Career change to photography

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Mike
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Hi everybody,

How would you go about changing your career to photography?

I'm a neuroscientist and have come to point where I'm considering several options besides continuing in academia. The lack of creativity is something that bugs me about my job and I have often come to spending more times on figures for publication than on my actual experiments.

So far I've looked into/browsed courses at the London College of Arts, but I'm not sure what suits my level. Masters seem to be way off, as I wouldn't even know how to outline a proposal, nor what type of photography would be my hobbyhorse.

All input much appreciated.

Cheers,
Mike
 
Depends what field you want to work in Richard, some require degrees and some don't.

To answer the question Mike, it depends what kind of photography you want to pursue. Give us some idea of what fields you would like to work in?
 
Bloody awful job, it killed my love of the craft. Stock libraries and tight budgets reduced me down to 2 days a week 18 months ago and shifted me into training which is fantastic and restarted me taking pictures for myself for the first time in 20 years!!


John
 
AliB said:
To answer the question Mike, it depends what kind of photography you want to pursue. Give us some idea of what fields you would like to work in?
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That's a tough one. Generally, I think I want to get a good idea how it would be to turn professional. I'm young and I don't want to turn back at some point asking all those 'what if...' questions.

I like taking pictures of people. My equipment isn't quite up to scratch for landscapes or long-time exposures, but I will try as soon as I find an affordable tripod. As you see, I'm acting more or less impusilve, without having this thought through completely (feels quite unlike me, who had his career in science laid out since I was 14). That's why I came here.

Coming back to the start of the last paragraph: I could imagine being hired for shots of people in their work places. What springs to mind, is that recently my aunt had pictures taken in her praxis (plastic surgeon). When I saw the photographs, all I thought about was that the photographer did a pretty bad job with lighting.

It would be silly exclude anything I guess, however, I can't really see myself crawling through dirt in a war-zone.
 
phototuition said:
Bloody awful job, it killed my love of the craft. Stock libraries and tight budgets reduced me down to 2 days a week 18 months ago and shifted me into training which is fantastic and restarted me taking pictures for myself for the first time in 20 years!!


John
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Hi John,

What do you mean, Neuroscience? I can't quite follow.

Thanks for the comments so far!
 
Sorry Mike, no I mean photography as a career, for the last 30 years. Things have got much tougher with many people shooting their own shots for business use, inevitably this has brought standards down but the freelance jobs for myself and graphic designers I know have become fewer and further between.
I suppose events photography is an area not so badly affected, but shots for brochures and packaging are now found for a few tens of pounds in the stock libraries.
I'm now teaching not just amateurs but estate agents, film makers, jewellery designers, all people who used to comission me, I'm teaching them to take their own photographs.

But, that said, I'm an old fart of 55, you're young, go for it, don't let my perspective put you off. It worked for me in the past and the training is working for me now. John
 
phototuition said:
Bloody awful job, it killed my love of the craft. Stock libraries and tight budgets reduced me down to 2 days a week 18 months ago and shifted me into training which is fantastic and restarted me taking pictures for myself for the first time in 20 years!!


John
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Couldn't agree more! I've just started again after seven years, and am really enjoying just "snapping" :)
 
I may be totally wide of the mark here, but if you haven't yet used a tripod - maybe you should spend a good while just exploring photography and enjoying taking lots of pics before really thinking about it as a career. I might be wrong and your pictures are already amazing...
 
grum said:
I may be totally wide of the mark here, but if you haven't yet used a tripod - maybe you should spend a good while just exploring photography and enjoying taking lots of pics before really thinking about it as a career. I might be wrong and your pictures are already amazing...
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True, point taken. I just like to be ahead of things. (University) courses usually have application/inscription deadlines and I have to fathom several career options. The earlier I do this the better.

It seems to be the consensus though, that unless one finds a neat niche in the market, being a photographer a rock-hard job.

Did anyone of you start off as an assistant? Are such positions typically available?
 
If you can find a position as an assistant, either low paid or even unpaid, you will learn more in a month than in a year at college in my opinion.
 
Again it depends what kind of photography you have in mind. You say about being a professional but there are many, many ways of doing just that.

Architectural
Automotive
Fashion
Editorial
Stock
Journalism
Family Portrait
Schools
Weddings
Boudoir
Travel

and it depends which of these is of interest what would be the best way to develop.
 
AliB said:
Again it depends what kind of photography you have in mind. You say about being a professional but there are many, many ways of doing just that.

Architectural
Automotive
Fashion
Editorial
Stock
Journalism
Family Portrait
Schools
Weddings
Boudoir
Travel

and it depends which of these is of interest what would be the best way to develop.
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Quite a list. I would say definitely people and I can exclude architectural, automotive and sports. From what I've read here, some people with more than 1000 pictures on databases seem to earn almost nill, so stock photos is a rather rough choice.

Are these supposed to be mutally exclusive? :thinking:
 
They are mutually exclusive subjects by their very nature (as in different equipment/lighting etc) You can do more than one but that's down to your skills and equipment.

It's difficult to mix something like travel with something like Schools because how are you going to shoot Schools and market the business if you are off travelling?

Some, like family portrait and weddings do mix Ok and can be run simultaneously but you need to combine different shooting/lighting skills but that's not too difficult given time and the budget for a fully kitted studio :)
 
Good points, thanks.

I wonder if my scientific career can be somehow involved. Anyone ever seen as science photographer?
 
Not a chance, sorry.

I used to sell high end microscope imaging solutions and the end user just uses it.

Most scientific applications are made so the end user is comfortable using it and so the need for someone just to take pics is eliminated.

There are still medical photographers in hospitals, you need a photographic degree just to take pics of staff retiring and the occasional op.
 
Hi Mike, Yes you're right about stock photography, it's a way of topping up your income and money is very slow to come in. I did some in my spare time fore a while but got fed up with carrying aroung the high quality heavy gear you need to satisfy the libraries.

As Alison says about the microscope users, "the End user just uses it". I train estate agents, Journalsts, jewellery importers, surf school operators and so on, all to do their own photography.

To make a decent living at this game nowadays you need to be insirationally creative, for fashion for example, or well trained, dedicated, business minded, and willing to work weekends to be a wedding and social photographer.

It's a fantastic hobby as I've said before, as a job, well today I was photographing ethnic "fashion" items from Morocco !

Good luck, John
 
phototuition said:
Hi Mike, Yes you're right about stock photography, it's a way of topping up your income and money is very slow to come in. I did some in my spare time fore a while but got fed up with carrying aroung the high quality heavy gear you need to satisfy the libraries.

As Alison says about the microscope users, "the End user just uses it". I train estate agents, Journalsts, jewellery importers, surf school operators and so on, all to do their own photography.

To make a decent living at this game nowadays you need to be insirationally creative, for fashion for example, or well trained, dedicated, business minded, and willing to work weekends to be a wedding and social photographer.

It's a fantastic hobby as I've said before, as a job, well today I was photographing ethnic "fashion" items from Morocco !

Good luck, John
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That's quite an honest insightful post. Thanks a lot John!

This whole thread makes me very pensieve...
 
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