how do I go from taking pictures to being a photographer?

[Bill-E-BoB]

I know it's a vague question, but how do I become a photographer? Turns out, I kind of dig it. :) I kind of stumbled upon it to be honest, but now I'm hooked. My career is graphic design because I've always been very creative & my favorite hobby is painting, for the same reason. Recently I decided I wanted to paint some pinup paintings of MY car with my own pinup girls so I decided to take some snapshots to use as source images. So a friend of mine who has done some modeling came over, I pulled out my little point & shoot camera, and 500 shots later I'm super psyched with the results. So now, I want to get better! I'm so psyched about the shots I just keep retouching more & more of 'em instead of actually painting anything!

The shots you see on my page were shot with a cheap little Kodak C190 point & shoot camera. I'm itching to go throw a ton of money at a digital SLR and a tripod and a light meter and one of those umbrella reflector thingies and call myself a photographer...and figure out what to do with it all later. But realistically, what should I do next? Start by learning what to call those umbrella reflector thingies maybe? Where can I learn what I'm doing, how can I fine tune my skills, and at what point do I decide it's time to get real equipment instead of a $50 point & shoot?

[Edson Carlos]

It's more fun to just take pictures

However if you want to go step by step, take a half step into the SLR world with a nice Nikon that has an on board flash. This will allow you the flexibility to bypass needing to purchase a seperate and expensive flash unit, and to learn/play with lighting and the million settings that are on todays cameras. shoot shoot shoot. A point and click is a more robust camera for shooting non stop than an SLR which does have parts that wear with every frame shot.

When you outgrow what you can do with the flash etc, you'll itch for lights, at that point pick up a pair and then begin yet another learning curve, after that, post production...it's a never ending process really.

[Dulce Diabla {★}]

Thinking about my first shoot- I worked with a dinky film camera and I was the subject lol
I think my mom gave me some rolls for my birthday and I attempted a me thing in my moms shoes lol did not happen. all the photos were black but from that point on I knew I wanted to collect more cameras and keep trying. haha what a journey.

Anytime someone asks me this question I tell them to take a class or assist/ volunteer time
at a photo studio. sometimes this helps but if you already feel confident about you-
all I can really say is invest in lenses- camera bodies come and go- the real frosting on the cake so to speak: is understanding lighting.

Theres ZERO point in spending yourself to an early career flop- do your heart justice and take the time (and money) on some good books or classes on how to mod light.

The rest will fall into place and if you have a true photographer's 'sight' you wont need to use photos as reference, take 500 shots in a single style session or find yourself looking for models- things will fall into place for you and big cheers comrade having some skills in shop do help with scars & acne also website building, this takes you pretty far too.
Wellz, whatever rout you decide to take- I wish you the best on your journey!

Dulce Alma~

[Philip Austin photography]

You might try taking some photography classes. Thats where I really learned what makes a good image. How to properly use light and all the other technical nuances that are vital to becoming a pro.

[Bill-E-BoB]

So sorry to hear about the troubles, Michael. I know how tough it is to make it in a creative career, and big time kudos to you for doing it as as a photographer. I graduated school as a multimedia developer & it took me 9 years to land a career in my field, so I know it ain't easy to make a living off your passions.

I should actually clarify, I don't want to be a photographer for a career, I want to be a photographer as a hobby, I want to develop the ability to take good pictures, not profitable ones. I've been blessed with a great career already. I'm not looking to become a career photographer. As a graphic designer, my designs pay the bills and are seen by millions of people, which is a dream come true as an artist, but those designs are corporate and sterile and leave me with a whole lot of creative energy to burn in my personal life. I burn that creativity with music and painting, and call myself a musician and a painter, though neither one makes me enough money to pay a single month of bills. I want to add photographer to that list of accolades, not to my resume. If I ever sell a picture, that would be amazing, if I win a spot in the pinuplifestyle calendar that would blow my mind, but I'm interested in photography for the art, not for a career.


Michael Harrington said:

This economy sucks so f**** bad, nobody gives a s*** about how good a photo you can take. They can't afford it and don't want to pay you for your time or what you are worth.

The majority of people you run into have no clue what it takes to produce real top notch photos. You will knock on thousands of doors and get only one "maybe we will call you". Then you get people who are loaded with money, but don't want to spend s*** for your stuff because they are cheap.

If I was a smarter person, I would have taken something completely different in college. In fact, I plan on going back to college....again...and try to find something that will make enough money for myself and wife and kids.

Do you realize how much money it really takes to produce some shoots. Most people don't. They don't realize the cost of travel and all the expenses involved with it, gas, food, lodging, plane tickets, car rentals, insurance, equipment, equipment repair, equipment rental, upgrades, software, computers, printing, postage and finally your time. You have to run everything as a business. Time management, figure the cost vs the time to produce.

I have had some lucky breaks and opportunities, but that only goes so far. I went to the LA area the other day and looked into some things as far as commercial automotive photography is concerned ( my field of expertise). Im a very small fish in the pond....come to think of it I realized I'm plankton floating in the ocean compared to some of the heavy hitters who get paid 50,000 dollars a session just to turn their lights on!

Just recently a multi-multi million dollar company wanted to use one of my photos in a calendar which they plan to print 400,000 copies of. Guess what? They would not pay me the measly 400 dollar asking price for the use of my photo. Instead they offered me what amounted to magic beans. They offered me "credit". "We will put your name in the credits". We really, really want to use that photo, but want it for free.

Wow! really? You'll give me credit in the calendar? I wonder if I can give a copy of the calendar to my landlord when rent comes due?

[Bill-E-BoB]

So, classes would be a great idea, I have a lot to learn about lighting. I took a whole series of indoor shots of someone that turned out to be a complete waste because when I started cleaning them up in photoshop, they were so grainy & pixelated that they were just beyond hope, even with external plugins that I've used to clean up some seriously nasty source images for work. I don't know whether this was a shortcoming of my awesome $50 point & shoot camera or of my inexperience and limited indoor lighting.

Do I need to invest in a better camera before bothering with classes? I don't want to go to a trade school or invest the money aspiring professional photographers would invest, but if I can find some local community classes or something like that it'd be awesome. Am I going to be able to learn much with my cheap-o camera though? If I put it in manual mode I can control ISO & exposure, but that's about it.

In my opinion my biggest weakness right now is knowing how to light a shot that doesn't have good natural light (hence all the outdoor shots on my profile)...if any of you would care to critique, what would you say I need to work on based on the photos I've got up on my profile so far?

[Tattooed Dolls Custom Jewelry{★}]

I think it is just a matter of words. They are just 2 different terms for the same thing.

I have seen spectacular photos taken with a mere point-and-shoot, and less than mediocre photos taken with the most expensive equipment.

It's not the camera or fancy attachments that take a beautiful photo. It is the person attached to the finger that pushes the button that takes a beautiful photo.

[Terry Mendoza]

There are some good books on photography, but the great thing about digital photography is that it can be such a quick learning curve...take a shot and whilst the way you took it is still fresh in your memory you can be viewing your results. It is a great way to learn from mistakes.

So my advice is read, maybe takes classes or join a photo club, shoots lots, study your results...practice,practice, practice!

[Tattooed Dolls Custom Jewelry{★}]

You could buy a $5 billion dollar camera with all the fancy settings and do-dads in the world, but if you don't know how to operate it it's completely worthless.

[Edson Carlos]

The key to all you said here is "The right tool for the right application"

However the analogy of a track isn't 100% on point, being a track junkie myself in the past, racing a car on a track there is one goal, one way to win, to be first. Photography is an art, art is open to interpretation. There are pixel nazis, and there are those that lofi, there are technical shooters, and those that shoot from the hip. Stobists, single flash nerds, hot light lovers, and natural lighting snobs. When you're working for a client, there is a "right application" because they hire you to capture what they envision, thus it's best to be equipped and knowledgable. When you're shooting for the art, shoot to create what you love, whether its blurry, over saturated, it's about capturing what each individual's mind/eye is seeing. Thus in the world of photography the fact that one person had a "better line on the track" but came in 3rd because of a "slower car", can still earn them recognition for being a great driver.



Michael Harrington said:

I agree and disagree. Very true it is the minds eye behind the camera that makes all the difference.

But look at it this way. A trained race car driver can get into say a SUV civic or a mini van and take it out on the track, he can run circles around an untrained driver in a higher end vehicle. Now take that same race car driver and put him in a race car of his choice, he will blow away anything out there.

A camera is just a tool, but having the right tool for the right application and knowing how to use it is everything. You wouldn't use a hammer to paint a house, although Im sure you could if you were really determined to.

Also another link for more lighting examples. Hope it helps a bit.

http://www.darkmansdarkroom.com/category/on-photography/

http://craftandvision.com/

[Edson Carlos]

*snicker* imagine lining up a shoot in front of a car with that thing!



Michael Harrington said:

Tattooed Doll's Custom Jewelry said:

You could buy a $5 billion dollar camera with all the fancy settings and do-dads in the world, but if you don't know how to operate it it's completely worthless.

I think only the hubble is a 5 billion dollar camera.

[Tattooed Dolls Custom Jewelry{★}]

I was being facetious!



Michael Harrington said:

Tattooed Doll's Custom Jewelry said:

You could buy a $5 billion dollar camera with all the fancy settings and do-dads in the world, but if you don't know how to operate it it's completely worthless.

I think only the hubble is a 5 billion dollar camera.

[Edson Carlos]

Haha I'd start the thread with photos of my bruises from ride alongs with the Corvette Club guys! Driver Mike Sarver will one day pay for my shaken adult syndrome...



Michael Harrington said:

Edison let me reiterate.

I was trying to compare the the skilled track driver to a skilled photographer (one with vision and creativity combined with basic technical knowledge). this kid I used to work with at a magazine, he was a sponsored pro diver. We were at Road Atlanta one day and I saw this guy do things in Ford Explorer that boggeled the mind. I took pictures of him rounding a corner with sunlight under his tires! He was amazing! I went for a ride with him, and after one lap had to get out, I was scared shitless.

Now at the same Road Atlanta course a bunch of us went through the Panoz race car driving course for a day. I saw guys that talked abourt how great they were go off into the dirt and get these high end race cars stuck!

My analogy is not about coming in first or winning a race. It was geared at skills and equipment. A skilled driver can do amazing things in production class car, the same skilled driver can do astounding things in a purpose built car.

Same with photographers. A skilled photographer with a creative eye, can do amazing things with a simple consumer camera, but can do astounding things with a purpose built camera, lighting.....tools.

Now if it wouldn't be too off topic. Lets start a thread about race tracks. I would love to hear some of your stories and see pictures. I must admit, I ALMOST get a bigger thrill from race car photos than pin-up photos. Almost.

To keep this thread on topic and not be a hijacker here is another link to some cool photo lighting artists.

http://www.lutzimages.com/