How to become a professional photographer

One question I get asked a lot is “How do you become a photographer?” The answer is actually very straightforward: you just have to go and do it.

There are many routes into the industry and one thing I’ve learned over the years is that everybody’s story is different. Some start by being asked to photograph a wedding or event. Some by being approached by someone who wants to buy an image. Some by uploading images to a stock library. There are many, many different routes and everyone’s is different.

Through this series of articles I’d like to open a discussion about the fundamental steps that most people go through when starting out on their own journey to become a professional photographer. I’ve used the term “journey” deliberately because that’s just what it is: your own personal journey and every journey begins with a few short steps.

Step 1: Your Decision to Go…

The hardest part about going professional is making that first decision: the decision to go. The decision to strike out, on your own, and make it happen. Unless you make that decision, deliberately and consciously, you’ll never achieve it. You won’t be committed, no matter how much you want it. Let me give you an example.

The hardest part about going professional is making that first decision: the decision to go. (Click to Tweet)

A few years ago I used to work for a very enlightened and forward thinking man. He had an incredible talent for strategy and making everything he turned his hand to a resounding success. He was also a very keen photographer and some of his work was absolutely beautiful. We often spoke about photography and it was very clear that he would love to become a professional photographer. He would have been extremely successful too but he lacked one vital ingredient: the decision to go. He had the dream but the dream was destined to always remain a dream.

He’s not the only one either. I’ve met many people who often talked about starting their journey but who also lacked the courage and conviction to give it a go. In each and every case, the only person stopping them was themselves.

Why do you want to become a professional photographer?

As you’re reading this article it suggests you want to know how to start your own personal journey to become a professional photographer. Before you begin you need to ask yourself why you want to do it. There’s no right or wrong answer and it will help you to develop and understand your own passion and commitment, the very ingredients you need to make your decision to go much more deliberate.

If you can’t answer WHY you want to become a professional photographer, maybe it’s not for you (Click to Tweet)

Conclusion

The decision to go is the crucial first step on your journey to become a professional photographer. Without it, your dreams, your hopes, your aspirations, will very likely go unrealised. They’ll remain just that: dreams. To be fully committed to making the decision is no easy task. It’s easy to pay lip service to it and say you are but it doesn’t matter what you say to everyone else. What matters is what you think and believe inside. Only you can ever know if you are truly committed to it, hence the importance of your own WHY. Once you know why you want to do it, making a deliberate decision to go is much more likely to result in success. Remember also that you don’t need anyone else’s permission to go out and do it.

In part 2 of this series we’ll start to identify the barriers that will stand in your way and strategies for removing and/or avoiding them.

Homework – What’s your WHY???

Now it’s your turn. If you really are serious in your desire to become a professional photographer take some time, right now, to write down your own personal WHY. Then write it in a comment to this post.