have enormous rewards beyond just a paycheck.

As you gain experience and grow your client base, don't forget to stay on top of the latest technological advances for photography gear and techniques. Being a great photographer means being curious, determined, tenacious, and a perpetual student of photography.

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