What was your 'path'?

I am curious as to how many of you are 'self-taught' professionals. I'd love

to know how old you were when you first started taking pictures and how long

it took for you to progress to obtaining payment for your work.

 

I suppose the question of 'age' is a sensitive one. I've been told I'm too

old (at 40) to consider a career change. Photography is very much a passion

and I'd like to continue learning as I always have (via the internet, books

and intensive practice, with the occasional workshop). I'd like to eventually

accrue some earnings as a product photographer (this appeals to my technical

side). I fear the timescale, but it's what I would like to do. I used to be

an interior decorator, so I have high standards and experience of running a

small business. I'm aware of the vast learning curve, but if I put in the

time and effort, I'd like to think that somewhere down the line I will achieve

a good standard.

 

It is daunting, and I'm curious how long it took for you all to build up some

self-confidence.

I was 44 when I bought my first camera of any kind, and I opened a studio 5 years later. Since I had another business that paid the bills, i wasn't pushing to start making money at photography. If you have the desire, you can progress quickly, especially with your background in art and business. And conincidentally, a friend here started at about the same time that I did, at about the same age, and he has a studio next to mine now.

 

Don't listen to the age argument.

The issue with changing careers isn't a matter of "age", so much as it is a matter of "responsibilities". Younger people tend to be the ones with less responsibility who can therefore better handle the period of unpredictability (and unprofitability) that comes with beginning a new career.

Ron - thank you so much for responding. You have inspired me. I'm motivated by your achievements, and those of your friend. May I ask which area of photography you concentrate on most, and how you learned?

Josh - that can be very true, especially if you have a family to support, a mortgage and so on. The older you are, the riskier it can be. However, when I was younger, I still had rent to pay and food to buy. Now that I'm a bit older, I have more 'breathing space' in that I can afford some equipment and perhaps convert my garage into a viable workspace. I want to seize every opportunity while I can, and use the business and admin skills I've built up over the years. Can I ask you how you manage the work/life/photography balance?

I'm 31, and got my first camera about six months ago. I proceeded to spend a LOT of time reading archives here, asking potentially stupid questions (and some really detailed "smart" ones), and looking at a lot of work by photographers I admire. I am now taking pictures I never thought I would be able to take. It's arguable whether they are "professional" or not, but I don't think that's the point. The point, I think, is to keep doing it, learning, and growing.

 

Just yesterday, I had a RISD graduate tell me that he liked many of my shots, and I've booked my first three weddings. I don't say any of this to be boastful, but rather to corroborate your intuition: if you put it the time and work, the learning curve can be faster than you anticipated and you could start getting paid sooner than you think!

 

Good luck and have FUN!

I've gone from zero to now in four years - all self taught.(I did put in several thousands of hours behind the camera as well as in Photoshop).

 

I'm not a "pro" yet but I hope to be soon.

 

I'll turn 47 this year so like yourself age isn't an issue.

 

The issue really is whether or not there will be enough clients to make it worthwhile.

 

As for balance, I believe that your partner has to be supportive and understand that when the light is there you just have to drop everything and go.

 

Thank goodness the wife also knows when the light is coming and gets just as excited as I do.

Age is a nonsense argument.

 

Richard Branson started his business selling records from his garage when he was a teenager still in highschool. He is a rarity though. I started selling flowers door to door when I was 8 but my parents thought poorly of that and stopped me.

 

After years of being a computer technician and TEFL tutor I ended up in the US and started my photography business at 40 years old.

These responses are absolutely fascinating. Judith, congratulations on booking your weddings, that is an incredible achievement in such a short time.

 

Andy, yes, a supportive partner/family is important. I am under pressure to stop messing about and get back to my day job!

 

Rhys - like you I wasn't able to do what I really wanted in my younger years. In fact I went in entirely the wrong direction and 'wasted' many years as a clinical biochemist. By the way, I too have a TEFL qualification! It made my university vacations almost profitable.

Oh Hallelujah! This has been such a great read! I hope there's more.

 

Here I was thinking I "missed the boat" at 30!

 

Thank you so much everyone!

I know money isn't everything, and fulfillment of a lifelong desire is important, etc... but here's my take:

 

IF today you are making $60,000 per year (I don't know, nor is it any of my business), AND you had to give that up:

 

IF you book 1 event per week (52 events per year) AND IF you can command $1000 per event, your, annual gross income will be $52,000. Subtract your business expenses, and your gross income will be in the $40's (if not less). And this is with 2 HUGE IF's.

 

Is that worth it? It may be to some, but is it to you?

I started in photography in 1964, became a professional around 1982, retired from burnout in 1993. Being a pro made me hate photography. You can't do what you want, you have to do what the customer needs. That makes it just another job, and not a great paying job. It took several years before I got over my distaste for photography, and was able to return, using it as an art medium. Opened a large format camera store in 2003. Still enjoy that.

TM - when you're 40, you won't feel any different to how you feel now. At least that's been my experience. Although you may not be able to remember much about the intervening years.

Keith - yes it would absolutely be worth it. I'm taking a career break at the moment, having worked for years without any time off.

Bruce, I know what you're saying. I became frustrated in my prior role as a decorator, the hardest part being 'client management'. Few people understand what is involved in getting from an initial discussion to a finished product, that side of things can be a battle. It's the same with photography and many other ventures. I don't think there are many jobs where you have total control, it is always about servicing one's clients. Photography is not unique in that, sadly.

I shot my first wedding at 16, I started learning in high school, major in photography in

college, started in commercial art, switch to photojournalism, while in college. While in

school I worked for three different publications. When I left school I work for Scripts

League Newspapers for about 10 years, then 7 years for Pulitzer, then 3 years for Lee

Enterprises. I am now freelance. My focus is mainly for PR and Business Publications,

although I still shoot news and sports. I also shoot glamour. Well I went freelance at 40. I

do not regret it. There are times it can get a little scary money wise but that is what makes

life fun, to have a challenge.

 

You are only as old as you believe.

Got my first camera at 14. Really young, I know. Went to some Young Photographer

Workshops in Maine, Later returned to Maine for my AA Degree. Transfered to School Of

Visual Arts in NYC and my career EXPLODED! Connections and contacts GALORE with SVA

on my record. I assisted and studio managed with 10 different photographers. Moved to

LA to continue with my freelance work. Now I am working on my masters at 28 years old.

Getting ready to get on tenure track teaching college. Its really really really hard for

younger people to take on the responsibilities (both financial and running a studio) when

they start out. It takes such a large amount of capital to get yourself up and running that

it is almost impossible. I salute you for getting out and kicking ass. I would think that as

far as capitol and passion. It would be easier when you are already established financially.

Lindsay, at 40 you're too old to change careers? That is patent nonsense. I've changed twice

since that time, each time taking on something tremendously challenging, first starting and

running an imaging software company and then as president of a marine science and

engineering firm. And both of these after a career as a stage and film director. I've only

gotten really serious about photography because of a photography project that has been

going on since 2002, hit stride in 2005, and will continue at least until 2009. My only

problem is that there is more that I want to shoot than I probably have years left. Your only

decision is whether you can meet your life obligations while starting over. Good luck.

Morgan - those are wonderful achievements for one so young. I am curious as to how much you felt you gained by taking the degree (in a technical sense), or whether you really developed as a photographer through the assistant/studio manager posts. If you don't mind me asking, at which point did you feel you were making enough to manage on? I know it can be a long haul. As Ralph said, the 'steady income' bit can be scary. In terms of my small interior design consultancy, it was about three years before I had a regular wage.

Dennis - you have hit the nail on the head. There are never enough hours in the day, and as you get older you can become almost obsessive in how you fill those hours. Like you, it is a challenge that I need, I cannot thrive without pressure. A regular job and a regular routine would kill me. I probably have two years 'grace' before I need to be bringing in a regular income. Whether I can move from amateur to fee-earner in that time remains to be seen, but I am a hard worker.

Bruce touched on this a little bit, but may I interject a sub-question to this?

 

I'm now wondering what your respective experiences have been from a creative or artistic standpoint.

 

A little background: my two great loves have always been music and photography. Where music was concerned, what I wrote and how I played it was never up for negotiation. I was

never willing to bend it to fit someone else's idea of what it should be. I was afraid that music would become "work," and thus stopped perusing it professionally. I play what I want,

because I want to, and if others don't like it...

 

My "job job" as graphic designer is good in that it's creative in nature, but I'm not married to my designs, so bending them to meet commercial needs doesn't make me feel like I'm

"selling out." Most of the work is pretty mechanical, nothing I can't do in my sleep, but now and again I get a chance to do something really special. Of course, as far as "art" is

concerned, it's at best a mediocre pacifier, but those "now and again" projects overall make it worth it.

 

As I'm moving into photography more, one of my concerns is finding that balance between artistic integrity and salability. I know we can't all be Nan Goldin, and that to some degree,

there has to be a level of accessibility to my work for it to really go anywhere (and I admit, some of my photos are a little weird).

 

Do you find it worth doing more commercial or standard (for lack of a better description) work with the goal of creating something really special and personal?

 

BTW, commercial or standard was not meant to impugn on the quality of anyone's work. I suppose I should make it known that it's not meant as an insult.

 

Thanks!

I started teaching myself photography/developing/printing at 12. Joined navy after high

school. Local art school for year and a half after that. Back to work for a bit then back to art

school for another year and a half. Back to work agian. Finally landed a great phony baloney

photo job with large company for 18 years. At about 47 big changes, learned/learning

carpentry/woodworking. Talk about a career change. I now do and enjoy both.

TM - the thing is, whenever you accept money for a task, you become an employee, and you will be expected to deliver whatever your 'employer' requires. Sometimes you can interject a little creativity, sometimes not. Sometimes your client will allow you to guide them, at other times they will dictate to you. Finding a balance in that is difficult, irrespective of your career. As an interior decorator, the reality of my job was so very different to the vision I had, in that my clients only really wanted 'things' and could not always see that a cohesive, practical, and enduring end result should be our collective goal. Reconciling what I know will work best, with their lack of knowledge or working know-how (and sometimes out and out bad taste) is very difficult to do. You have experienced all this yourself. Sometimes you have to just give them what they want, and occasionally you will have the opportunity to express yourself creatively when you happen upon a like-minded individual. By bending to the marketplace, you are not selling out, you are meeting demand. If you can try to see it that way, your life will be immeasurably easier.

 

My photography, which I have only been doing for a couple of years, was exclusively botanical, to meet the specific needs of clients who were adventurous in their artwork. The kit is simple, lighting is simple and natural. It is a joy to do. But beyond the sale of the prints, there is little regular income. One day somebody asked me to catalogue their fabulous watch collection for their insurers. My pictures were quick, casual, shot simply and plainly. They were thrilled. Hence the feeling I could develop this into something worthwhile.

I was living in West Los Angeles when I bought my first DSLR (Nikon D50) w/ standard 18-

55mm kit, and I knew nothing of photography and didn't even work in any kind of related

field...at the time I was working as a Pharmacy Technician, but I just kept playing around

with my camera more and more, and the whole purpose of me using it was so I was able

to show what I liked best about LA to my internet friends on messageboards, etc. and not

have to rely on other people for pictures.

 

Then one day, I was eating lunch at an indian restaurant off Washington Blvd. (for the

locals) and saw a FLEET of police cars race by and turn on a nearby street. Turns out I got

there just after yet another gang related shooting happened, and I broke out my camera

and a telephoto lens I bought a few days before and started shooting, ended up selling the

photos to a paper and even giving them to the police department for use in the

investigation.

 

By curious quirk of fate, I was also riding a metro train back from long beach to be in the

right place at the right time to see a car get hit by an oncoming tram (light rail) and was

the only photographer there to take pictures and get shots before they removed the car

from the tracks...also able to sell that to a paper and eventually realized that I was

carrying my camera all the time, and decided to pursue it...much more interesting than

putting pills in bottles.

 

I was financially fortunate to have my 'rents help me buy a D200 and a D2x and basically

just muscled my way into things, learning as I went along teaching myself. I just recently

photographed Obama and Hillary from the press box, and am not sure about getting a

formal education in photography, or just keep on keepin' on...I've been doing pretty good

so far...

Yah....sadly I know all of that. I'm sure you're no stranger that strange feeling you get when you see a light-bulb over your clients head and think "oh no." Of course,

the answer is "sure, lime green would be PERFECT against that red wall!" You're right though, just seeing it as meeting a demand does make things easier. Money

certainly doesn't buy taste (again, as I'm sure you're aware) but it's always the clients who have the money! I'm fortunate enough to be immune to it as a designer.

Go, Brody!