Amateurs aspiring to becoming Professionals

[pete_dickson1]

What is it about the profession of nature photography that makes so many amateurs aspire to, or at least dream of "turning pro?" Is it just a matter of the huge number of amateur photographers there are? Maybe it is just that simple - a certain percentage of any hobbyist group will want to make a living at it - and photography has a huge hobbyist population. But, somehow, I still think there�s something special about nature photography. What is that something?

 

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Pete

[jason_fobart]

Well, I can't specifically speak to aspiring to be a professional "nature" photographer, personally I'm contemplating entering into the glamour/fashion/advertising side myself. To me, though I love nature shots, and taking them, it seems like such a limited field. I might be wrong, but where do you sell your work (or work for someone)? Well, there's calendars, and, um, calendars, maybe a few magazines, and calendars. Personally I'd rather just stick to taking nature shots on vacation etc (plus, I'm a real people person, I need that human interaction that don't probably get a lot of in nature photography).

 

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Now, I may be wrong, and way off base, forgive me if I am.

 

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Why would I like to go pro? Because, photography is a hobby I love! It's exciting, challenging, and a wonderful creative outlet!! Why wouldn't I want to do something for my profession that I enjoy and have a passion for, that will also challenge me too!? It just kind of seems like a natural, way to go!!

[george_rhodes]

For me, turning photography into a full-time profession evolved very slowly, over a 15 year period. I now make a decent full-time living from photography - almost exclusively wildlife and scenics. I started out by entering one fine art print at a time in local art guild competitions. Eventually, I started to exhibit in local outdoor art shows. While I was doing this, I began submitting to photography competitions. I won several awards and began submitting work to regular publications, etc. Winning an award in the International Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition was a big help. It seemed that from that time on, I had no trouble getting published. I began exhibiting fine art photographs in better art shows and galleries throughout my home state of Florida. I gradually developed wholesale accounts with my matted photographs. I ran my first poster and first 2 notecards in 1990. I added 8 new notecards to my line every year, until I could fill a floor stand spinner rack and then began to market whole spinner rack systems of notecards. Suddenly, I was getting calls from people who saw my images on notecards and either wanted to carry the line in their store or nature center or wanted to use certain images in brochures. etc. Interior designers began to order large framed photographs they had seen at shows. While this whole thing was evolving, I worked full time, first as an art teacher and later in a medical-technical field. I eventually went to part-time status for a few years and then finally went full time with the photography. Now that I do this for a living, I would estimate that about 95% of my time in photography is spent marketing, printing, cutting mats, packing and shipping notecards. etc. I probably had more time to actually shoot in the field when photography was just a hobby and I worked in a hospital.

 

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My closest friends who are also full time professionals in this field have similar stories. One was a pharmacist and developed his career about the same time I was developing mine and took about the same amount of time to do so.

 

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I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that to become successful in this field is a very difficult, long-term process. It will be a long time before you will be able to earn a full time income from your photography. Unless you are extremely fortunate, you will have to have another means of earning a living, while you work at the photography in your spare time. If you start to become successful, there will probably be a point where you will be working about 80-100 hours a week at your regular job and the photography combined, in order to earn enough money and still keep up with the photography.

 

One common thread that I have found among all of my friends in this field (besides the obvious love of nature and an ability to produce exceptional images and to know they are exceptional) is a dogged determination and a willingness to struggle for many years in order to eventually achieve the goal of making a living doing something they love and believe in. I'm sure there are those full-time pros out there whose roads to success were very different than mine. I just thought I'd tell one person's story.

[bobatkins]

Part of the appeal is probably that nature/wildlife photography is associated with vacations, so there can be a wrong assumption that being a nature/wildlife pro is one long vacation. People forget that the business side of the business is at least as (probably more)

important. If you love writing letters, paying bills, attempting to promote your work etc, you'll be happy.

 

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It doesn't happen to wedding photographers since few people spend their vacations photographing weddings...

[mark_windom]

My story is very similar to George's. I started out doing art shows about 10 years ago while I was practicing veterinary medicine. After realizing that I could actually make money doing what I really enjoyed I quit practice and went into photography on a full time basis 5 years ago. I have learned that it is important to diversify as much as possible to earn a decent living with a camera. For me it has been a combination of art shows, note cards, stock (both self and through an agency), and my own calendar (which, fortunately, I don't have to market or publish myself). Still, with all of this, I probably wouldn't be able to devote all of my time to photography if my wife wasn't working full time.

 

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I don't know any pro who wasn't doing something else before turning to photography as a profession. I have friends who were teachers, ferry boat captains, architects, engineers, etc, etc,..... While it was still a hobby I enjoyed getting out so much with my camera that I began to despise anything that prohibited me from doing so when I wanted to do so (like a full time job) and I think this is the case for most of the pros I know. I was also concerned that turning pro would take some of the enjoyment out of it but for me it has done just the opposite. There are so many components to running a photography business that it becomes a real challenge but a very

worthwile one.

 

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It's hard to put a finger on that "something special" about nature photography to encourage someone to turn pro and I'm sure it is different for each individual but ultimately it comes down to doing something that you truly enjoy doing providing you can suport yourself and your family, or at least help your wife (or husband) do so.

[martin_davidson]

This weeks ENTERTAINMENT WEEK�s video section reviews a rather interesting sounding film that might be relevant to you. Called "Photographers", its released by National Geographic, and costs $19.95.

 

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"The life of the lone shutterbug wandering the globe on assignment for NG isn�t all sunstreaked canyons and Casbah nights. As this snappy documentary shows in close-up, the men and women dedicated to getting the perfect shot know hard luck as well as romance; bouts with malaria, circling piranhas, near death in a biplane, and travel by camel. Their combined wisdom amounts to an impromptu seminar on photojournalism. Lesson No 1: Never Say Cheese. A."

 

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Sounds like one to check out!