Is photography considered a good career?

Question

I love it now, and I know I want to go to college for it. But is it such a good job? And I don't know, I'm just curious. I'm only in high school still.

Answer 1

It is hard (and getting harder) to make a good living at it, but this is true of all the arts. And it depends on what your definition of a good living is. To make enough to have a luxurious lifestyle is almost unheard of

. For every photographer earning six figures, there are probably a thousand who can't make a mortgage payment using photography alone. And there are levels in-between.

I have been in the business for 11 years, and I still keep my day job, which is photography related. Of course, I haven't gone whole hog, either, to try and make a living from producing images alone. For that, you need photography skills, yes, but almost more importantly, you need business skills as well. So be sure to take some business management classes in college.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Photography can be a great career if you move into an area where there is a need for a photographer.

If you were to move into a town of 10,000 people and there are already 5 - 6 well established photographers, you won't have hardly any luck. However, if you move into the same location and only have 1 - 2 well established photographers, you are going to have a better chance.

Also - don't fall into a situation where there is no competition. If your location doesn't have a photographer - ask yourself why. There may not be a market for it. Or, maybe, the one photographer in that town retired.

I once heard a stat that there only needs to be one photographer for every 5,000 citizens. Now, that sounds pretty overwhelming. But of those 5,000 citizens 10% of them are probably over the age of 65 and don't want their photographs. another 10% is under the age of 5 and will only get one or two photographs a year. Then about 35% fall between middle school and high school. In which case most photos will be by the school photographer. However, seniors will be visiting you every summer. And 5% just can't afford to get their photos taken. And the other 40% will call upon you for events such as reunions, family photos, etc. So, once broken down - 1 / 5000 isn't really that bad at all.

Answer 3

I am going to toss my 2 cents into the ring about if this a good career or not, my answer is yes and I do photography full time and when I am not doing that I am off shooting things that I like to do. My best suggestion to you is to start by reading photography books and learning the basics. Find somebody in your area that is good at it and ask if they can teach you or let you go on some shoots to watch how they do things, even if you carry the camera bag and watch what they do it is a start. You also have to have the right kind of camera to learn from and since digital is of age you at least need a good Digital SLR to learn from, save your money and put it down as a Christmas present and let all of your relatives know what you want. You will only learn by doing and learning from mistakes, just do not make the same mistake twice. You have to know the technical side of photography before you do the creative side... so read.

I do not think I would trade my job for any other type out there and I have been doing this for 25 plus years... and I am not starving.

Hope this helps,
Kevin

Answer 4

FINALLY! A young person who is willing to go to school to train! Thank you soooo much! Okay, photography can be a very great business to get into, IF there is a demand for it in your area. When I started buying everything I needed to get my studio going, there was only 1 other professional in the area. When I actually opened my studio, there was 4 other studios. Now, here is the kicker, only 2 of us are professionals. Looking at the other 2 photographers work, I can tell they just have a camera and lights. lpswhtz is right on the stats. You can take photography and still get work, but will it pay the money you desire, or is it just for the love of it. I'm lucky that I'm doing what I love and make good money doing it. My work speaks for itself. My customers speak for me. I've yet to have a customer leave my studio not satisfied. You have to be willing to do what you need as a photographer, even if it means not making the bucks. Is this something you're willing to do? Being that you're still in high school, you have time to think about it. But there are things you can do now to help you in your decision. Check with the local professionals to see if they need an assistant. Be willing to help for little to nothing so you can learn from a professional. Tell them you are an aspiring photographer and want hands on training as well as in school! They will be impressed and may want to help. This is hands down the best approach. Tell them you've seen their work and you love what they do! Good luck in your decision!

Buy the way, Melfice0 is wrong about working at Walmart not being a good job. That is where I started, while I finished school learning photography. While working at that studio is very demanding, it gave me a unique insite into a part of the business that noone else gets to see. I can handle extemely demanding people better than most. I can probably run circles around most other photographers, and I've learned when you have that one shot that is going to make the big bucks. Sorry Mel, but you need to get out more.

Answer 5

Then I wouldnt worry about it quite yet. Since you love it, take all the classes you can on it and practice all you can. Get as good as you can and when you graduate if you still want to be a photographer go for it. Take some more classes in college. Asking if photography is a good career is like asking if painting is a good career. Sure, it can be. It depends on how good you are a photography. If you're going to treat it like a hobby, then it should be exactly that. Its a competitive field but if you want to be excellent at it, then you can make it a career. Also think of what you want to be taking pictures of. You could work at walmart taking portraits or at a touristy place taking photos of people outside the exhibit. You could work freely taking photos of whatever you please and then selling them as artwork. You could work for a newspaper and take photos of whatever they wanted you to. These are all things to consider. I also love photography so I did a lot of thinking about it too. Even if you don't become a professional photographer than you could still take classes in high school adn college and make it a hobby and do it on the side for extra cash or even to help put you through college. Its a great art to learn. And as much as teachers and counselors and sometimes parents try to tell you that you need everything figured out by your senior year- you dont. You can change your majors and your classes around in college. Don't worry about it. Just work hard at everything in school and try lots of sports and activities and what you love will come to you and if yuou're lucky you'll choose a profession that you can love going to work everyday. =] good luck!

Answer 6

Chelsea, photography is a good career but I won't say it's excellent. Personally I believe that one should do what really we are interested in. If you truely love than and you are ready to work hard then Go for it! But I'll also like to add that you are talking about your career so you should think many times before deciding what to do. You can take help of your elders (those who are really close to you) or you can consult some professionals. Best of luck!

Answer 7

I've been debating over this for awhile too.

It really does depend on what kind of job you get. If you get a job at Wal-Mart shooting little kids for a living, I wouldn't consider that a good job. Unless you enjoy that sort of thing.

But if you pull your strings right and get a job like a fashion photographer for a magazine, photographer for National Geographic, or whatever type of photography you enjoy, then yes it can be.

It's just a matter of what you enjoy, whether or not its a popular genre and not just being good, but being better than the majority of other photographers.

Answer 8

continue doing what you love and money will follow. Now will you be able to live doing it..hard to say. I just started a business but also have a day job. I started volunteering my time as a photographer and it took off from there. I average about $200 a month. This is my retirement money and goes right into savings.

Answer 9

its an excelent idea. if u can get a job in which u enjoy, there is nothing wrong with it at all. its never a bad idea to get intough with your creative side, and if your good enough, you can end up making a lot of money. i consider it one of the most interesting jobs out there, because not very many people become a photographer. also, the life of a photorapher is a very exiting one too

Answer 10

Its not very lucrative. The top photographers make the money and get the fame, but you never hear about the photographers who are starving.