A question for PRO photographers?

Question

Have any of you started your careers from scratch? By this, I mean did you get to where you are without doing a photography course and working for a photographer in the beginning and spending thousands of dollars on equipment?

Answer 1

YES.
I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time, albeit late in life.
It was at the very beginning of the digital revolution and I had a very basic digital camera - less than 1 megapixel resolution.The local government wanted a photographer with digital capability and I was recommended by a friend.
I met their brief and impressed both the client and their promotions company. Thus, I was hired for more jobs and they gave me some up-front money to invest in an updated and improved spec camera.
The moral of the story is that, irrespective of the imagined necessary training, you can make it on natural talent alone IF you make yourself known to the right people and by showing them what you have already done. There IS a short-cut.
Put together a professional-looking portfolio of your best work, in a variety of formats and styles; make an appointment and go for it.
Then, once you have some work, use some of the money to upgrade your equipment.

The important element of this is that you MUST have some natural talent. We refer to it as 'having an eye'. If you don't have it already, it CAN be taught but that is taking the long and rocky road to get there.
If you believe that you 'have an eye', try the short-cut route.

Further to the answer given above - there are many areas that a photographer can work in. Each is specialised and some, not all, require professional equipment. Wedding photography is a very specialised business. Fashion photography, likewise, is specialised and needs a very different approach - and equipment! However, there are areas where just a good quality digital cam, and maybe a tripod, can produce excellent results IF ... IF ... you have the raw talent. Many believe that they have, few actually do.
Many believe unreservedly that they can sing - see American Idol for the evidence?
Anyone with some cash can buy a camera and take pictures ...

Answer 2

One of the greatest things about the internet, and the sort of anonymous commentary you find here, is that when you ask a question, you do so without the benefit of bias (and unfortunately, without the benefit of tact, as well). What you are getting here is honesty, brutal sometimes. These people don't know you, they don't love you, they are not your friends, and they do not owe you anything. This new trend, the idea that somehow this perceived rudeness is a form of bullying, is born out of a generation of people who never experienced failure, criticism, or any such idea that they could possibly have chosen the wrong path, and that perhaps they weren't meant to do certain things. If you show me a picture you mommy told you was beautiful that I thought sucked, am I supposed to hold back my opinion for the sake of your feelings? Should people just tell you that everything you do rocks hard, and you're made of pure win? Or should they just tell it like they see it? That's the point, right? Otherwise, why are you asking? Are you merely fishing for compliments? Well, this isn't the place for getting ataboys, and a pat on the back. You got your moms for that. People here don't owe you anything, especially if they don't like what they see. And the thing about real creativity is, the good one's never need approval. They never need to ask how they're doing. Everyone else (including you) is just looking for approval. And when you put yourself out there, you can't have this disillusioned attitude toward sentiment that disagrees with your sensibilities because you only have a stomach for the "nice" stuff. You can't go through life rejecting criticism (even the sort that hurts). When you are confident in yourself enough not to have to ask for approval, or help as you put it, you'll find that when you do encounter criticism, you can either take it for what it is, or accept it and move on. I apologize, I hadn't the chance to answer your question, and I'm sorry I missed the opportunity to do so. But from what I learned, I'm not sure I would have had anything positive to say either. Sorry but, perhaps the reason the criticism was so harsh, was that you have much to learn about event photography despite the number of weddings you've got booked. Good news for us all however, is that photography is an evolution. You learn through experience. And being told you suck at something doesn't feel good, no matter how long you've been at it, or how much experience you think you've got. So chill out, already. It's not that big of a deal. If you can't deal with the answers, perhaps you should avoid asking the question.

Answer 3

The simple answer is yes. It can happen. One person gave an example of this success.

It might take a lot longer to get discovered than if you took a more normal route.

If money is the issue then find a second job, etc. until you have the tools and the training. In the mean time keep reading books at the library and other free sources of info. Shot photos and study them to learn from the exercise. In particular spend time thinking about what you are shooting and what you are doing with the camera. Then look at the shot later to see how your expectations matched the results.

You also need to study good photos and develop your eye.

It is not about the cost. It is about learning the trade and how to use the tools.

Think of it this way. The next time you go to the hospital would you want someone who was concerned about the start up costs so they thought they would just hang out and help the patients? Or would you expect someone who was trained, practices and certified in the trade before they started to operate?

Answer 4

It would seriously surprise me if anyone did this. I don't see how a person can ethically charge someone for a service they know nothing about or have no formal training.

I spent a lot of time as an apprentice then got into professonally produces seminars and classes.

As far as 'thousands of dollars on equipment' - I'm not sure what else you would do. You can't photograph a wedding with a $35 camera and a flash light. Or even produce a senior photography session with a disposable camera and some bed sheets.