Becoming a professional photographer is the dream for many, but a lifestyle for few. This doesn’t mean that you should feel discouraged from trying to break into professional photography yourself—in fact, one of the main reasons as to why people don’t get as far in professional photography as they’d like is because they don’t know where to start.
We’ve constructed this guide on some tips regarding How to Break Into Professional Photography in order to show you the essentials so you can get out into the world and try it for yourself!
Create Your Foundation
One of the most important things is earning the credentials for what you want to do. Though it’s not necessary to have your style be guided by any rule book, to know the terms used in the business and art form can be helpful to understand exactly how you want to work within photography. For this, look into either studying somewhere or interning with a local photographer to learn the ropes.
Build a Portfolio
You won’t be able to get any jobs in photography if you don’t have a handful of experience, so it’s important to build your portfolio so if it comes to applying to a job, you’ll have a decent selection of photos to choose from. You’d also be surprised at the number of people in your area who are interested in being subjects in photographs, so post some local flyers or ask friends to get going! Give them free photographs in exchange for being part of your portfolio and you’ll be on your way to a strong client base in no time!
Find Your Style and Don’t Worry About Equipment
Photography is nothing without personal style and flare, so you should have a strong vision of what you want and subsequently what your style is. Sometimes these things only come with time, so you may be many photoshoots into your career until you understand what you do best. Something that we recommend during this process, though, is to not put too much emphasis on the equipment you’re using. Sure, having good equipment is certainly helpful, but sometimes you can be hindered by believing you need certain equipment to do effects. The most important thing is to be creative!
