Making Money From Your Photography Skills

The art of photography attracts many people for just as many different reasons, with a few amateur photographers aspiring to transform their hobby into a profession. There are many applications and specialist areas within the field of professional photography from which to carve out a career, all of which are universally fiercely competitive. Whichever discipline you choose you should be passionate about it, live it, breathe it, dream about it. Practice and develop skills at every opportunity to produce a body of work which can form an outstanding portfolio, twenty good pieces of quality work is quite sufficient for a portfolio to show clients. The more niche your market is or the more unique your style of photography the easier it will be to get that first break, in any event be prepared to work very hard to achieve any long term goals. It will doubtlessly become apparent that photography for money is a very different animal indeed and requires more than simply talent. So how do you make money from photography?

The first step is putting together a comprehensive commercial portfolio which clearly showcases both your creative photographic talent and your field of expertise. There are many courses and workshops covering all aspects of photography including building a professional portfolio, which can be very helpful to the novice. In the primary stages of a career in photography a portfolio can be supported by qualifications and course studies. As you progress, further additions to your portfolio can include a resume noting any awards for your work and memberships to professional bodies, Pro-Imaging.org is one very respected example. Advertising and marketing is one approach to getting your name in the loop, however this is costly and may not be the best choice in the initial stages of a career. Submitting work to publications can offer an alternative channel to showcase your work and get you noticed, naturally all published work will add kudos to your portfolio and resume. Networking whether online or in person through introductions, is a real and immediate method of building contacts and often proves very effective by its nature of being able to give direct and focused information about yourself and your work.

Making a successful business career and earning good money as a professional photographer relies on having a strong client base and an active contact list. Forging strong business relationships with clients at the outset, goes a long way to building new ones in the future, it becomes considerably more difficult for competitors to break business relationships founded on trust and excellent customer service. It is important to note that, it is in the ability to retain business as much as generate new business which brings long term success, never underestimate the power of recommendations and referrals, a happy customer is that powerful tool. Where initially it was important to include formal qualifications in support of your portfolio, ultimately it becomes your reputation which carries your business forward.

Source : Ezinearticles