Question for professional photographers?

Question

How did you become a professional? Did you take any college courses? Was it your major?

I'm curious as to how it is done. It's something I'm interested in.

Answer 1

I went to college and got my associates degree in professional photography and then from there i started a business

Answer 2

Started in 1966 with my dad's range finder. Did some high school year book stuff and moved on to my 1st SLR. In 1969 I was drafted right after the Chinese / Viet Nam Tet Offensive (Google it, I doubt it is tough in school). After training and I was assigned my PCS - Permanent Change of Station, I was made a Base Photographer.

Within a few months of this I was taken on by a newspaper called The Stars n Strips, a military newspaper and I was now a photojournalist.

Upon discharge I worked in many different camera stores and "played around" with my cameras doing any thing I could to turn a buck. I attended photographic classes at a local college, but soon dropped out because the class was BORING, slow and - dumb..! I knew more than the so called instructor did, showed him and the class, then went on my merry way doing OJT (on the job training) in weddings, graduations, scenery and general freelance.

I picked - freelance - because I didn't want to box my self in at any "one kind" of photography, for I loved way too many aspects of it all. However, weddings WERE very good $$ and it wasn't hard to have 4 to 6 weddings booked each month. At $300 to $800 each, it was GOOD money in the 70's and early 80's...

One thing led to another and I found my self taking more and more time off from my regular job(s) and spent more and more time shooting pictures. Oh, I still worked 'some' at what ever camera supply place would let me, with the hours I wanted to keep, after all, I needed discounts on equipment, darkroom supplies and film....

In the mid 80's I moved to Tucson, AZ and held a # of "any jobs" just to supply $$ to live and eat on. Being new in a big place with thousands of others who have already carved out their niche in the field of picture takers, I was small man on the totem pole. It took a while to earn respect and to get any work, photo wise, out there.

In the mid 90's I landed a job at Tucson's oldest open camera equipment supply house, NuArt Photo and became their digital guru and top sales man. I was also allowed to sell myself over their counter and received boo coo jobs and work because of it. When they closed their doors forever in 2000 I had a good base of working clients and word of mouth for doing work.

Again, pictures of anything for anybody, however, I did shy away from weddings now and had more fun with less worry. Some work has been very adult in nature, good $$ too and a lot of fun. I still get calls for that kind of work. But there are a lot of motorcycles, cars, low riders, sometimes boats and a trip (paid of course) to any one of AZ's large lakes north of Phoenix to do the boats with their gal(s) in them....

In the last few years I have been getting into art galleries and hanging (showing) my work in them, also for sale. This too has been a lot of fun and has exposed me to another layer of life and people. I keep a stack of business cards and e-mail addys with the pics and they generate even more business, now that they are actually looking at framed, hanging work of mine.

While I'm not knocking school, you can not beat street experience here. Back in the film days I would buy my film in 100 ft bulk rolls and could go thru 2 of them in a month. I did my own developing and had many darkrooms (still do today). By being part of the photographic process from start to end, seeing it all, it gave me a much better idea on what was going on and what I could expect when I tripped my shutter on a frame of Tri-X.

Today, with digital, a lot has changed. I now own 3 high end D-SLR's and a wide format 8 color professional printer from Epson, a 7600. My most used darkroom is here at the desk and computer now. My wet darkroom is mostly to get my fixer fix.. LOL Since late 2001 I have not worked for anyone but my self. My work is now, my work, my photography. I have high end film scanners for scanning film up to 8x10. I do digital printing, up to 24" wide and as long as needed. I go to the different galleries in town to hang work, swap out work and re-place sold work. I travel to photograph more work.... Ha, I'm working more now than I did when I had a 40 hour job.. But this is mine..!

You do it by making it happen. You steer your self into situations where it CAN happen. You almost make things happen them selves because you want it so bad, you GO OUT and get it. Digital has now made every other person - a photographer. The # of people out there taking pics is staggering. However, only the ones who can take good pics win, and that is the simplest but biggest secret. Taking good pictures.....

Good luck

Bob - Tucson