Hello! A few questions...

blizzardwizard1 · Nov 9, 2011

Hi everyone, i am very interested in becoming a photographer/photojournalist and i would appreciate it if anyone could answer these questions.
What is your favourite part about your job?

How did you become interested in your job?

Have you always wanted to do this job since you were a child?

Where would you like your career to head?

What is the starting wage for this job?

What part of your job would you change if you could?

What degrees are needed?

How did you start your career?

Is there a lot of travelling involved?

Finally, Any tips for people that are new to photography? (me :lol:

)

Pleas read: I am asking these questions because it is a project for school, i have to interview someone in the job i want to do.
Kind regards,
Sebastian.

Trever1t · Nov 9, 2011

Someone asked these very questions not too long ago, for the same reasons. I bet if you do a search you will find a few responses

Why not just head down to your local photographer and ask for 10 minutes of his time?

blizzardwizard1 · Nov 9, 2011

Photography isn't really a noticed thing around here, well certainly not in my town so that isn't really an option

I can't find the thread that you're talking about either....

Trever1t · Nov 9, 2011

Well perhaps a Pro will come along to help you out.

MLeeK · Nov 9, 2011

blizzardwizard1 said:
Hi everyone, i am very interested in becoming a photographer/photojournalist and i would appreciate it if anyone could answer these questions.
What is your favourite part about your job? The people I meet

How did you become interested in your job? I love anything art and majored in Art in high school.

Have you always wanted to do this job since you were a child? I have had a camera since I was 7. I am 40-something... I always WANTED to do it, but I didn't think it would ever pay the bills. So, I went to school for other things first... The other things didn't pay the bills.

Where would you like your career to head? I am at the point that I'm happy where I am at. If anything I'd love to get to shoot professional sports, but it's not something I am avidly going to pursue.

What is the starting wage for this job? It's in the negatives. There is so much you have to invest in to get to making money that you are literally hemorrhaging money for the first couple of years.

What part of your job would you change if you could? The paperwork and legal BS that is a result of living in the US. You can sue anyone for any thing here and you have GOT to CYA in every way you can imagine and some ways you'd never imagine.

What degrees are needed? It isn't necessary to have any DEGREE, but it sure is nice! You need knowledge and skill. How you get that knowledge and skill is totally up to you.

How did you start your career? By accident! I had never thought I was going to become a full time pro at this until one shoot lead to another and another and another until I had to choose between working a job and doing this.

Is there a lot of travelling involved? If you want there to be traveling-yes. If you don't then no. That is the beauty of this profession. It is what YOU make it into. You could travel all over the world if that's what you want to do and you set your mind to doing it. Or you can be a homebody and never leave your little corner of the world.

Finally, Any tips for people that are new to photography? (me) Get a camera and shoot. Even if it's a crappy point and shoot you can learn about composition and how to find good light, how to pose people, the rules of portraiture or landscape or whatever you want to take up. Learn. Always be willing to learn. Nothing stays the same and sometimes you find yourself re-learning things in a whole new way.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER. That's how you will make it or not in this business. If you work smart and put your mind to it 100% you can succeed wildly. If you don't, you'll flop.
Success is directly related to the effort you put into it.

Pleas read: I am asking these questions because it is a project for school, i have to interview someone in the job i want to do.
Kind regards,
Sebastian.

Good luck