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For those of you who are pro. photographers, how did you get
 
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nicki



Joined: 22 Nov 2007
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:30 am    Post subject: For those of you who are pro. photographers, how did you get Reply with quote
Did you want to be a photographer your whole life?Were/Are your parents photographers? or other family members?Did you just start taking pics one day and though you might be a good photographer?Did you take classes or get a degree in some type of photo course?tell me when you knew you wanted to be a pro. photog. and what you did to become pro.Just wondering, I want to become pro. I am going to take classes at an art school. I have always liked taking photos, but I am not really sure when I decided I wanted to go pro. I have been reading books and books about cameras, outdoor photography, wedding photography, anything I can find, I read. But I still need lots of info. and help with lighting and stuff. I just found picnik.com and it is fun to play with. also how do you put a picture on here, I know to copy and paste stuff, but it wont seem to work from my file of pictures and myspace you have to be logged in to view my pics.http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=102013342&albumID=931949&imageID=9859621tell me if you can view this picture and what do you think about it?I can name a few things I should have done.
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antonim3612



Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:18 am    Post subject: For those of you who are pro. photographers, how did you get Reply with quote
i aways wanted it, but went into office work to start with - boring! then i did some night school courses, went to Photography school 2 years, sold cameras 2 years, did TV Production School 1 year (Camera Operator), went back to selling cameras, starting doing TV camera operating and Photography part time- after about a year won some awards against other Pros and that was the start, i work for architects, writers and editors nowits technique,desire,study,and some luck (more you learn and try the lucker you will be)a
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PBIPhotoArtist0568



Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:06 am    Post subject: For those of you who are pro. photographers, how did you get Reply with quote
I've always loved taking pictures. It's one of the most relaxing things I know of.My father, two uncles, and both my father's parents were professional photographers. I basically grew up in photography studios and darkrooms. My first camera was a 4x5 view camera.I've never taken a photography class, but my grandfather, grandmother, one uncle, and father all taught me lots.I sold my first photo to a museum when I was 21 and have been making money from my photography ever since. I helped family members with dozens of wedding shoots before I tried my first one solo. I've done hundreds of weddings. I make most of my money from nature photography these days but still do a few weddings just to keep in practice.I shoot lots of event pro bono for the Chamber of Commerce and various Arts groups.You can't put photos directly into Yahoo Answers. You have to put them somewhere else and post a link to them.
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LAPhotographer7200



Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:54 am    Post subject: For those of you who are pro. photographers, how did you get Reply with quote
I just started taking pictures. And I learned what not to do by doing it. The more you shoot, the better you get.I don't think everybody is cut out for it. You have to have an eye for it. My website: www.mikulphotography.net
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gryphon19111325



Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:42 pm    Post subject: For those of you who are pro. photographers, how did you get Reply with quote
I fell into it. I still make my main money at a "regular" job, but supplement my income with photography. I am self taught, learned a lot from others, the internet and a lot of research, trial and error(thanks to digital!) and hard work.I shoot weddings, family portraits, sporting events, any events of interest to the community, nature. I normally always have either one of my photobooks, my portfolio or a jump drive with some samples on it along with my business cards with me at all times. You never know when you will run into a potential client, and as the old saying goes..."always be closing."I freelance, so I do whatever I think will make me money. Right now I seem to be getting a lot of portraits...but that will start to change once fall gets here. I'll rpobably spend a lot of time outdoors getting some good color changing pics.You don't have to go to school, but if you need a good understanding of the basics(composition, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, WB, exposure) then I would recommend classes of some kind. Since I did not intend to go into photography as a career, I had plenty of time to learn all this on my own in a leisurely pace.If you want to get into thephoto business, I recommend getting an LLC, and liability insurance. Have good business ethics, solid contracts and network like crazy. You never know when you might get double booked, have a problem getting to a location or whatever...and it never hurts to have a group of friendly pros to help back you up.Example...I was just on a vacation in Nags Head, NC and a group in the house next to us was having a family reunion. They had people coming fram all 4 corners of the continental US and had booked a photographer to take a group and some individual portraits. Photographer double booked. They had no one to help them out. While out on the beach one day, the wife and happened to run across one of the family members and the subject came up about the photographer canceling. Needless to say, right person, right place, right time. I had all my camera gear with me for taking nature and beach shots, plus now I will make some money to cover the family vacation!Good luck on your endeavor!
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