photography as a career?

[Komandant]

I would just like to know what kind of photography related jobs out there would allow me to travel the world as part of my job? How much experience would be needed for this job?

Thanks

[Rhys]

I would just like to know what kind of photography related jobs out there would allow me to travel the world as part of my job? How much experience would be needed for this job?

Thanks

Best wishes. I hope you have another job to support you while you work as a photograher. Just about anybody with a cell-phone camera is taking and submitting pictures to the media.

[cdifoto]

I would just like to know what kind of photography related jobs out there would allow me to travel the world as part of my job? How much experience would be needed for this job?

Thanks

You can make a living with your camera, but its best to find a niche. Find a customer base and shoot for them rather than shooting random photos and trying to sell them off.

Although it doesn't pay much, I've found a hole at a local race track and I shoot for their website as well as the racers - they love to buy pictures of themselves in action for either their own enjoyment or their sponsors.

I supplement that with as-needed assignments with a local paper and I did my first wedding (albeit horribly) a couple weeks ago.

[cwphoto]

I would just like to know what kind of photography related jobs out there would allow me to travel the world as part of my job? How much experience would be needed for this job?

Thanks

There is bugger-all money in this industry. I reckon you'd be better off trying to get a decent white-collar job that pays enough (or gives you the opportunity) for you to travel and then take some pics whilst your abroad. You may pick up a few bucks from some stock agencies but that's about it.

This photography thing is a facinating hobby, but a frustratingly low-paying profession.

[wxcloud9xw]

Most of your professional Photographers that make good money around 70,000 year + or - are people with there own studios doing either portraits for families, people, wedding, or models. They are most certainly using Medium format cameras or something that is digitally equivalent(like a digital back) in photoquality. There will be more medium format pros i believe switching to digital when the Mamiya ZD 22mp medium format DSLR comes out. The Canon 1ds Mark2 is a substitute as well, but not quite as good as the new Mamiya ZD coming out for well lite portrait work. I've even herd Hasselblad is coming out with a medium format DSLR.

I'm sure there are other ways for a professional photographer to make good money. This is what I know of where I live.

I would like to be able to have my own studio one day and do portrait work for families and weddings on the weekends or spare time. Ofcourse you would want a good steady job and do photography on the side and get good at it. If you get really good then friends and others will take notice to your work and will likely ask you to take pictures for them..and thats how it starts..your reputation grows and grows..making more of a customer base.

I've already gotten comments from family and friends on the quality of the photos I've done recently...and it was with a Nikon coolpix 8800 8mp fixed lens point and shoot camera. Can't wait to see the results I get with a good DSLR like the Rebel XT.

[Vich]

I've known a few successful photographers but they've all been well established in an area with return clientel. One in particular lives in Sedona Arizona and does mostly landscapes. I believe she travels sometimes because it suits her marketing style.

Perhaps a newspaper would hire someone with the right portfolio and resume, but then, you might wind up in Iraq or so. Perhaps getting a job on a cruise line?

[cwphoto]

I've even herd Hasselblad is coming out with a medium format DSLR.

Old news, H1D came out about a year ago.

[wxcloud9xw]

yeah, I just realized Hasselblad have a H2D coming out very soon..for about 26,000 dollars too! I'd give my right nut for one of those.:D

[Rhys]

Your best way making money is by running a shop or a cafe unless you have medical training in which case you probably can make a ton of money.

[Severin]

The first rule of professiona photography, you make your living taking photos of what other people want not what you want, this means you go where your clients want you to go, take photos of what they want. In any case it seems like an alright job, even if you are mostly doing weddings and kids, etc. That doesn't really allow you to travel though and like one friend who left the profession said, he worked every weekend (weddings and such) and still was expected in his studio all week and since he worked for himself, he had to close his studio in order to get any vacation time and then it was unpaid. However you might be able to get a job with as a photojournalist and you will have some flexibility, however more and more newspapers are buying photos from freelancers rather than full time employees, I don’t think any magazines have full time photographers these days, maybe a couple. I hate to say it but if you want to travel and do photography your best bet is to get a job that either makes you travel or allows you to travel a lot, then do your photography part time and see if you can sell those prints freelance. Studios and traditional photography tend to restrict you, but if you can gain some notoriety as a photographer during the freelance days then you might be able to quit the regular job and do photography your way, producing books, calendars, prints, etc. The problem is that like acting, music, and art, photography is an art form and most artists are "starving" until they have made a name for themselves and this often takes many many years. Good luck in any case. I think people are doing great if they can make enough money from a hobby like photography to pay for their equipment.

[Jredtugboat]

I would just like to know what kind of photography related jobs out there would allow me to travel the world as part of my job? How much experience would be needed for this job?

Thanks

Your mileage will vary. Wildly.

How entrepreneurial are you? How much get up and go do you have? Are you comfortable selling yourself to people?

Unless you get some sort of in-house position (examples of which have already been mentioned here--race track photographer, cruise-line photographer) you're talking about getting into the wild and wooly of own-your-own-business freelancing. It's a terribly grinding business which is going to put a premium on your ability and willingness to sell yourself to people, and get out there and hawk your wares, so to speak.

Good luck on this. As someone else wisely pointed out, your ability to make it on this will depend on your ability to take pictures of what other people want to see rather than what you want to see.

My advice would be to not hang out to much on internet forums. :) Instead, if you're serious, I would get involved in local photography clubs, take courses at local colleges, and just generally poke my nose into places looking for opportunity.

You know how my friend got started? He went to the fanciest pet salon in the neighborhood and made them a deal...trading space and time for pictures of the adored, pampered pets being brought in. The owners got pics for a price and both salon owner and he made out by getting additional, and keeping existing, business.

Just my thoughts, and good luck on this...whatever you do, do existing pros a favor though: don't undercut pro rates to "get my foot in the door". The strategy will hurt existing pros in the near term and you in the long run by making you the "go to guy" for people with no budget. You'll never be able to raise your rate and you'll be just another stringer...it's tempting, but don't do it...I've seen it blow up on friends too many times...

Julian

[Rhys]

Remember - working for yourself means you'll never not be working. When you come home for the night you'll be doing the books. When you're off at te weekend you'll be checking accounts. When you're working you'll be worrying about being paid. If you do manage to get a holiday you'll be worrying about how much business has been lost because you're not there.

[Jredtugboat]

Remember - working for yourself means you'll never not be working. When you come home for the night you'll be doing the books. When you're off at te weekend you'll be checking accounts. When you're working you'll be worrying about being paid. If you do manage to get a holiday you'll be worrying about how much business has been lost because you're not there.

Also remember, the best thing about being freelance is the worst thing about being freelance: your boss might turn out to be a complete closet psychotic.

This is especially troubling if you have a multiple personality disorder. Personally, I have a multiple disorder disorder, so it hasn't been much of an issue.

J.