From Hobbyist to Professional

This is kind of the story of my blog...sharing with you all my journey from "A to P", Amateur to Professional.  I found 6 amazing articles on going from Hobbyist to Professional, and I was excited to see that I have been taking the right steps.  (If you are interested in starting a photography business, take the time to read the links from MCP actions, they are very helpful and inspring!)

1. Get Educated  Learn everywhere you can- workshops, events, meeting with other photographers, join a photography group, networking, research, read books.  Learn everything you can so that you are a knowledgeable photographer and business owner.  I try to invest 10-15 hours every week on learning, researching, and studying successful portraits and photographers.

2. Gear You Actually Need  You don't need all the best gear, you would end up going into debt and that is the worst way to start out.  Know what you need, and know what you have- really know your existing equipment and it will serve you better than having all the new lenses and gear and not using them to their full potential.  Invest in quality equipment, and then you won't have to re-buy it a few years down the road.

3. The Business Stuff  The technical part: lawyers, taxes, pricing, marketing, and the business aspect of hanging out a sign.

4. Building Your Portfolio  Great advice on when to say yes and when to say no, how to go from shooting for free to charging, and when you are ready to launch a web site.  Also, good advice on only showcasing the work that you want- if you don't want to shoot newborns, don't put up even adorable photos of newborns because that is not the work you are interested in.

5. Build Your Storefront  Our store front is what the internet sees- our websites, blogs, and photos we post.  Make sure it reflects YOU- don't copy another photographer, be yourself and invest in branding to make you look different from all the other photographers out there.

6. Believe in YOU  In this final article it tells that 95% of photography businesses fail, what will make you be in that 5%?  Once you get to this step, you have the smarts, the gear, the website, the contracts, the portfolio, the branding, now believe you can make it!!  Be successful!