Fact 1: One of the great things about photography is that there are so many types of photography to explore.
Fact 2: One of the frustrating things about photography is that that there are so many types of photography to explore. It can be quite overwhelming for those coming into our world.
For those contemplating professional photography as a career then the good news is that somewhere in this gargantuan gulf of photographic endeavours there’ll certainly be something that’s right for you. Whether you’re introvert or extrovert, a recluse or a team player, an image taker or an image maker, an artist or a technician, there’ll be a branch of photography which will suit your personality.
For example, as a professional fine-art wildlife photographer you’ll be spending hours waiting patiently for that perfect moment and then selling your images as pieces of art, whereas a traditional wedding photographer may need to deal with difficult mother-in-laws and control crowds of slightly merry people while managing the technicalities of his or her flash.
The vital thing is that you choose a form of photography that’s right for you.
I’m commercial/advertising photographer specialising in active lifestyle images, very often sports or outdoor oriented imagery, and I love my work. Commercial photography imposes its own requirements on the type of personality that’s best suited to this career, so I thought I’d present my own reasons for choosing this path – it may well help some of you to go in either the same direction, or else strike it off your list and look at the many other options available to you.
Create, not take
I love to create images – to put all the pieces together to form a compelling photo that will provoke a response in the viewer. I enjoy composing the image, placing the talent and perfecting the lighting.
Carrying my camera around at all times in case I see something enticing just isn’t my thing – I know this through experience. I’m also uncomfortable taking images of people who haven’t chosen to be in front of the camera. So travel photography, journalism and other such pursuits simply aren’t well suited to my personality.
A creative outlet
Creating images is great fun, but being creative gives the greatest rush.
Commercial photography offers plenty of room to express yourself as a photographer; most shoots offer opportunities to be creative. Sometimes the client involves the photographer in the early stages of a concept, other times the brief is specific but there’ll be opportunities to express yourself on location once the required images are in the bag.
And of course you can do anything you like when creating images for self-promotion….
Personal interaction
Comercial photography requires a lot of interaction with a large variety of people – clients, art directors, models, make-up artists, stylists, assistants, etc. It isn’t a job for the introverted, (although you certainly don’t need to be an extrovert to succeed), but you need to enjoy the human contact.
Variation
My job is incredibly variable. My activities include self-marketing and prospection, client meetings, brain-storming sessions, production and logistics, photography, post-processing and retouching, accountancy, paper work, chasing up clients, maintaining my web site, keeping up to date with the latest technology and techniques, updating this blog, etc etc.
I really enjoy variation in my life, but I appreciate that this constant juggling act isn’t for everyone. In particular you should know that actually taking pictures is but a small proportion of all the above.
The technical stuff
All forms or photography require a certain degree of technical competency. Commercial photography requires a particularly high level of understanding if you wish to avoid being limited in your ability to create images.
The geek in me loves this stuff.
Finally, the challenge…
Many good amateur photographers have told me that they couldn’t become professional because they like to take their own images rather than being “dictated” to by a client, to which I’ll quickly retort that it’s perfectly possible to take and sell your own images professionally – fine art or stock photographers do this all the time.
That said, in my case I adore the challenge of accepting a client’s brief and exceeding his or her expectations.
Of course I do get plenty of opportunities to create my own imagery for self-promotion. It’s the best of both worlds.
Hi!
Create post, thanks for sharing, I’ve spent sometime thinking about how to move forward with photography professionally and this post confirms my ideas.
It’d be great to see a post on ways to get your first paid gig, or maybe you could share your experience on how you got started in this particular photographic niche.
thanks again,
Richard