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Photography

Photography

This thread has been started so professionals or others involved in this sector can post their job related descriptions and experiences to help you better determine if this is the career/job you would like to pursue in the future.

Professional: Please tell what the job involves, the pros and cons, usual salary, and kinds of promotions
Future Professional: You may ask questions here, but please be specific

Note: This board should not be used for discussions relevant to other boards.

Photography

I am not a professional photographer, but growing up, my Mom has always been a photographer on the side. It has seemed to be a great job for her, because really she can work however many hours she wants. She usually does weddings and other portraits, so all she has to do is advertise more if she wants more work, or turn jobs down if she wants less. But it has definitely helped her to become more well-known in the communities that we have lived in, because she has relied almost exclusively on word-of-mouth. She doesn't have a studio or anything, just really good cameras. From that, she has had enough work to enjoy it and still spend time with her children, but also has picked up a little extra money here and there. My parents recently started an online business, and my mom's photography skills have definitely come in handy there. it seems to be a versatile skill that is always needed, no matter if you have a 35mm or a digital camera, people always want memories of their lives through pictures!

If there are any professionals out there that have had their own studio, please share how that aspect of the job works for you.

Photography UFO & Writing Art Education Sciences

I am a professional photographer and thought I would throw in a few dollars worth of value to this particular thread:
I have my own darkroom so this advice will be given with a bias...you need money!
All of my equipment was purchased used and some of it didn't work at all, but I take a lot of joy out of fixing things up so now I have two amazing enlargers that work fairly well for black and white photography, if you are planning on printing your own color film you will need a lot more money because the equipment is very expensive, requires specific chemicals, and requires a "total" dark room where the black and white requires only a dark room (you are able to use a red light to help you see).
I would suggest starting out in Black and white because it allows many more mistakes to be easily corrected, and so many people have gone to digital you open yourself up to a specialized market.
I recommend brand name equipment because you are able to get assistance when something goes wrong. If you decide to make the plunge, I would speak to a university instructor about where they purchase their extras (film, paper, chemicals) because they will often have the name of a company you couldn't find online who has great deals. I purchase Arista film from a small company, the film is amazing, its very cheap because its created for students, but it produces professional prints!
I will post more information later, feel free to ask questions and I will try to answer them, I have been in the field for 5 years shooting Rock and Roll musicians, Athletes, and landscape work.

Photography

Name: Jonas

Comments: I'd go a step further and add that there are some excellent digital cameras now that give top quality captions. Buy a good one and you'll be able to do thousands of practice shots without having to worry about developing film, etc.