How to Become a Professional Photographer

Photographers use digital or film cameras to capture images. They may aim to use photography to tell a story, record an event, or convey a message. Their work might focus on people, landscapes, products, events, or even abstract ideas.

A photographer’s job goes beyond simply pressing a shutter button. They also arrange people, objects, and photographic equipment to achieve the desired results in their final photographs.

This often involves applying special techniques and orchestrating each shot according to various photographic elements, like composition, lighting, and perspective. After taking photos, photographers also often use photo editing software to produce professional-quality images.

In general, you don’t need any formal education or qualifications to become a photographer. If you intend to work as a freelancer or run your own photography business, all you’ll need to get started is a camera and photography skills, which you can get on your own.

However, the requirements for professional photographers vary depending on the type of photography you’re doing and who you’re working for. In any case, it’s safe to say that the better qualified you are, the more job options you’ll have.

Required skills

A good photographer has a particular set of skills and attributes:

• Creativity: This is what allows photographers to view subjects in imaginative and innovative ways, allowing them to take unique and interesting pictures.
• Attention to detail: Photographers have to check that every aspect of their photograph is perfect—from the positioning of subjects to details like shadows and reflections.
• Patience: Photographers sometimes have to wait for the perfect moment to capture a shot, deal with changing lighting conditions, or work with clients (possibly including pets or children) who have hard-to-meet demands.
• Communication skills: Working with clients requires good communication before, after, and even during assignments if you need to direct subjects during photos shoots.
• Teamwork: Photographers sometimes work as part of a larger creative team, which may include graphic designers, stylists, writers, editors, and more. They should be able to collaborate effectively and contribute to achieve collective goals.

Education requirements

You don’t need any formal education to become a professional photographer, and you can learn almost everything you need to know from free resources. This means you can become a photographer even if you dropped out of high school. In general, clients are more interested in your portfolio and experience than your educational background.

However, certain photography jobs have stricter requirements, especially if you’re looking for full-time opportunities. For example, photojournalists and industrial and scientific photographers often need a bachelor’s degree. 1 Portrait photography, on the other hand, doesn’t require a postsecondary education.

Aside from the knowledge that you gain, there are other benefits to having a degree or a certificate. For example, you can get opportunities for hands-on projects and mentorship if you don’t already have practical experience as a photographer. Attending classes can also help with networking and make it easier to gain a footing in the industry once you graduate.

Best degrees for photographers

Degrees that can be useful for photographers include:

• Photography
• Fine arts
• Graphic design
• Digital media
• Media studies

A cheaper, faster alternative is to complete a photography training or certification program, although these can also cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Although photography is a field with minimal entry requirements, you can’t just pick up a camera and call yourself a professional photographer. You still need to know photography basics, equip yourself with the right tools, and follow the certain steps to lay the groundwork for a fruitful photography career.

 1. Master the fundamentals

To work as a photographer, you need to have mastered the technical basics, including the following components:

• Shutter speed: Shutter speed affects motion in your photos. A faster shutter produces clearer images of objects in motion, while slower speeds introduce motion blur.
• Aperture: This controls how much light enters your camera lens and the areas of your photos that are in focus. You can adjust aperture depending on whether you want just a few elements of your picture in focus (with other elements appearing blurry) or if you want most of the image to be sharply in focus.
• ISO: This controls the amount of light your camera lets in, and you can adjust it according to whether you’re working in lighter or darker conditions.

In addition to these three staples, these are also many other technical aspects of photography you’ll need to master. Almost everything you need to know you can probably teach yourself online using free resources.

Check out platforms like Coursera, Class Central, and Udemy. You can also find a lot of free resources on YouTube. If you’re willing to pay, you can also take courses through associations and organizations like the Photographic Society of America and American Photographic Artists.

2. Choose your niche

The type of photography you do will determine your job options and how you’ll earn money as a photographer. While some niches are ideal for starting your own photography business (such as wedding photography and portrait photography), others are better suited to selling photos or working as a staff photographer for a particular company.

Below are some popular niches you can explore:

• Landscape photography
• Wildlife photography
• Product photography
• Real estate photography
• Food photography
• Club photography
• Concert/gig photography
• Sports photography
• Medical photography
• Pet photography
• Commercial photography
• Scientific and industrial photography
• Aerial photography
• Fashion photography

When choosing a niche, think about what drew you to photography in the first place. Do you enjoy photographing people, animals, landscapes, or inanimate objects? Where do you want to be when you’re taking photos, and who are the types of people you’d enjoy working with? These are all good questions to ask yourself.

It’s also important to think about your motivations for becoming a photographer. Is your main goal to earn lots of money on your own terms, find an easy photography side hustle, or take your art to a professional level? Some genres are more lucrative than others, and the trick is finding a branch of photography that you enjoy but that also has high demand and pays the bills.

3. Get the right photography equipment

Depending on the type of photography you plan on doing, you may be fine with a basic camera kit. In other cases (like for portrait or wedding photography), you’ll be expected to have high-quality photography equipment. You don’t necessarily need the fanciest camera on the market when you’re first starting out, but you’ll need to invest in some basic essentials.

Here’s some photography equipment you might need:

• Camera
• Basic kit lens for a full-frame camera
• Standard zoom lens
• Tripod
• Computer or laptop for processing images
• SD cards
• Camera bag

Depending on the niche you’ve chosen, there may also be other specific equipment you need. For example, you might need a flash for indoor studio photography.

Photo editing software

As well as buying the right equipment for taking photos, you should invest in the right hardware and software for postproduction editing.

Below is a list of commonly used photo editing software:

• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Lightroom
• Luminar Neo
• Capture One
• GIMP

Proficiency in using editing software is a valuable skill that can help you to work more efficiently and elevate your photos to a professional standard. With these tools, you can refine aspects like exposure, color grading, and composition to bring out the full potential of your images.

4. Build a portfolio

Your photography portfolio shows potential clients the range and quality of your skills as a photographer. It should feature samples of your best work and demonstrate the various different types of projects you’ve worked on.

Your portfolio can be either in digital or print format. For a digital portfolio, you can create your own website (e.g., by using services like Wix or WordPress). Alternatively, you can add your profile to a website like Behance or SmugMug, which are online platforms specifically for photographers and other creatives to showcase their work.

If you don’t yet have much professional photography experience, your portfolio might initially be made up mainly of photos you have taken recreationally or for friends and family. If you’ve completed any type of training or education, you can also use pictures you have taken while practicing your skills or doing assignments.

5. Choose a career path

Photography is a highly diverse field. Unlike the case with many other disciplines, where your two main options are either working as an employee for a company or working independently as a freelancer, there are numerous ways to make money with photography.

Here are just a few examples:

• Offering paid photography services: This is what many people might imagine when they think of a professional photographer. With this route, you’ll take photos on-demand for paying clients, usually on an hourly or daily basis or as part of a package deal.
• Working as a staff photographer: Many different types of companies and organizations (and even governments) hire photographers for a wide range of purposes. This is a good route if you want a stable gig with employee benefits.
• Selling photos: You could work completely on your own and find ways to sell the photos you take. This could include selling stock photos, selling prints, or even selling paparazzi shots.

Each job option has its pros and cons, and different types of photography are better suited to certain career options. For example, portrait photographers have many more benefits from offering their own services on a freelance basis, whereas a forensic photographer would typically work for an employer.

If you’re serious about pursuing a career as a photographer, then you’ll need to dedicate time and effort into improving your skills and building connections. Here are a few ways you can do just that.

Keep practicing

Even if you feel you have mastered all of the skills you need as a photographer, it’s important to keep practicing, stay up-to-date on techniques and trends, and continue expanding your technical knowledge. If you’re struggling to get clients or fill out your portfolio, then getting some practice on your own time could also help you demonstrate your capabilities to future employers.

Get feedback

By having someone cast a trained eye over your pictures, you can learn how to improve your photography skills. If you know any professional photographers, consider asking them to give you feedback on your work.

There are also several other ways to get feedback on your photographs:

• Find a mentor: Photography associations and organizations sometimes provide mentorship. For example, you could try a mentorship with the Photographic Society of America or Women Photograph.
• Join an online photography group: Online communities and forums for photographers are good places to share your work and receive feedback from your peers.
• Enter photo contests: Websites like VIEWBUG and National Geographic host photography contests where you can submit your images for evaluation.
• Seek out social media feedback: Engage with the photography community on platforms like Instagram, Flickr, or Facebook, and share your photographs using relevant hashtags.
• Complete an internship: An internship with an established photographer or photography-related company can give you opportunities to get constructive feedback as well as hands-on experience.

Learn how to market yourself

If you plan on working as a freelance photographer or even running your own photography business, you’ll need to learn how to effectively pitch your services to companies, publications, organizations, and other potential clients. This involves outlining the benefits they’ll gain from your photography services and demonstrating what makes you a great photographer.

You have various options for who you pitch to:

• Magazines
• Media outlets
• Product brands
• Online platforms
• Event organizers

Your pitch should include your portfolio and an email describing your services. Include a bio either in your portfolio or in the introductory email. Additionally, be sure to include links to your website and social media handles in your email.

Photography work has several advantages that make it a good career choice:

• Low barrier to entry: Since there are no hard and fast qualification requirements for photographers, photography work is accessible for anyone who has enough determination and willingness to learn.
• Flexibility: If you work on a freelance basis, you can work as many or as few hours as you want and choose your schedule. You can also choose which projects interest you.
• Creative outlet: Photography allows you to get creative and express yourself artistically, which not many jobs offer.

In terms of the career outlook for photographers, the BLS estimates that the employment of photographers will grow 4% from 2022 to 2032, which is about the same as the average for all occupations. 1

How much do photographers earn?

How much money you can make as a photographer depends on your employment type, the type of photography you do, and where you live. In most cases, you can expect to earn somewhere in the range of $15–$90 per hour.

Freelance photographers generally earn more than employed photographers, making an estimated $62.54 per hour on average as of January 2024. 2 On the higher end, freelancers can earn $70+ per hour.

By contrast, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employed photographers were earning an average of $24.14 per hour as of May 2022. 3 This is less than half of what independent professional freelance photographers earn.

Photographers can be paid by the hour, by the project, by the photo, or through other arrangements, and fees vary widely. Photography Talk, which is a popular website and online community for photography enthusiasts, gives several examples of how much different types of photographers can make:

• Wedding photographers: Wedding clients often pay a flat fee for a “package,” which can range from around $1,500 to $10,000. The price includes the photographer’s shooting time and often other services like editing, physical prints or albums, and videos.
• Fashion photographers: These photographers usually charge by the day—often around $300–$5,000.
• Event and sports photographers: This type of photography is more likely to have hourly rates. Rates tend to be around $50–$300 an hour.
• Portrait photographers: Portrait photography can be charged by the hour, session, or image. Per-image prices are typically $75–$200, and session costs typically range from $200 to $3,000.
• Fine art photographers: These photographers sell their photos as artwork. Prints usually sell for around $250–$2,000 each.

How long does it take to become a photographer?

Technically, you could become a professional photographer in just a day if you already have all the right equipment and photography skills. All you need is someone willing to pay for your photos.

However, if you pursue a photography field that requires a degree, such as becoming a photojournalist, it can take you 4+ years of college to be a photographer.

Alternative careers

If you’re on the fence about photography or you’re still exploring your options, here are some other career paths you might like to consider:

• Video editor: Take raw footage and then manipulate and rearrange the video shots to produce finished video or film content.
• Film director: Oversee the entire process of making a film. You’ll work closely with the production team, guide actors, make creative decisions, and coordinate various other aspects of the filmmaking process.
• Graphic designer: Create visual content that conveys messages and ideas. You could work with print media, digital media, or multimedia (e.g., a mix of text, graphics, audio, and video), usually using a computer.
• Art director: Manage the visual aspects and artistic direction of a project. Art directors can work on magazines, newspapers, advertising materials, video games, or movie and TV productions, for example.