.......The difference is of course, no one will die if you mess up, but I'm sure the wedding shooters on here will back me up on this... if you mess up someone's wedding, they don't just want a refund.. they want revenge!.....
.....Forgive me if you think this is somehow arrogant, but it IS annoying when beginners ask what they need to do to be a professional photographer when they clearly are beginners and have so much to learn before they can even think about it. It's disrespectful.. not only to the person giving advice (as it seems dismissive of the years of skill acquisition they've had to go through) but it's disrespectful of PHOTOGRAPHY. It's as if they can't be arsed LEARNING... can't be bothered investing the TIME... it's as if they think "Look... I've made some nice shots without all this learning stuff... so just tell me how to make money". It shows a distinct lack of anything even remotely approaching a love of the subject, and demonstrates instead a casual disregard for the skills required.
We are telling you... but some do not listen.
By your own admission, you've never even taken a photograph yet, so why are you bothered about how to become a professional photographer? Surely, you understand, to be a professional photographer, you need to be a good photographer, so why not concentrate on THAT first.
Read, practice, learn.
Study light and how to shape it. Forget available light for now... learn crafting your own. Attain lighting skills... force yourself to shoot things that are challenging technically instead of waiting for "nice light"... you may not have "nice light" on your first ever job.. THEN what you gonna do? The client ain't gonna wait for you. Get some studio time in... if you don't know anyone with a studio, and can't afford to hire one, then consider a college course, even if it's purely get access to a studio where you can play. Once there... live in the damned place. It sickened me that my students never, ever used to go into the studio, yet would moan when school management threatened to close the studios. I'm sicj of people saying "I'm an available light photographer"... bo**ocks!.. That means they can't be arsed with the learning curve......
.....If you have any aspirations beyond that though, then sorry... asking "How do I become a professional photographer" when you don't know your arse from your elbow photographically is a stupid question to ask.....
Sorry for the rant, but if you want to be a professional photographer... be a bloody good photographer, and stop wasting your time asking how to be a professional photographer when you should be studying, practising and shooting instead.
Oh... another thing. Lay off the processing until you know what you're doing.
Also... being a professional photographer is probably 10 (or if you're lucky 20) percent photography, and 90 percent running a business. Do some business courses as well.
All of this is way beyond someone who's never even taken a photo in anger yet... seriously. Just enjoy yourself and stop putting pressure on yourself.... Dream on.
I've cut out some of the key points.
First question - why are you aiming them at me? I was saying what I've seen across the forum and how anyone who asks a question gets 'told'. I think you'll find I've never once 'asked how to become a professional photographer', if I did want to be one I wouldn't ask how to do it, I'd just get on with it and ask specific questions related to equipment or lighting details.
You make a lot of assumptions about me which is a little strange. I've openly admitted I'm not a photographer and I'm learning, I've taken many thousands of pictures over the years, I take some most days, but I have either used a £50 first generation digital camera or a smartphone - that's not the same as 'never taken a photo'. I don't think I'm good, but I don't think I'm bad either, I have a ton to learn of course but I have a lot of time to learn. That's why I haven't got a camera yet other than my phone - I know if I rush and get one I'll be playing with it and not reading.
I like to have a good idea what I'm doing before I start. I've even read a few camera manuals online - sad I know but it gave me a good idea of what I have coming up. I'm trying not to spend too much before my wedding in May, that's 20k so for now and with Christmas fast approaching and 3 kids and a fiancé and family to spoil rotten I don't think buying a camera just yet is a priority. Also I want to see what everyone thinks of the new 5D as that's the camera I'm most interested in, and it's not yet available obviously. With a few lenses, flashes and other equipment that's a fair amount to spend for now, so I shall most likely wait until next summer. I was looking at going out and getting something for around a grand with a lens, but again I'd stop reading and start playing, so I'm just going to carry on as I am. I don't see that as a bad thing, I think it's good to study, you may well disagree - that's your prerogative.
As for business, I guess I have more experience than many. I've set up and run businesses and a charity, my first few businesses paid the bills but didn't do so great, but since then all successful, and I've spent time helping struggling businesses to turn their organisation around. So if being a professional photographer is even '20% photography' I guess I'm closer to 80% there than many others.
You seem to think I'm desperate to become a photographer tomorrow and I'm not sure why. If I was I'd have a camera and be taking pics without reading the instruction manual - that seems to be a consistent theme amongst people new to it. My posts were defending the people who say they want to be a photographer and get a long rant about how they won't make it and shouldn't even bother trying. You then posted a long rant about me being 'desperate' to be a professional photographer.
You seem to be very upset about it all, and you are aiming your frustrations at me - wrongly placed I'm afraid. I don't really care what you think of my approach, but there is a little more irony here - everyone says how you need to learn so much and practice to death. Well I'm doing that to the extreme, I'm studying all I can and enjoying finding out about every aspect of photography and lighting. When I get a camera I will do the practice stuff of course. I'm not rushing into anything, and for the record I have no interest in being a wedding photographer - I have no interest in following people around for 8 hours, I don't need the hassle or the money. I admire people who do it and I enjoy seeing the pictures they produce - call me wierd if you like, I like looking at the different aspects they capture, maybe that's because I have my own wedding looming fast - but I would never want to do it myself. It kind of looks like hell. If I was young, fit and good with a camera I may have been interested, but I have a significant long term health condition, I can't be chasing a petulant bride around a reception venue trying to capture her good side!
I have less pressure on my shoulders than pretty much anyone I know. I've basically retired, I spend my time looking after my disabled children, I have plenty of money and plenty of time, I have land, space, and skills. I don't know exactly what I want to do with my time, space and money yet, but if I decide to spend several thousand on photographic equipment thats up to me. I know it won't make me a professional photographer - I'm not as stupid as you seem to think.
I do know I want to do is travel around the beautiful south west and take pictures of things I like. I don't want to sell those pictures, I want to do something interesting and I am wondering if one day I could be good enough to take portraits. I don't need a lecture about costs of setting up a studio and the overheads, I have a nice little unused barn next door which would be just perfect for conversion to a studio and couldn't be more convenient, with my lovely huge garden connecting to the barn there are plenty of opportunities for a nice location to take picture in. I was going to convert the barn to an anexxe so I and more space for visiting relatives (they all like to descend on us and it's an effort trying to squeeze them in) or I had somewhere comfy when my other half kicks me out of bed. I'd also like it to be a nice study where I can escape, listen to my music and work on any projects I wanted to develop - theres no reason it couldn't be a studio area for me to take some pics of my kids, dogs, cat and the occasional lamb or calf on the farm! I think having an area wih studio lights where I could learn how to capture better and better images and get it wrong over and over is a good thing. I don't need paying clients, but yea if I was good enough and I could make some money for my kids that would be great. I won't be around for much longer and I'd rather my kids had a pot of cash so they could pay for their own care rather than the local authority drag them off screaming to a care home and decide how they should live.
The other thing I'd love to do is take photographs of F1 races. I'm a big F1 fan but don't get to many races, it would give me more enthusiasm to get to more races - all just for my pleasure of course, before anyone attacks me, I don't want to sell any photos, I'd just love some for my study wall.
I honestly have no idea if I have the skills or could ever develop the skills to be a half decent portrait photographer, but it's unlikely I'd ask for any advice on a forum as people would just want to tell me I could never be good enough. Everyone thinks that if you ask how to do something it means you plan on doing it next week. I'd suggest that isn't usually how it is.
I'm telling you this personal stuff so you can see how wrong your assumptions about me were I guess, I found your post a bit offensive if I'm honest as I certainly never attacked you or what you do, but you think I am planning on being a wedding photographer without owning a camera or taking a picture I don't learn anything and I'm going to do it all next week. Nope, wrong on every count.
I have no doubt it's really frustrating that it's so easy to buy the tools to do the job and think 'I can be a photographer', and when people ask what they need to do to get going it's likely very easy to jump on them. I guess I don't see why people have to do it, you've done it above and I haven't even said most of the things you think I've said! If someone wants to be a surgeon then they will soon realise they can't, there are people posting on here who are professional, have a photography business but saying they can't get any bookings. That's not me implying they can't do it, but if they can't get bookings how is someone without any skills going to get any?
As you say it's unlikely they can kill anyone with their camera (although I bet it would do some damage wrapped round a head) but obviously they could ruin a couples 'big day' with terrible pictures. I would hope no bride would book someone without the skills as they would want to see their work first. Of course they could have lied and used someone else's work, but that's going in a different direction a little. There are so many good photographers around and with the internet it's so easy to see their work before even talking to them that it's unlikely someone without the skills would get any work.
So I guess I don't see the problem, you guys don't have to put people in their place, surely you can either just ignore it or tell them the facts without having to tell them they won't ever make it? It's nice if people are doing it because they don't want others to waste their money, but I'm just not sure that's why everyone does it - sometimes it smacks of jealousy.
Other times it just comes across as bullying and abuse. The acronyms are a big part of this, putting someone down by trying to make them feel stupid is one way of showing you know more than they do.