In all probability, I am not your stereotypical photographer. My move into professional photography was actually not one driven by a need to fulfil my passion. In fact, it was a simple monetary decision.
I was at a crossroads in my life, faced with the prospect of returning to a shiny car showroom for another 15 years, or toughing out my current circumstances back in 2002 and carving out a new way of life.
I have had a life long love of photography, for sure. And indeed I had always taken photographs and become pretty accomplished at it. Yet, like many people, the imposter syndrome in me stopped me from following my passion. Which is a good thing. You can read more here about why I think ‘Follow your passion’ an be really bad advice.
So I became a photographer because I realised that I was good enough to be paid for it and because the alternatives were very unpalatable. That simple.
The following decade taught me as much about running a business, getting paid and worrying about outstanding invoices as it did about creating great images. If you’re seriously considering becoming a professional photographer, the this page will probably help.
I don’t plan on writing much about becoming a professional photographer. There are endless resources out there for that and I’ve gathered together a few of my thoughts.
However, photography and images these days are all around us and while some die hard photographers may be upset about how ‘everyone is a photographer’ these days, personally I think it’s wonderful.
So instead, I’ll be writing about some of my favourite styles of photography, about how I still shoot images for a living and yet I wouldn’t call myself a professional photographer any more.
I’ll also be sharing some of the things I’ve learned about photography, my workflow and what inspires me to shoot more and more for the love of photography and the image.
Hopefully, you’l find it a useful journey, whether you shoot images for fun, for a living or as part of your daily work.
Or all of the above.
