is photography a good career choice?

Question

im only 16, but im really interested in landscape and portrait photography. but more of landscape. would i still make enough money to live off it if i stick with this career? im not really interested in anything else. how would i make money off it also? besides opening a gallery. if my pictures are even that good. im stressing out. please help. and to the photographers who did choose this as a career, was it a good one?
thanks. :]

Answer 1

is it your passion?

if the answer is yes then follow your heart and go for it

people who let their passions guide them make good career choices - remember you are going to be doing it the rest of your life - could you imagine how sad it would be to choose a career you are going to be miserable at for the sake of money.

Answer 2

Ok Usagichan, let me attempt to clarify some things. Antoni is right, whether you are talking about Fine art photography or commercial photography, being succesful entails really good marketing skills. I will be honest and tell you that a lot of really excellent photographers go unnoticed because they have absolutely no clue how to promote themselves and their work. However, you have to understand that marketing is not simply knocking on every museum door, or harassing every single gallery director which is a sure way of making enemies fast. A lot of marketing is simply knowing the market, knowing who is out there, what others in your field are doing, and knowing what things distinguish your work from others, because lets face it, there are a plethora of landscape photographers who produce technically good photographs, but it is that 1% that does something different that distinguishes their work from others. Most importantly know how to talk about your work! Artists typically hate talking about their work, but some of the most succesful artists really know how to talk about their work.
Now in terms of making a living off your photographs, here is how many fine art photographers survive. The not so incredibly famous fine art photographers often supplement their living by teaching at Universities, or art schools. To do this you will have to get an M.F.A. The M.F.A will also open a lot of doors to famous photo galleries in major cities. These days if you don't have a name, your work better be excellent and you should have an education to back it up as well(although it isn't a mandatory thing), but if you study the market, that is you talk to enough gallery directors you will see a trend.
So as far as fine art or commercial photography being a good career choice. First of all if money is your major worry then don't bother with fine art photography unless there a really serious passion building inside you, photography can be a great hobby, and is something that you can continue to do the rest of your life regardless of what job you do.
Let me put it to you this way, choosing fine art photography as a career is not a rationale decision, but an irrational decision made purely out of unexplained passions which honed and guided properly, can lead to a happy and fulfilling life.

Answer 3

IMO 16 is a bit young to be stressing over career choices.

If your school offers photography classes sign up. If you're fortunate you'll have to use a 35mm totally manual film camera and learn to process and print black and white. You'll also learn about light, ISO, composition, shutter speeds and f-stops. Using a manual camera will also help you learn to slow down. (My personal knock against digital cameras is that they encourage the "machine gun" approach to photography: make 300 exposures and hope 20 or 30 are worth keeping or spend hours on your computer using an editing program trying to make a mediocre image acceptable.)

If you're really serious about photography, find a professional photographer in your area who needs an assistant. Listen and watch as he/she works and only ask questions when your mentor isn't working or if you don't understand your instructions.

Plan on attending college and majoring in photography/fine arts. Add some business courses to your schedule. Add writing classes also. You might one day be asked to do captions and/or text to accompany your photos.

Study your competition. David Muench is currently one of the top landscape photographers. There are numerous others. Find who they are and study their work.

Go to the library and check out any books they have on how and where to sell your photos. If they don't have anything, try amazon or ebay. Study the companies buying what you're interested in producing. They have certain criteria and if they aren't met 100% your submissions will be tossed.

While you're at the library, check the photography magazines they subscribe to. Then subscribe to one or two you like. Read them cover to cover every month. Keep them.

Buy a copy of "Object & Image: An Introduction To Photography, Third Edition" by George M. Craven.Yes it was written before digital cameras were invented BUT - photography techniques apply equally to film or digital.

Any book written by the late Monte Zucker is worth reading. He was a Master Portrait Photographer. To explore creative ideas look to Jerry Uelsmann.

Answer 4

if you have strong marketing, networking and business skills then its ok, of course photography skills like off camera flash are important

as far as i know only the top 0.01% of landscape shooters actually make a living

is it a good career, i used to love it now im really flat, the amount of paper work, accounts, tax et cetera are a killer

i got into this game after years of schooling in photography and TV school to run around making images, now i spend a few hours a week shooting and the rest doing paperwork

goto photography school and get the photographic skills then do some business courses

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Answer 5

Well to tell you the truth, it is not exactly a well paying job. It is also difficult to find jobs in this feild as well.

I came from a small town, there were 2 independant photographers that took professional pictures such as Senior Pictures, High School Athletic and Scolastic pictures as well as our year books. The one in my town also took the pictures of our Holiday Lights Festival, as well as multiple views of the town.

I imagine that he made a decent living, but it all depends on where you set up and work at. But still i know of a lot of people who have wanted to get into photography but they end up quitting because there are no jobs out there.

Give it some time something might come up in the future. I know that after my senior year of high school I had no idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, then I remembered that I had a teacher in high school that taught a class in drafting that I took, and it was the only thing that I was interested in. But regardless of the college that I went throuh I became a UPS driver instead.

Answer 6

I had the same dilemma. I chose to stay with my Video and Film course for the following reason: Getting a job in the video and film side of things seems to be tougher and a degree or A level would give you a better chance of getting a job (especially for my aspiration of being an editor) whereas getting a job in photography (especially freelance photography) you will just need a good portfolio and experience. Try offering your services for free by shooting charity events?

Answer 7

Please allow me to comment on your question.

I think if you are compelled to follow this career, you must do it. What will make the difference is your passion. All great artists HAD to do. It was their inner nature. Someone who just wants to make money should not go into photography as a vocation. You need passion. You also need another income while you are breaking into it. Whether your pictures are that good, they probably are. You can test them out by posting them and seeing what comments and feedback you get. [e-mail]

Answer 8

If you love it .. then absolutely... I am also an art student debating going into photography, or graphic design, I will definitely be doing one or the other... as far as finances go.. my parents are both professional photographers. it takes a good bit of time, and strong marketing to develop a client list & that sort of thing,but we live a very comfortable life. so if you will take the time to establish yourself it can certainly be worth it... but dont be one of those people who just decide they are going to be a photograpger & go buy a camera... go to school for it.... learn the lighting & that sort of thing & get certified... good luck!

Answer 9

you should always follow your heart and not think so much about money, but if youre good then yes, you can make enough money to live. you can get your pictures published in all kinds of things including newspapers, magazines, movies, books, and much more. if you secure a job as a photographer with a specific company, then you can make a decent amount of money.

Answer 10

If you choose photography as your career, it will be what you make it. It's no different than any other choice. It takes the same level of work, education, and dedication as any other job. You determine your level of involvement.