my photographic career

mastertrinity

mastertrinity

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Luke
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im 15 and want to be a photographer but i dont know which route to go down. i wouldnt mind press photography but i hear its crap wages etc. i also considered portraits but its more of self employment which i dont think i would be upto. please help me.
 
I know a press 'tog who is really struggling at the moment. There are too many people giving their work away free. Why is a newspaper going to pay big bucks for a picture when they can get a similar one for nothing?

You're only young, you've got plenty of time to discover where your passions lie. Just try a bit of everything and see what you like best/what you're best at.

If you don't fancy being self employed, why not look at some of the portrait sitting companies?
 
I'm 16 ... had similaur career ideas but the top and bottom of it is you will not make a living out of photography. Plain and simple as that. As CarMac has said, just about every man and his dog has a camera these days and simply give their stuff away, so its neigh on impossible to make any money from it.
The only reason i manage to make money out of it is as im doing motorsport photography, mainly rallying i know for all the good action spots, that no one else know for, so if someone wants the photo so much, they'll pay for it!!
I'm out virtually every weekend in the forests or shooting something but all i really get out of it is money now and then.
Your best off looking for an alternative career, and keep photography purely as a hobby for after work and weekends :thumbs:
Cheers,
 
Every man and his dog now carries a camera with them, the marketplace is saturated with amateurs making a few quid of an evening/weekend.

Just look at the number of people "entering" the wedding market with no clue how to shoot a wedding never mind all the business stuff.

I remember the days where companies had typists, you could make a reasonable career out of producing typed documents. Now everybody in business has their laptop and are expected to do it themselves. I suspect photography is going down a similar route. If people can get the same output for less money then the whole market for that output disappears.

Sit tight, in five years who knows where the market for photographs will be. I do know that photographers all over the country are closing down shops. I've seen about 5 close where I live and only one open.

I was only just doing my O levels at your age and there is a whole host of living you need to do. Don't lose the ambition but realise that life is a marathon and not a sprint.
 
If you're good enough, you will make a living. Don't listen to all the naysayers, photography as a career is far from over but the bar has been raised. Those who are just average will just about manage to make a living but the very best photographers are making very good money.
Portrait photography (kids and fashion/glamour) is a very good earner if you are very good, find a geographic location not saturated, or find a niche style. Wedding photography again is very well paid if you are very good and target the higher end of the market. Commercial photography can be extremely lucrative but again, you need to be offering a unique style or be very good at it. I'd shy away from event photography since every joe public and their new DSLR is trying it on.
Once you are experienced enough, you can then venture out into training and consultancy work where the real money lies...
 
I am turning 28 tomorrow and would love a career in photography, but with a mortgage and debts I still need a full time job.

However, I am very close to joining the army (RLC) and trying to become a tog with them.

I need to look at getting a qualification ideally as many of the jobs I would have an interest in, such as teaching, require them.

The best thing you can do at 15 is practice and get your photos out there, also try getting a placement with a pro as an assistant.
 
I sort of agree that if you have enough passion, experience and can offer something different or are very good at routine stuff you may get siomewhere but there are thousands that don't. I would have thought your best bet at 15 is to be looking at trying to do a bit of work in your spare time. Maybe at a local studio, or assist at weddings or something and looking at getting a diploma and then a degree to give you some credability on paper. I deal with young people looking for work (not in photography) nd lecture at uni and in honesty there are so many young dreamers out there who all want glamourous jobs. At the end of the day son if it was that possible most of us would be doing it. The advantage you have is you don't have any overheads like mortgages, rent, babies, you have plenty of time etc. unlike most of us lot.

Go for it, but don't do it at the exclusion of having to consider 'normal' jobs like the rest of us have had to. :)

PS. 100 posts! Can damn well sell something now and start getting money instead of out!
 
To steal a quote from elsewhere "The best way to make money out of photography is to sell all your kit" ;)

Seriously though it's good to have a focus on what you want at your age and I hope things work out for you but as others have said there are so many facets of career photography atm that are becoming over-saturated with Tom, **** and Harry going out at the weekend with their camera that it's becoming increasingly more difficult to make a full time career out of it.

Tommy.
 
Keep taking pictures ... in the mean time think about learning about marketing with respect to photography - how do you turn a hobby into a business. Maybe it will lead somewhere in photography - if not the skills can be applied to any business.
 
Something will come up for you, it does for everyone somewhere along the line. Just let life take its course. Finish school first, then go to college on a 1 year photography course. Then Try to get a job as a second shooter ( although its really hard nowadays to find one). Get to know your camera through and through.

Get people on here to CC your work, improve by listening to there comments. Build up a portfolio of all different types of styles from weddings to portraits if you can, may be a bit hard for weddings but something may come up. Then its just a case of showing people these and hoping for the best. :)
 
Blimey what a load of negativity on here.

Of course you can make a living as a photographer. Some people make a damn good living as well. That doesn't mean it's easy, and technology has changed photography like it has so many industries, but there is still business to be done if you're good and work hard. And there are lots of jobs in photography that don't necessarily invlove using a camera.

I firmly believe that you make your own luck and the best thing the OP can do at this early stage is to stack the cards in his favour. Go to college, learn your craft, practise, hone your skills, push hard and keep on learning and growing.

If success in business was easy, we'd all be doing it. It isn't. Never has been, in any walk of life.
 
cheers guys, i am definitely going to do a photography course and i am as we call a "weekend warrior", also i might be able to get a summer placement at a local photography studio where did work experience.
 
Hoppy, you say about there being a load of negativity and then say that it's not easy, never has been in any walk of life.........

I think what I personally am trying to convey is that I would not like to predict where photography, in general, as a career choice is going to be in 5 years time. By that time, this young man will still only be 20.

While I don't wish to tell him that "it's impossible and can't be done" I think it is incumbent upon me to be realistic. Yes there will be the occasional "Rankin" out there and who knows, we could be addressing him right here, right now. But for every "Rankin" who makes it to the very top there are thousands whose hopes are dashed along the way.

There are only a handful of people who make it to the very top in each genre, the odds are not exactly favourable, it's precarious at the best of times and I would not gamble my house on being able to make even a comfortable living out of it. It is a seriously devalued product right now unless you are right at the top of the tree and even then I've seen advertising budgets being slashed and architectural projects shelved right left and centre. That all means less work for photographers. I've watched those getting married slash their own budgets, unwilling to end up with sizeable debts for one day's extravagance.

We live in uncertain times and I won't be responsible for telling a 15 year old that it's easy. You said yourself that it's not.

I agree with you though about stacking the cards in his favour, demonstrating commitment as well as skill is always going to help.
 
Would you like to know the secret of making money from photography

- learn how to sell.

There is a hugeeeeee demand for photography. It is totally main stream now and has come of age, people love it and can't get enough of it.

Go for it if you have it in you......

stew
 
Yeah its risky and difficult but in all honesty, what job isnt now? people are getting sacked left right and centre, id rather be scraping by with a job that i love than being better off with a job that i loathe.

Not saying chuck everything away and go for the photography but, keep your options open, put some business based subjects along side the photography and then your set for self employment or just another 9-5 till you scrape enough to go sod it and just take pics :D
 
AliB said:
Hoppy, you say about there being a load of negativity and then say that it's not easy, never has been in any walk of life.........

I think what I personally am trying to convey is that I would not like to predict where photography, in general, as a career choice is going to be in 5 years time. By that time, this young man will still only be 20.

While I don't wish to tell him that "it's impossible and can't be done" I think it is incumbent upon me to be realistic. Yes there will be the occasional "Rankin" out there and who knows, we could be addressing him right here, right now. But for every "Rankin" who makes it to the very top there are thousands whose hopes are dashed along the way.

There are only a handful of people who make it to the very top in each genre, the odds are not exactly favourable, it's precarious at the best of times and I would not gamble my house on being able to make even a comfortable living out of it. It is a seriously devalued product right now unless you are right at the top of the tree and even then I've seen advertising budgets being slashed and architectural projects shelved right left and centre. That all means less work for photographers. I've watched those getting married slash their own budgets, unwilling to end up with sizeable debts for one day's extravagance.

We live in uncertain times and I won't be responsible for telling a 15 year old that it's easy. You said yourself that it's not.

I agree with you though about stacking the cards in his favour, demonstrating commitment as well as skill is always going to help.
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Photography has changed, no doubt about that, but that is no different to so many industries. It is no longer sufficient to deliver a sharp, well exposed image, even though that sometimes might have been enough 30 years ago. Technology has seen to that, but as far as I can see the demand for quality images is still there.

Just having 'a good camera' is not enough, you have to be able to use is creatively and to a very high standard and there will always be a demand for that. The evidence is all around us, professionally produced images everywhere. Even though demand for the old products and services might be changing. You could equally well say, don't bother wanting to get to the top of any profession, because it's always tough wherever you look.

I think Artona is right when he talks about selling, as it is in many businesses. Selling yourself a lot of the time. The people that succeed are not necessarily the ones with the most career-specific talent, but those with the most personality, confidence and drive. Knowing the right people, getting on with them, being in the right place at the right time, knowing what they want, delivering it on time and on budget. For all we know, MasterTrinity could have bags of all those qualities. The fact that a 15 year old is asking those kinds of questions on here is a promising start.

The demand for good photography is still there, and good people will always be needed to deliver it. Technology, economic downturn, immigration, the price of fish, whatever, will not change that. Persistence is the key.

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

Calvin Coolidge
 
HoppyUK said:
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

Calvin Coolidge
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And where is Calvin Coolidge today? Dead, that's where, see, persistence didn't pay off for him! :lol: :exit:
 
Ryan.S said:
I'm 16 ... had similaur career ideas but the top and bottom of it is you will not make a living out of photography. Plain and simple as that.... Your best off looking for an alternative career, and keep photography purely as a hobby for after work and weekends....
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My god, I'll have to have a rethink about my life because I make a handsome amount of money from being a photographer - can you lend me that book you're reading about how to have all that wisdom when you're 16 years old? You're a year older than the OP so I don't think you're in a position to really comment totally on what options are out there...

...enjoy your life and don't grow up too quickly ;)
 
Try looking at some specialist areas, like police (crime photography) or medical photography. The forces also have photographers. None of these areas are easy to get into, but then again who said life should be easy.

Good luck in whatever you do.
 
Well like the OP i also hope to have a career in photography, and as a 17 year old I can already see that it will be a hard profession to get into. But in a strange way, that is what i like about it, as we all know that anyone can pick up a camera these days and get some decent pictures, and that fact alone makes me think about what i can do to be a cut above the rest. The saying that comes to mind about this career is "Without challenge there is no achievement". I know that i have a long way to go before i feel that I can make a career, but it is a goal that I have set.

Anyway, the only piece of advice that i can give to you is ask around. I know this works from personal experience (yes a 17 year old with a tiny bit of experience!) when i contacted my local football club. As it turned out, their photographer had gone walkies, so needed someone to take photographs for them. I have only done this for a few games at the end of last season, and the junior presentation evenings, but now i can look forward to a season of football photography - which is what I want. So the moral here is - There is no harm in asking. Who knows, it might be the start of your career.

Anyway, good luck with it, and just listen to the advice of the more experienced users here, as i am no expert lol.
 
Ukkor said:
Well like the OP i also hope to have a career in photography, and as a 17 year old I can already see that it will be a hard profession to get into. But in a strange way, that is what i like about it, as we all know that anyone can pick up a camera these days and get some decent pictures, and that fact alone makes me think about what i can do to be a cut above the rest. The saying that comes to mind about this career is "Without challenge there is no achievement". I know that i have a long way to go before i feel that I can make a career, but it is a goal that I have set.

Anyway, the only piece of advice that i can give to you is ask around. I know this works from personal experience (yes a 17 year old with a tiny bit of experience!) when i contacted my local football club. As it turned out, their photographer had gone walkies, so needed someone to take photographs for them. I have only done this for a few games at the end of last season, and the junior presentation evenings, but now i can look forward to a season of football photography - which is what I want. So the moral here is - There is no harm in asking. Who knows, it might be the start of your career.

Anyway, good luck with it, and just listen to the advice of the more experienced users here, as i am no expert lol.
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I don't know about that. For a 17 year old you make a lot of sense and are doing all the right things :)

If you put yourself in the right place to catch the bus, it just might come along. But you've got to get to the bus stop.
 
At 15 I'd suggest you go to college/uni and enjoy yourself while you can. Take the odd job if you can to get some experience or try your local newspaper. After college/uni you'll be in the real world with maybe some experience behind you and with a bit of luck you'll have made a few contacts.
 
get a job that'll pay for the L lenses ;) do the photography on the side, then if it takes off then great, if not you've still got steady income
 
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