Photography as a profession

[Wolfgang Steiner]

Hi all, I'm still new to photography but I am very interested to be a professional photographer. I owns a PowerShot S2 and I find it limiting my creativity.

Are there any user here who take photos for a living? Please give me some tips and advices. Thanks. :what:

GeckoZ,

I would recommend you to visit my homepage and ask yourself if you think that you are better then me, because if your answer is no.... forget quick about getting professional.

I never sold only one of my pics until now!!!
Think about it.

Cheers,

Wolfgang

www.wolfgangsteiner.com

 

[Stereobox]

Hi all, I'm still new to photography but I am very interested to be a professional photographer. I owns a PowerShot S2 and I find it limiting my creativity.

Are there any user here who take photos for a living? Please give me some tips and advices. Thanks. :what:

as Edward Weston puts it, the difference between an amateur photographer and a professional one is - to the amateur, photography is always creation, no matter how tough it is. but to the professional, it is work, "and hard work too, no matter how pleasurable it may be." are you willing to make that difference?

forget about advice to study something else first in case "got something to fall back on".
you want call yourself professional? have you ever heard of a half-past-six doctor? btw, i'm not talking about not preparing a safety-net for yourself and chiong blindly into professional photography. i'm talking about mindset. go all the way, you will get what you aim for. if you are already hesitating, about your abilities, passion etc, you better do something about it man.

 

[zoossh]

GeckoZ,

I would recommend you to visit my homepage and ask yourself if you think that you are better then me, because if your answer is no.... forget quick about getting professional.

I never sold only one of my pics until now!!!
Think about it.

Cheers,

Wolfgang

www.wolfgangsteiner.com

emmm..... the first picture before entering is quite morbid....

 

[digit]

yes i do know the basics. what i'm asking instead was, how do you gauge the aperture and shutter speed acurately so that a picture would turn out perfectly as to what you intended. missing a stop would cause great difference, isn't it?

GeckoZ - I seriously advise that you have not understood the basics if you cannot understand how to expose properly. That is the one of the 4 most basic skills you need to have before you can really start to take better photos. Please go and work on it.

Just curious, what's the other 3 basic skills you referring ?

 

[Sion]

Just curious, what's the other 3 basic skills you referring ?

I don't knbow what others' 4 basic skills are?

Mine are:

1. Know how to hold camera.
2. Know how to put in film properly.
3. Know how to rewind film.
4. Know how to count money.

 

[digit]

ohh.... *jot down on paper*

 

[zoossh]

I don't knbow what others' 4 basic skills are?

Mine are:

1. Know how to hold camera.
2. Know how to put in film properly.
3. Know how to rewind film.
4. Know how to count money.

mine are

1. how to see creatively and find photographic opportunity in terms of object, location, timing

2. how to frame and compose by getting the appropriate standing position, angle and perspective, and using appropriate lens and focal length

3. how to gain sufficient support & stable shutter release movement to reduce handshake to suit the desired shutter duration

4. how to achieve desired settings through metering/exposure compensation/exposure lock, ISO, WB, shutter duration, aperture size.

5. how to focus, choosing the correct focus mode and knowing where to focus, including knowing where to meter,

6. how to alter the quality of light including its temperature and mood via the use of filters (or partially by post-processing.

7. how to do simple post-processing and understanding basic concept of color profiles.

8. how to do simple basic maintainance of equipments

 

[catchlights]

to make good photograph, you need only need three things.

#1, what is the subject?

#2, how to focus attention on the subject?

#3, how to simplify it?

 

[zoossh]

#3, how to simplify it?

gd point abt #2. but i dun get understand #3.

 

[catchlights]

gd point abt #2. but i dun get understand #3.

FYI, I didn't wrote these, these are the wisdoms from the Grate Masters.


just look at some photos, do you find some elements are unnecessary to be included? or causing distraction?

 

[Hexlord]

Interesting topic..

For me personally, photography is more of a hobby although I would love to have the experience of working professionally. It may be stressful but I see it as a learning experience!

 

[bluroom]

And of course over and above mastering the technicalities of photography, being able to conceptualise creatively and see the unseen a professional photographer has to have excellent and I mean excellent PR skills. From my observation of the pros out there who are constantly working (non-stop might I add) locally and overseas on fashion, editorials, advertising, products and other commercial work, the common thread would be the ability to sell, reject and bullshit. It is an essential soft skill that cannot just be learnt. It has to be honed and practiced. One has to communicate effectively and convincingly with ad agencies, clients, models, model agencies, the creative team from stylist, art director, make-up artist and assistants to diva and prima donna celebs and many many more. Then the coupe de grace would be to handle all these people and manage them effectively whilst coaxing the best performance from the model/talent and getting good shots. Oh and making sure the lighting is right, the stray hairs are off the face, the lint is off, the highlights are not too much. The list goes on. (oh and this is just for fashion, editorial etc shoots, not product or other conceptual ones)

BUT! It can be done!!!!!

These same photographers have had very little formal education and just started working as assistants or apprentices from a very young age. They've shot covers, ad campaigns etc. But only when they've spent almost a decade in the industry.

So take heart..... it IS possible. Then again, so is everything else.

 

[Weigang]

And of course over and above mastering the technicalities of photography, being able to conceptualise creatively and see the unseen a professional photographer has to have excellent and I mean excellent PR skills. From my observation of the pros out there who are constantly working (non-stop might I add) locally and overseas on fashion, editorials, advertising, products and other commercial work, the common thread would be the ability to sell, reject and bullshit. It is an essential soft skill that cannot just be learnt. It has to be honed and practiced. One has to communicate effectively and convincingly with ad agencies, clients, models, model agencies, the creative team from stylist, art director, make-up artist and assistants to diva and prima donna celebs and many many more. Then the coupe de grace would be to handle all these people and manage them effectively whilst coaxing the best performance from the model/talent and getting good shots. Oh and making sure the lighting is right, the stray hairs are off the face, the lint is off, the highlights are not too much. The list goes on. (oh and this is just for fashion, editorial etc shoots, not product or other conceptual ones)

BUT! It can be done!!!!!

These same photographers have had very little formal education and just started working as assistants or apprentices from a very young age. They've shot covers, ad campaigns etc. But only when they've spent almost a decade in the industry.

So take heart..... it IS possible. Then again, so is everything else.

Well said, bluroom... :thumbsup: In short, learning, practising and luck...