Advice on Going Pro, or Not

[Duncan]

Tyson Robichaud has a thoughtful piece on things you should consider if you think you might like to turn photography into a full-time career. His blog post is at http://tysonrobichaudphotography.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/an-argument-for-and-against-going-pro/

 

[pdk42]

I recall a very downbeat view on going pro that flash (Gordon Cahill) wrote in a post some time ago. It was a great read IMHO. Can't find it now, but I'll keep looking. It's well worth a look.

 

[Lisandra]

If youre gonna take something out of that, let it be that if you need to ask too much about what to use youre probably not ready yet

 

[Mr Hahn]

My 12-40mm lens says "PRO" right on top of it, so I'm ready to go!

 

[stratokaster]

In my view, if you're passionate about something, you should not go pro in that area.

My father was a professional photographer. He did the usual paying gigs — weddings, events, commercial still life for catalogs and magazines, even some photo journalism in his youth. He was also a fine art photographer (warning, some images are vaguely NSFW). For him, photography was both a job and a hobby.

Guess what? He loved the hobby part of it and he hated the professional part of it. He felt that shooting dull stuff daily was sucking the passion for creating art out of him. When his health suddenly took turn for the worse and he couldn't work anymore, he dedicated himself to his art and those 7 years were probably the happiest years of his life despite his deteriorating health.

I always have been passionate about two things: writing and gadgets. In school, I wrote numerous short stories and plays for our school theater. I bought all the latest and greatest geek toys as soon as I could afford them. Naturally, I was delighted when a local gadget magazine asked me to write some articles for them. It was the best of both worlds: playing with shiny gadgets and writing about my experience. Then it unexpectedly turned into a full-time career. Now, 12 years later, I simply hate it. I'd like to continue my literary experiments, but it's rather difficult when I write (and edit others' texts) for a living. And those shiny gadgets are not that shiny when you play with them all day long. I'd rather be a plumber and spend my free time doing what I really want to do.

 

[0dBm]

If youre gonna take something out of that, let it be that if you need to ask too much about what to use youre probably not ready yet

Akin to a boxer asking which kind of punch to throw...

 

[flash]

Good article. Well thought out and articulated. I'd just add that sometimes you don't burn out. Some people keep the passion they have for photography, even with all the other stuff. Some people become photographers because they feel like that's why they were put here.

Also being a photographer isn't different to any other business. Plumbers, electricians and anyone in business faces most of the same challenges. The only difference is that you can't buy a stethoscope and start practicing as a doctor.

Gordon