The Career of Photography?

Question:Has anyone had any experience in this field?

How long must you attend college? Do you know of any good schools for it?

What does it pay?

What are the chances of making it semi-big?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Has anyone had any experience in this field?

How long must you attend college? Do you know of any good schools for it?

What does it pay?

What are the chances of making it semi-big?

Look up Ken Rockwell's site...he's got a good article about "professional" photographers.

Hint: don't quit your day job.

I have several friends who are photographers. Check with your local arts college to look into taking some classes or a program for photography -- I'm sure there's something in your area. It's always good to have the credentials to back you up, even if you have natural talent.

In Utah where I live, it is an extremely saturated market - I'm not sure if the demand exceeds the supply.

For my wedding photos, our photographer charged us $1000 for two hours of photography, a proof book to keep and several enlargements. If you are good, you can certainly make a pretty penny, although there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. If you choose to do weddings, you also get to deal with frazzled brides.

You're welcome to visit my blog at http://bluebijou.wordpress.com for links to some great photographers (scoll down!)

Best of luck.

College may not be "IT"
Get the best, quality, artistic training you can find, be accepted to and attend. Some backwater place may not have the talent to see your potential.

Hang around pros. Keep up your craft.
Don't be B.S.ed.

By all means go for it!

check out this website
http://www.khake.com/page45.html

u can also find out the pay on this site
www.indeed.com

Experience is most important in this field(always the best way to learn) It's a very competitive field.
Attending a good program that'll teach you technique is great and deff a plus but not in every case, I know some wedding photographers who graduated with BAs with majors in psych and some didn't even go to school and now have their own studios

I suggest joining your state and regional professional photographers association and taking the workshops that they offer there. You can earn merits towards your photographic masters or craftsmens degree and become a certified professional photographer. These workshops teach a variety of photographic markets and career choices as well as the business aspect of things. You will be learning from the best photographers in the world in their respective fields. You will also make all kinds of contacts and learn a lot from the other students there. I have been a photographer for 30 years
and made a good living, and that is the road that I took.

Whatever anyone else says, and I'm sure that they are all correct, my personal experience is that I found that I had the eye for it. No training whatsoever. None.
I showed my work to friends.
One of those friends was in a position to recommend me when a city government needed a digital photographer to cover an annual event.
I was successful, even more than established photographers also covering the event.
I was hired to do the same the following year PLUS some interim work for the same organisation PLUS for the regional tourism department.

In other words, I was in the right place at the right time and had some previous experience - and a portfolio of work to show - which convinced the city to employ me.
Sometimes it is knowing the right people that makes a difference BUT you must have the talent to begin with.
If you don't have that natural ability, it can be taught.

It pays but the competition is huge and, as a newcomer, you really do have to impress the right people.
The chances of making it AT ALL are slim. You need a second string to your bow.

I have several friends who sell their photographs. Two went for college classes to learn how to develop the pictures. One of the two had journalism classes. Another does digital. Another is a printer, who became interested in photography and took some trade school classes for his degree. I never took photography but have 7 years of art school. There is no set rate of pay. Are you planing college courses? You will need to develop clientele or work for someone else for awhile. Good luck, studying pays.