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How to Begin Photography as a Career Professionally



So some months ago you picked up the habit of taking pictures of people, places, and things. You got fascinated with the way the light falls on your cat by the kitchen window sill in the evenings and you didn't know how else to capture such beauty except by taking pictures. Now you have tons of pictures on your phone: the swirl of your coffee in your cup after you stir it, your cat’s pretty eyes staring at you with love on some mornings when you wake up, and even the light that falls on your flowers in the evening when the sun meets a part of your window.


You are fascinated by collecting memories in the form of pictures and you feel you want to begin earning a living from it. That’s why you’re here, right? To learn how to turn your hobby and delight into money to pay your bills. Here is a list of ways to make photography a career


Choose a niche



It’s hard, definitely, but you can’t be a jack of all trades. Yes, you love taking pictures of everything and anything, but if you hope to make a career out of photography, you have to specialize. What do you love taking pictures of the most? People? Animals? You might want to go into portrait photography.


Do you like taking pictures of things, flowers, clothes, or paintings? You might want to consider delving into still-life photography.

On the side, as a hobby, you can keep taking pictures of whatever you want to, but your portfolio has to focus on one niche.

Understand the kinds of photography that exist and explore them


Understand the kinds of photography that exist and explore them



How do you know you'd rather be a photojournalist than portraiture if you haven’t explored both sides? That’s the trick. Don’t be scared; explore. Sports photography, still-life photography, portrait photography, fashion photography, editorial photography, etc. Explore them all.


Understand what each of them entails and check if they align with your values before making a decision. You wouldn’t want to transition to a career you don’t love.


Create a portfolio



When people contact you because they heard you’re a photographer, the first thing they want to see is your portfolio. A portfolio contains your best works and proves you as a worthy career person to potential clients.


If you'd like to reach a wider audience, you could decide to engage some social media platform with your works. Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook are great places to start because people following you because they enjoy what you do will start to associate photography with you and that’ll help you get jobs by referrals.


Persevere because it’s not rocket science



When you start and get a few likes or engagements on your pictures, you might be tempted to give up. Don’t. Consistency is the key to greatness, so keep posting, keep showing up and never stop taking those pictures and learning.


Sign up for photography lessons, practice, and have someone more experienced that can critique your work sometimes and let you know what you’re doing wrong. It helps to keep you on track while making you get better.

Transitioning to take photography as a career can be daunting. It’s easy to do something you love without paying it much thought when you don’t have to make money off it, but when you do, it gets harder. It gets easier, too, though.


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