| What Does It Take To Become A Pro? (This is a work in progress) DESIRE (DREAM) Have you ever had a wish/desire/dream and didn't act on it? How did you feel? Did it keep coming back to you? If you are dreaming about making money with your photography, I hope you are taking the steps to realize that dream. It takes time and desire to accomplish, and yes, you can do it without formal phototgraphy training. Knowledge Arm yourself with knowledge. With the internet available there are many places you will be able to access in order to gain information about photography and photography as a business. Visit some photography studios and ask them how they got started. Some will be reluctant to share if they view you as a threat to their business. It never hurts to ask and many will be happy to share with you. You may even find a mentor along the way. Willing To Learn This may sound trite, but Read and understand your camera manual. Read and reread it as you experiment with what you have learned. Read photography books, study photographs in books, magazines and on the internet. Ask yourself why they work or don't work. Ask, ask, ask. Take classes, if possible, to learn to understand the workings of the camera, f-stops, shutter speeds, and lighting. Taking classes is not necessary, but will help you a great deal. Read everything you can find about photography and running a business. Get to know photographers who already have a sucessful business and Ask Alot of questions. Keep asking if you don't understand and be willing to take advice from more experienced photographers who have travelled the path that you are now embarking on. Do not give up if this is what you want to be doing....we all have setbacks and failures. We get up and keep trying. The important thing is to surround yourself with supportive people, who will help you grow. I have a couple of wonderful mentors who encourage me, but give me the necessary kick in the behind when necessary. I have friends who I can count on for honest feedback. Practice You MUST practice and practice some more. It is very important that you know how to compose a picture and understand lighing and how it affects what the camera captures. Put photos up for critique at photography groups. Ask your friends and family for an honest opinion. Are you getting the sharpness you want, is the composition pleasing? This is a learning process and will take time for you to be able to consistently take a picture worth selling. It takes time to develope your eye so taking a good picture is second nature to you. Burn through alot of film (or if you are digital take many many photographs). Most of the professionals I know are Still learning as they go. The important thing is they have the basics down. Professional Ethics Act like a professional, treat others how you want to be treated. Offer the best service possible and keep your word. Dress like a professional. Take care of your customer....Always. The first wedding I did by myself I basically did a lousey job. My poses were fine, but my lighting and exposure were off. I lost alot of sleep over what I had done. The Good thing was Before I did the shoot, I let the bride and groom know that it was my first wedding and I charged them alot less than another photographer would charge for the wedding. After the shoot I was mortified as I needed to talk to my customer and let them know that none of the film turned out......none of it..... I was also shooting digital and thank the good Lord that many of them turned out even though the lighting was off. A dear friend helped me by going over the files and working on them. I had to be honest with my client. That was a real humbling and learning experience for me. Knowledge of Business Speaking of business ........I recently met with a SCORE councelor They are retired business people who mentor small business owners. He gave me some Great information and information about classes I can take thru the Small Business Association in St.Paul. The reason I bring this up is that we love what we do and sometimes creative people get off track and don't learn to do the business part which is what really will make or break us as business owners. You don't have to have a college degree but you do need the inner drive and commitment to make it work. Research and take advantage of resources that will be helpful to you in learning and growing your business. The public library is a great place to get needed information. The internet has many sources, just type in key words and you will probably find more information than you will ever need. I Highly Recommend contacting your local Small Business Association. It cost me nothing. Well, the class is 49 dollars, but all the support from professionals is free. We learn how to write a business plan, we can meet with accountants, a lawyer, and people who will help us with marketing. I can call or meet with my mentor any time I need to. They are all business based and have great information to offer. Check out the Small Business Association in your area, if you need help learning the business part. Check with established photographers in towns close to you and ask if they would share with you how they run their business. Knowing how to run a business is paramount and is as important, if not more important, than knowing how to take a nice photograph. Take classes at your local community college. Talk to people who already run a small business. Check with the Small Business Bureau where you live. They offer classes and may also have mentors who will guide you. If you are a woman, check with some women's organizations in your area, as they will offer classes and mentors who are women. Read books about how to run a business. Ask. Ask. Ask. Organization You must know how to organize yourself and to stay organized. Carry a calander and business cards with you. Keep an address book updated and add to it as you meet new people. Know where all your forms are. Add to the forms as needed. Make sure you have Model Releases and Photography Agreements. Have up to date price lists to mail out. Keep them in a file cabinet that is easily accessible. Remember the name of your client or perspective client. When a perspective client contacts you ask for the correct spelling of their name, their address, phone number and email address. Send thank you notes and Christmas cards to your clients to let them know you appreciate their business. Portfolio Show others what you have done. Compile a portfolio of your best photographs. After you have chosen 25 or 30 of your best work have two or three other people look at them objectively. Together chose the ones that will go into your portfolio. Do not use an album that has cling on pages, the chemical make-up of the pages will ruin your photos over time. As a suprise last year my children put together a portfolio for me with some of my better work. They bought me a very nice, cloth covered, plainly colored 11" by 15" scrapbook with black, acid free paper pages in it. You can purchase these in art supply stores. They took some of my best photos and used a photosafe glue to adhere the photos to the pages. They used an assortment of 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 prints. (Go heavy on the 5x7 and 8x10 prints, and just a few 4x6, if any at all.) Only put photos on the front of the pages as this makes for a more professional appearance. There are many other types of portfolios, you just have to chose one that fits you. I do suggest keeping it simple, no flowery covers, etc. Marketing Networking Once you have your portfolio ready, start contacting people. Show your portfolio to close friends and associates first. Ask for honest opinions. I knew I was ready when a group of friends at coffee were making wonderful remarks about my work. I booked a prom shoot that day. Do changes as you find necessary. Update your portfolio from time to time. Talk to every one you meet about what you are doing. Don't be afraid to ask for their business. Join civic organizations such as Rotary International and the Lions Club. Join your local Chamber of Commerce. If you are a woman, find a woman's business organization in your area and become active. Advertising Word of mouth and you talking about your business is probably the cheapest form of advertising. If you are on a limited budget you can start out by buying a small add in the back of your local newspaper. Make up brochures and business cards to hand out. With permission, the brochures could be put at local businesses, church or the local high school. Contact community sports teams, dance studios, day care centers, etc, by phone or letter. If you send a letter to them, follow up with a phone call a few days later. Be creative and you will see the fruit of your labor. Having a Web Site is a great way to get you and your work out there in the community! Have your website address and email address printed on your business card. Best of Luck to You!! Wendy Hickman Also check out the many pages below this one on the list to the left © All rights reserved.
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