Myths about "Going Pro"

[jowensphoto]

20 Myths About Becoming a Pro Photographer (And their solutions!)

Myth 11 is my favorite. I used to be one

 

[JohnTrav]

I think #6 is my favorite.

 

[imagemaker46]

I like them all, this should be required reading for anyone that thinks they are ready to play professional.

 

[IByte]

I like them all, this should be required reading for anyone that thinks they are ready to play professional.

I think you should make this your signature Image.

 

[timor]

With the event of digital life of pro photographers became a hell. Digital made from photography a very much trivial thing. Now every body thinks "I can do it !" A clerk in my local photo store told me about people buying $2000-3000 cameras on Friday only to bring them back on Monday for return of the money "unhappy with the product". But camera's register shows several thousand pictures taken. Wedding Day ?

 

[imagemaker46]

With the event of digital life of pro photographers became a hell. Digital made from photography a very much trivial thing. Now every body thinks "I can do it !" A clerk in my local photo store told me about people buying $2000-3000 cameras on Friday only to bring them back on Monday for return of the money "unhappy with the product". But camera's register shows several thousand pictures taken. Wedding Day ?

Wouldn't surprise me, people have been doing it clothes for decades.

 

[texkam]

I disagree with #16.

 

[amolitor]

I disagree with #16.

Yeah, you might do ok with some local TPF model, but probably not. Pay them, geez, you're trying to run a business here. This "improvephotography.com" guy seems to write a lot of eyeball bait, and the actual content looks like approximately 5684564 other amateurish sites trying to tell newbies how to be awesome photographers. Ugh.

 

[jowensphoto]

The only way I would ever pay a model is if I was selling the images. A model just starting out, also building a portfolio, is not "worthy" of being paid. Just as a photographer building his/her portfolio should not be charging.

In terms of models' beauty or looks, I agree with that too. Potential clients (average looking or otherwise) aren't going to be sold on a portfolio of, forgive me, ugly people.

 

[amolitor]

If you're building your portfolio, you don't want beginners. You want good models that know what they're doing, and who show up on time. That costs money.

Work with people that are better and more experienced than you are, if you want to get better. If some TPF local is better than you, you're gonna want to reconsider going pro. You'll learn more in 30 minutes with a really good model than you will in forever with reading on the internet and shooting free models.

 

[jowensphoto]

On the flip side of that same coin, no professional model wants to work with an amateur photographer. Let's face it, unless you've been at the game for awhile, the results are not going to be worthy of that model's portfolio.