From Homeless to Pro Photographer: What it Actually Takes to Make it as a Photographer

Posted On Jan 17, 2020 By admin With Comments Off

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Perhaps you have a dream of becoming a professional photographer or you have already started your professional photography business. If for you it’s still a dream what is it that’s comprising you back? If you have already started how was it for you? Did you start part-time, restless about taking that first step or did you, like me, mount straight in?

I read so many clauses and listen far too many comments from other professional photographers who tell you what photography equipment you need and what photography training courses you should go on before you even start. The camera, the lenses, igniting, learn everything is adds up.

It’s about having a passion for photography. It’s about having that dream and going for it.

For me, though it isn’t about having the claim camera paraphernalium or civilizing. It’s about having a passion for photography. It’s about having that dream and going for it.

Many of us will have that built-in contemplated, “What if I generate it try but flunk? ”

The fact is though that the only way you can fail at anything is not to try at all. If things go wrong it’s just experience and learning about what didn’t work. Yes, that can be a bad thing when you are working with patrons, however, the authorities have natures around that.

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It will remain that, “what if…” or” I bid I had …” that obstructs coming back.

Every journey starts with that first step. If you tell everyone else stop you from concluding that first step you are just going to end up going nowhere. Your dream will just stay as it is a dream that either fades-out away or turns into a nightmare that obstructs niggling away at the back of your knowledge. It will remain that, “What if…” or “I wish I had…” that saves coming back.

Yes, there are a few people out there who will tell you the same thing. The life-style coaches, the people who want to tell you their legend and sell you their training courses about how they prepared it as a photographer who makes PS100, 000 a year. There will also be a few people out there who really do want you to chase your dream and go for it.

So, what is it that gives me the authority to say that you should shoot your dreams and what is it that I am trying to sell you?

I will start by telling you outright that I am not trying to sell you anything. I don’t even offer training courses or such like.

Now, with that out of the space, I want to tell you a story.

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It’s about a homeless person who had been living on the streets for two years. Beings had been ambling by. Some have ceased to to take pity on him others had simply not even paid him any courtesy. He had examined the appeals of, “Get a place! ” or specific comments about has become a worthless drunk.

The fact is though he did have a job once. It was a good job with a good stipend to join. He had lived in a decent-sized home with his wife and his son. He had also had a hobby, and that hobby was photography.

Settled in his cozy lifestyle life had something up its sleeve. Life was going to change and altered in a very drastic way.

His marriage broke up and he became seriously ill in infirmary, so ill that the doctors didn’t even expect him to be leaving on his hoof. When he did eventually leave the hospital after twelve weeks, he was unable to work for several months. Unable to return to a full-time position he had decided to set up as self-employed doing what he had always done. It was going well right up until Christmas. It was then that his primary client ship him that dreaded email, “Sorry but we can’t afford you.” The invoices were left outstanding. With no money coming in the man couldn’t pay the monies and culminated up living on the streets. At first, he had hope that his life would change and get back to how it was. With each day though that hope was fading fast.

I should have warned you that it wasn’t going to be a happy story, well not at the start. However, this is a true story and life does have a way of equipping us with strives along the way. Struggles that are in a position have a way of changing how we view life. Challenges that spawn us sit back and think about what is important to us.

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How do I know it’s a true-life story? The react is simple. That being was me.

After two years living on the streets, I had lost all hope. Each daytime was a struggle and I began to imbibe heavily only to blot out what had happened to me. I didn’t want to think about what I had and certainly didn’t want to think about tomorrow. Some daytimes all I is ready to do was point it all.

After two years though, I was given the opportunity to go into rehab. I avails itself of this opportunity and stayed there for eighteen months.

I guess by now you are beginning to wonder how this applies to an clause about photography. More importantly, how does it is appropriate to how to start a photography business.

When I came out of rehab, I was provided with a target to stay, a apartment inside a flat. It wasn’t anything special. It was, nonetheless, a region that I could call my own. With a roof over my chief, I was able to think about what I needed to do next.

I had come out of rehab with nothing apart from a rucksack with a few drapes in it. I literally had nothing else. Along with no owneds to call my own, I too didn’t have a job. I needed to find a way to earn a living, otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to pay the bills and that roof would not be over my head for long.

The day after I left rehab and moved into my apartment, I saw someone who I had congregated while I was homeless, before I went into rehab. They had remembered a conversation that we had about how I had done photography as a pastime back before my life had changed. They reminded me that I had told them that I experienced photography so much that it had been a dream to become a full-time photographer.

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Only by a little bit of gain, but it was still a profit.

They also had another surprise ready for me. As we chitchatted, they gave me an old-time camera that they didn’t need any more. It was a Canon 650 D with both gear lenses.

Now, if you spoke to any professional photographer, they would probably tell you that you are required to a better camera than the Canon 650 D studying to be a’ professional photographer’. I didn’t listen to that though. I had been given an opportunity. I had a chance to take that first step and follow my dream.

With my imagination put together, I has been determined that I would give it a go. I started to work with the microstock organizations as I had expended them before when photography was just a pastime. I too still had the accounts put together which was a bonus.

With all the excitement about having a camera and wanting to start my business, I hadn’t even thought about the fact that I didn’t have a computer. I would waste my epoches taking photos then going to another friend’s house to use their computer to revise the images and upload them. Then within a month or two I had earned enough to buy my own computer, yes it was basic, but it did the job that I needed it to do.

I worked hard at procreating idols every day but that first year paid off and I was in profit. Merely by a little bit of gain, but it was still a profit.

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Wow, I didn’t even think that I had a style.

After talking to other friends about what I was doing I began to get asked to make photographs of their family, I even got asked to take the photo for a local playgroup. That is when the direction of my business changed from microstock work to family portraits. Something that I still experience doing today.

Four years later the business is still ripening and evolving in ways that I would not have imagined.

I still remember the day I had an email asking me if I did uniting photography. I replied to say that it was something that I had never said and done, I thought that was that that I would never hear from them again. I was wrong.

They replied virtually straight away. They was willing to do their wedding photography. They didn’t want a nuptial photographer who was stuck in their roads about how they did things. They required someone who could simply capture and document their day.

They also said that they had been drawn to me because of my mode. Wow, I didn’t even is of the view that I had a style.

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After other is asking for my wedding photography, it is now the central province of my photography business. I would never have thought it, but I have even had to turn purchasers apart as I’m perfectly booked. That is something that was not even an integrated part of my dream.

There are some things though that I have held onto while developing my photography business. I will ever remember what life living on the streets taught me. Everyone has calamities in their lives and not everyone can render the best.

I made a choice to become an inexpensive photographer. For me it’s not all about how well I do or how much I make, but about contributing others the opportunity to have their memories captured. That has all along been what I am there for. I don’t yield a service that is below my very best, I have nonetheless looked for alternative ways to do things that allow me to keep my rates affordable.

The other thing is not to adjudicate people by what you see. You may never know who they were, or more importantly who they will become.

So, what is it that holds us back from following a dream to become a photographer or trust our own form?

One thing is for sure, it shouldn’t be the lack of equipment, fund or teaching. It certainly shouldn’t be giving others comprise us back.

About the author: Christopher James Hall is a professional wedding, clas, business, and life-style photographer based in Buckinghamshire. You can find more of his creation and statements on his website or by following him on Facebook. This announce was also published here.