How to Make Photography a Career – Some Easy Tips from Experts

Photography as a hobby is excellent and we already talked about it in the past. After all, if you are looking to take photos and you are also enjoying it, why not go ahead and keep pursuing it, right? However, a lot of time, people often talk about how photography is only good as a hobby, and turning it into a career is not that easy.

What if I tell you that you can actually go ahead and turn your hobby of photography into a full-fledged career, something that a lot of people have been doing for the longest time and it has paid off really nicely?

Now, the obvious thing here is that it is not going to be an easy thing, to be honest. There are some ups and downs that can come in the way and ruin your experience. The process of turning photography into a career is not at all difficult, to be honest. As a matter of fact, it is the opposite of that as it is one of the easiest things that you can do.

So, if you have been spending your time wondering how to make a career in photography, you are at the right place as we are going to take you through some of the most common things that you can do, and well, that will work for you.

How to Make Photography a Career – An Easy Plan of Action

Now, the plan is not going to be difficult, to be honest. However, I have to tell you that although becoming a professional photographer is not at all difficult, it does take a good amount of effort, so if you are looking to turn something into a career, you will need to be fully dedicated to it so it can work the way you want it to work.

A photography career that pays well is always amazing to have as it teaches you a lot more than just photography. A professional photographer is not just someone with a camera, but a person with commitment and discipline. If you want to become a professional photographer and start a career, then you have to be steadfast and prepared to take on the challenges.

From Passion to Profit

With that said, since that is out of the way, we are now going to talk about how to make a career in photography because that is one of the most important things that you can go through. Let’s not waste time and start having a look at how these things can be handled, right? Yep, having a passion for photography is one thing, but you have to go through some steps before you are able to make money.

For instance, you will have to find your niche while exploring different types of photography, find potential clients, see if you want to do it full-time, and then decide if being a professional photographer is a good idea.

With that said, we have been reviewing cameras, lenses, and gimbals for all the budding photographers. So, if you do need more information, you can always check out our roundups and you will have a much easier time finding something that you genuinely like and can use for your career as well. Rest assured, all our buying guides and round-ups are here for your convenience so you do not run into any issues, either. Just be sure to check for something that you might need.

1- You Will Need a Niche

The first thing that you need to be sure of whenever you are turning photography into a career is that you are going to need a niche. I do understand that most people would not want to go that route and just go with all the photography gigs but honestly, finding a niche is much, much better because you will easily be able to go ahead and master that specific niche.

However, what I would suggest to everyone is that it is going to be a lot better if you start with mastering one niche and then master the rest of the niches, as well. This is only going to help you expand your skills and mastery, and you will be able to get good at multiple forms of photography, which is one thing that we always go for.

2- Building a Portfolio is Important

Moving further, another important thing that you simply cannot overlook is the fact that building your portfolio is one of the most important things. This is something that you will need to focus on even if you are just looking to get better at photography as a hobby. The reason behind that is rather simple, having a good portfolio is more or less going to become your selling point.

You should take a lot of pictures and the best ones should always go to your portfolio; the more refined your portfolio is, the better and easier it will become for you to find clients going forward. So, it is always better that you are going for that, and you would be more than happy to know that things are working in your favor.

3- Always Include Your Prices

This is not something that is limited to photographers, but I have seen so many professions that do not include or explicitly mention their prices. I know not a lot of people do this simply because it allows other people to reach out to you and ask for prices but honestly, the whole process of just having your prices out there is definitely worth it.

Why? Well, if your work is good, it will warrant the price you are charging and it will remove any doubts. What’s the point of having someone come into your inbox just so you can then spend your valuable time bargaining for the prices that are not at all that we want to go for, in the first place?

4- Make Sure You Are Marketing Yourself

Moving further, you also have to be certain that you are properly branding and marketing yourself because a lot of times, people do not really care about such things and that is never a good thing, to begin with. This can only cause more troubles for you going forward and it would be better if you are focused on that, too. Just to be sure that you are not doing anything wrong.

You can always create a website on your own considering how there are just so many platforms available that will let you set up a website with ease and you can go further and even invest in a domain, so it is all good to go.

5- Generating Leads and Going Freelance

This is another thing that a lot of people are not going to be concerned about but honestly, if you are looking to be sure that you are doing everything right in the world of photography and if you are serious about making photography a career, then the best part is that you can easily do so if you start generating leads. The process behind lead generation is not at all difficult and in most cases, you would be easily able to do it.

Additionally, this is for those who are just starting out despite having extensive experience in taking photos. The whole idea of going freelance is not a bad thing, to be honest. Why? Well, with freelancing, you would be more than easily able to get your foot through the door and you will gain more and more experience. Of course, you would be able to earn money, too, but you will also get extensive experience in trying out various forms of photography, something that is always good.

6- Make Sure You are Getting Referrals and Testimonials

I do understand this might not make sense to most people and it might not matter to a lot of people but one thing that you absolutely have to take care of is be sure that you are getting access to all the referrals and testimonials.

Why? Well, having access to these is only going to make things easier for you. The more people know that your work is good and speaks for itself, the better it is going to be going forward as a professional photographer.

Now, this also reminds me that you should always avoid the mistake of paying for referrals and testimonials through artificial means because I do know of a lot of people who have done this and it never really pays off and it is just being a terrible person to yourself and your career.

7- Be Serious About It

Now, this is something that most people do not even see coming their way but it is as serious as it can get. The idea of making photography into a career is a great one, to be honest. After all, you will get the chance to do something you truly love but you also have to be sure that you are taking things seriously. Sure, earning money through doing what you love is always good but when it comes to the same thing paying your bills, things are different.

If you want to rely on photography as the only career and income stream, there is nothing wrong with it but in that case, you will have to be serious about it. Yes, photographers do make a good amount of money, but before you get started, I would highly suggest you visit Glassdoor and check out just how much a photographer can make, and then decide accordingly.

Once you have figured out that you can truly make a good chunk of money from photography, you can always start looking into it seriously and make photography a career as well, without any issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

I fully understand that anyone who is looking to get into photography is going to have difficulties finally getting the process started. Thankfully, the internet is a wonderful place full of valuable information and our aim here is to ensure that anyone who is looking to get into photography can do so with ease and without any confusion, either. If you have been looking for the right way to get a hold of photography, this guide is for you.

If you want to move away from photography just being a hobby, this is a great way of getting into it, and it just works.