what they might not teach in photo school

If you’ve read all of the business responsibilities sections and are still with me then it’s obvious you really want to be a professional photographer. There’s no way around it, if you’re going to survive (and thrive) in business then you have to understand how business works, whether you’re running a bakery or a photo studio.

All of this learning doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a process. My particular process has involved a lot of mistakes, I readily admit. I’ve taken chances and made some bad decisions, things I’m lucky to have survived. And I’m still learning and taking chances and, occasionally, making bad decisions. But that means I’m learning and am in the game. You can’t win if you’re not actively in the game.

The full title of this entry is “what they might not teach you in photo school (or what you should have paid more attention to, if they did)”. The title leaves this particular entry ripe for tips and tricks about Photoshop, establishing pricing or getting new clients. I can think of lots of beneficial tips but those will come shortly. Right now we’re still in overview mode (tomorrow is the last entry for the ’six keys to success’ overview).

Instead, I want to talk about setting goals and expectations for your career. Realize that many people would like to make a living in photography. A surprising number seem to think it’s going to be easy. Here’s my official statement on the state of professional photography (you’ll hear me say this often):

As a professional photographer with 20+ years of experience, I think it’s easier than ever to make extra income with photography. There are tools available that make it pretty darn accessible for most anyone to start a part-time portrait or microstock photo business. But, truth be told, I also think (and this is my opinion) that it’s more difficult than ever to make a truly good living in photography. There aren’t a lot of full-time staff photographer positions and many photographers are competing for the ones that do exist. As a result, more and more photographers are deciding to start their own business, either part- or full-time.

If you are one of the entrepreneurs ready to start your own business, really look at where you want to go and diligently research the steps necessary to get there. Are you prepared for the fact that it might not be easy? Are you willing to study, learn and put in the work necessary to achieve your goals? I’m confident that you are. Why else would I spend my free time writing about this?