Have you ever dreamed of becoming a photographer? Wondered what life would be like if you spent all day working at a job you love?
Are you currently making money as a paid, photographer? If not, why? What's stopping you?
Are you afraid your images, "won't stack up?" Have you fallen into the trap of comparing your work to all the best magazine photographers? Or have you been looking at all those stunning, photo contest winners? You know, those incredible, breathtaking shots that we look at and sadly shake our heads (knowing in our hearts that we could never do THAT!) once again letting our dreams die and returning to our boring, soul sucking lives?
Big mistake!
Those images are rarely, if ever, an example of the day in and day out images of a working professional. They're usually once in a lifetime shots - and YOU are comparing your day in and day out abilities to THAT! Bad move.
Swing by the local mall, go to the first portrait studio you see, (there's usually several) and watch for a little while. Soon, you'll be saying to yourself, "I could do better than that!" Want a tip? You probably COULD do a better job.
Most of the mall photographers you see are part time kids - still living at home and working to earn a little extra spending money. They don't have any special degrees or any special talent. The store manager spends a day or so working with them to teach them how to load the camera, helps them learn a few simple poses then turns them loose!
When they got their job, it wasn't due to some super portfolio. Usually one of their friends worked there and got them the job - or they were in the mall one day, applying at ALL the stores and the photo place called them back first.
In other words, with no special talent or background, they stumbled into what you would think of as a dream job, but have always considered as out of your reach!
It's NOT out of reach. Several years ago, (I hope the standards are a bit higher now) I had a conversation with the manager of one of the mall baby portrait studios. She'd been the studio manager for three years. I asked what lighting pattern she liked the best and found out that the lights are permanently attached to the wall! One lighting setup fits all - I guess. I won't even get into why she had never bothered to check and see what brand of camera they used.
I can hear the mad rustling of paper as all you mall shooters scramble to write me some hate mail. Don't bother. I'm sure that many of you are knowledgeable, caring and do a terrific job. That wasn't my point. The point is; you don't have to be the reincarnation of Ansel Adams to make a decent living as a photographer. People mostly buy a few basic poses. Learn to create and shoot them and you are on the way. It's that easy.
Then, once you learn the basic poses and lighting patterns, you need to learn a few time tested and proven marketing strategies. Ones that will have potential clients banging down your doors and clamoring for your services. To learn these, check out my website - the links are in my resources box. I believe ANYONE with an interest in photography and just a tiny bit of competency, can be making money with their camera within two weeks. By anyone, I mean YOU.
Are you currently making money as a paid, photographer? If not, why? What's stopping you?
Are you afraid your images, "won't stack up?" Have you fallen into the trap of comparing your work to all the best magazine photographers? Or have you been looking at all those stunning, photo contest winners? You know, those incredible, breathtaking shots that we look at and sadly shake our heads (knowing in our hearts that we could never do THAT!) once again letting our dreams die and returning to our boring, soul sucking lives?
Big mistake!
Those images are rarely, if ever, an example of the day in and day out images of a working professional. They're usually once in a lifetime shots - and YOU are comparing your day in and day out abilities to THAT! Bad move.
Swing by the local mall, go to the first portrait studio you see, (there's usually several) and watch for a little while. Soon, you'll be saying to yourself, "I could do better than that!" Want a tip? You probably COULD do a better job.
Most of the mall photographers you see are part time kids - still living at home and working to earn a little extra spending money. They don't have any special degrees or any special talent. The store manager spends a day or so working with them to teach them how to load the camera, helps them learn a few simple poses then turns them loose!
When they got their job, it wasn't due to some super portfolio. Usually one of their friends worked there and got them the job - or they were in the mall one day, applying at ALL the stores and the photo place called them back first.
In other words, with no special talent or background, they stumbled into what you would think of as a dream job, but have always considered as out of your reach!
It's NOT out of reach. Several years ago, (I hope the standards are a bit higher now) I had a conversation with the manager of one of the mall baby portrait studios. She'd been the studio manager for three years. I asked what lighting pattern she liked the best and found out that the lights are permanently attached to the wall! One lighting setup fits all - I guess. I won't even get into why she had never bothered to check and see what brand of camera they used.
I can hear the mad rustling of paper as all you mall shooters scramble to write me some hate mail. Don't bother. I'm sure that many of you are knowledgeable, caring and do a terrific job. That wasn't my point. The point is; you don't have to be the reincarnation of Ansel Adams to make a decent living as a photographer. People mostly buy a few basic poses. Learn to create and shoot them and you are on the way. It's that easy.
Then, once you learn the basic poses and lighting patterns, you need to learn a few time tested and proven marketing strategies. Ones that will have potential clients banging down your doors and clamoring for your services. To learn these, check out my website - the links are in my resources box. I believe ANYONE with an interest in photography and just a tiny bit of competency, can be making money with their camera within two weeks. By anyone, I mean YOU.
About the Author:
Photo Marketing and earning tons of money with your camera is not only easy, it is something that YOU can do. It's surprisingly easy to earn a full time or part time income working at freelance Photo Jobs. to discover the secret to having the career of your dreams, just follow one of the links...
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