Are You Sure You Want To Be A Professional Nature Photographer?
TweetMany amateur photographers dream of being a professional and making their passion for photography pay enough to live that dream.
It’s the allure of traveling, exploring, and photographing the landscape, wilderness areas, and far off travel destinations that drives many to take what they love to do part time and turn it into a full time business.
Pros and amateurs have the same passion: to be out there exploring, experiencing, discovering, and documenting with a camera.
It is the idea that being paid doing what you love to do will allow even more photographic opportunities, including travel to exotic places and that in turn will earn enough money to fuel the same cycle.
In reality, that idea, that dream, may be more of an illusion. Going pro brings a whole new set of challenges and hurdles.
Dreams are free, reality has costs.
Why Amateurs May Have More Fun
The amateur photographer often has other means to make a living that in turn subsidizes that passion to photograph. Many have the latest and greatest gear and the means to travel from time to time to exotic or distant locations to satisfy that passion.
- The amateur can explore and experiment and make mistakes and no one cares. They can pick up where they left off and be comfortable no matter their skill level.
- They can leave photography for other life’s interests and return anytime they wish.
- They never have to consider how to monetize their efforts or determine what to shoot for today’s markets. Since they are shooting for the joy there is not really a cost or an expense that needs to be justified.
- They usually do not need costly business insurance and if they have a regular job, they may not have to pay the outrageous costs of health insurance, need to pay for office space, or have a business license.
- The amateur does not have to be a people person or master the skills of salesmanship or marketing themselves or even negotiating tough deals.
- The amateur has nothing to prove to anyone except to themselves. Only they care whether they are a great photographer or not.
- The amateur can pick and choose where and what to photograph based on places they wish to visit. They photograph for fun!
Being a Pro is Also Fun, Occasionally.
The pro on the other hand must spend a great deal of time and costs to master their medium. The pros constantly have to work on their skills to stay competitive to meet client needs.
They need to own a lot of gear and it is usually well used and some of it needs updating every few years.
The pro spends most of their time on business needs seeking new clients and business opportunities. They need to continually evaluate what to shoot that has the best chance of financial return. That includes shooting subjects the markets demand but may be less interesting.
Working pros need to always watch the bottom line and are often trying to determine whether they can afford new gear, afford an employee to lighten the load, or how to justify the costs to shoot a destination they wish to visit but may not be in demand by the markets.
They have to compete in possibly the worst market ever and earn enough from their photography to make the house payment, pay for business and health insurance, the car, food, the children’s needs, and save for those quarterly tax payments. All while banking some cash for the slow times.
- The pro needs to master self promotion, marketing, image pricing for today’s markets, and develop the skills to fiercely negotiate a decent price.
- On assignment, pros shoot what the client wants and the way the client wants it shot.
- The professional photographer needs to prove themselves constantly, every single day to somebody they hope to do business with.
- They need to prove themselves to be worthy of a call back by having a resume of notable achievements. They must stand out!
- They need to spend years building a library of high quality stock images that can beat the competition.
- They need to prove they can handle the assignment and that means having other assignments under their belt.
- The pro needs to push relentlessly at everything they do and often needs to be available 7 days a week for any potential business.
The pro wears a lot of hats. They need to create great images, process and archive those images, research new markets, promote their business, make sales calls, negotiate a sale, deliver the product, and no doubt much more.
Who Has More fun: The Pro or Amateur?
When a photographer turns pro they are starting a business and that businesses product is photography. That product needs to meet the needs of specific client base for that business to succeed.
Pros compete against anybody and everybody no matter their background and today there is often little difference between a pro and amateur when looking at the quality of images.
Most pros in today’s markets struggle to find enough time (or money) to shoot as much as they wish. The business demands first and foremost, their efforts to a market the businesses products.
This business like any needs capitol investment in the form of equipment and marketing tools as well as financial resources to build an inventory of great images before much income is generated.
The business of photography has little to do with photographing nature these days! It is now all about nurturing a business that creates and sells photography.
If you are considering going pro, take time to seriously evaluate WHY you want to do that. If it is all about the love of shooting, you may find your current lifestyle allows more shooting and more enjoyment. Being in the business of professional nature photography forces you to spend much of your time being the owner of a business.
In today’s markets there is nothing wrong with being an amateur who spends their time photographing simply for the joy!
What do you think? Please leave a comment.
Related Posts: The Future May Be The Commercial Nature Photographer
Book on the business:
99 Ways To Make Money From Photos
Great article! I loved the first part where you describe the joy of being an amateur. Not that I ever considered being a pro (still takes me 100 photos to get one really good one), I do have fun taking and posting my pictures. I’m going to link up your blog on my homepage under resources and links, and will be checking back … you have tons of great info on here.
Kathy Matthews
La Pine
Hi Kathy-
Thanks for jumping in…and happy shooting!
Charlie
So true! As a professional, one always needs to consider the business end of photography, and look to how a shoot will move your career forward. There is a big difference between the dream and reality. Thank you for sharing. . .Karen
Well written and parts of it will be quoted when I talk with amateurs who hope to turn pro someday. This is really 90% business and 10% photography…so you have to be good enough at your craft to REALLY make that 10% pay. I typically am jealous of the amteur friends I have who shoot where they want rather than where the market wants you too! Thanks Charlie. See ya in September!
Good advice for readers who feel under pressure to go pro… ask yourself why… examine your motives.
I think some of that pressure comes from a confusion with definitions. Some define “pro” as one who “owns a lot of expensive gear and knows how to use it.” I.e. someone who can create above average images that will withstand scrutiny by the professional community. If that is the motivation one could join an organization such as PPA (Professional Photographers of America) take their “certified professional photographer” test (http://www.ppa.com/education-events/certification.php)”and become a card-carrying, bona-fine “pro” regardless of whether or not they make any money out of their Photography.
But if by “pro” we mean someone who relies on Photography for their main source of income, then business concerns must take priority; one must follow the money, so to speak. This does not have to corrupt the art of photography. It is interesting to note what Ansel Adams said about the subject, as quoted in e.g. this 2009 newspaper article http://tinyurl.com/43qs9x3
Well written and well said. One of the things that those who go from amateur to pro need to consider is that they now own the business, and the success or failure is in great part due to what they do and do not do, and this does not happen overnight. There is a lot of time spent working and showing in smaller venues to get your name out. It is a constant job that likely will take more time than your “regular” job ever required. It takes nurturing, learning and constant improvement to keep up. It takes a tough skin to keep getting rejected and push on – to learn from each moment. If you have this, and the passion – as I do and so many of my colleagues – then make the jump! If not, as you said, there is nothing wrong with being the amateur!
Well said Charlie! I think you hit the nail on the head! However, it could also be titled “fashion photographer,” “food photographer” etc. etc. etc. as it is ALWAYS about the business, and satisfying the client FIRST and FOREMOST. And then, occasionally, a job comes along that is fun, fun, fun, and the two merge together where your creative itch can be scratched, and the client’s photography needs are satisfied. I think I’ll keep a copy of this also to pass along to those who think that “shooting pretty pictures” all day long is all that being a professional photographer entails…(you and I both know differently!)
Very true but there is the other side of the equation… In order to support the photography hobby an amateur may be putting up with endless days of boredom for the joy of being out there a week or two per year. In the end it may not be a win. Having said that the difficulty of putting food on the table with photography should not be underestimated.
Very good article Charlie! A must read for all those considering a photography career.
Good article. My serious musings of turning pro have been permanently put in the drawer. Mostly because I want to keep the passion via shooting what I want, when I want, etc..
But there are still days when I’m a Lewis Kemper wannabe
That dude does travel!
I do think many of the modern pros that I know have found new “fun” or fulfillment as teachers of the art. Many generations of teachers enjoy great satisfaction knowing they have contributed to growing others passions.
Great article….Makes a person stop and really think about the pros and cons..
As a 20-year commercial travel pro, this hit the nail on the head. I love what I do and most comment about your career as if it’s a joy 100% of the time, but it’s far from that. And it doesn’t get easier as you go – been at it full-time since ’91, published thousands of times around the world, hundreds of assignments, tons of stock sales, and the battle for work never ends. Not complaining, just reality.
Karen, Les, John, Lesli, Nadine, Boyan, Lewis, Mark, Sean, Cora—thanks you all for sharing!
No, no professional, not even stock. I felt so unsure and stressed just trying to get in there after some friends talked to me, that I decided to not do that to me. I do not want to create images for others, just for myself and my friends and surrounding. Nobody else. Fun first, I do not need a living out of that (and I have some quite expensive gear, yes). Happy with that. Period.
Good article!
In my experience “if” there were ten things required to build a successful business selling fine art photography, quality of image would probably be near the bottom of the list. Not that image quality isn’t important, but there is so much more to this business and unfortunately, most people don’t get it. Of course you need great work, but that alone won’t get you very far. A lot of people can create great work, but very few are successful professionals. Sales, marketing, merchandising, attention to the smallest detail, organization, and the commitment to stick-to-it no matter what, are just a few of the skills needed, not just good photography!
My advice would be unless you are willing to risk everything, and includes both all of your money and all of your time, stick to having fun with photography. To paraphase Edison, Success in the photography business is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration:-)
Many an enjoyable hobby has been lost in the pursuit of financial success!
[...] Borland wrote an interesting piece recently titled Are You Sure You Want to be a Professional Nature Photographer? that I recommend to anyone who’s pondered that thought. I struck a few chords with me when I [...]
I guess most people want to be pro because when they get money for their art, it means that it has some value to someone, that it is just good enough.
And my point of view this is the place where we (they, I) should stop.
I believe the thoughts go like this – if I can get XXX amount of money for my photos, why can’t I get XXXX? And this is the point where unwanted projects and jobs start to appear.
My current vision is that there are 2 options – ideal and good.
Ideal – go where you want, shoot what you want, upload to some sites, which sell them for you and get enough for living. This may include a hired sales manager or whatever.
Good – do your common job and do some projects at the same time. Act as a semi-pro. This way you still get some pocket money and you may choose whether you like the project or not and you are not going to starve.
currently I do the second (Good) option and quite happy with it
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[...] Borland wrote an interesting piece recently titled Are You Sure You Want to be a Professional Nature Photographer? that I recommend to anyone who’s pondered that thought. I struck a few chords with me when I [...]