Career as a Photographer

PHOTOGRAPHERS CAPTURE A MOMENT, preserve a memory that will last forever. With the push of a button, the click of the camera, a blink of an eye, you either succeed in your job or you fail. In many cases, there are no do-overs. If you miss the shot, it is gone forever. That is what makes you a professional - you do not miss the picture of a lifetime. It is sharp, vivid, and perfectly framed. Photography is an art form. You create a style of your own, a way of taking pictures that is distinctively yours. You leave an imprint on every photograph you take. Your work stands on its own, speaks for itself. The lens becomes an extension of your eye. Few careers offer the opportunity to bring such a measure of individuality to a job. What you see through that camera lens is exclusively yours. Those who pick up a camera for a living have to be committed; they have to be driven. The dedication to produce a great photo can never leave you. It takes much more than a casual interest to succeed as a professional photographer, and your passion has to be reflected in your work. Getting a great photograph is painstaking work. You must have expertise in using the best photographic equipment and then you have to work wonders with that gear. You will have pressure in this profession. Some comes with the job, some you put on yourself because you know what you can do and expect only the best from yourself. Consider the nature photographer who is sent on assignment to get rare photos of a hard-to-find and difficult-to-approach species of animal. These could be the only photos taken of these particular animals for decades. It is literally the chance of a lifetime, a make-or-break assignment. Photographers put in years honing their skills. When they are not out on assignment, they are busy perfecting their technique. Reaching new heights is what makes this career so challenging and keeps it fresh and exciting. Photographers are always pursuing that next great photo, and what adds to the thrill is you never know when and where you will come across it. The rewards of the photographer's life are many. Great photographs appear in museums, exhibit halls, magazines, books, publications of all kinds, on television, on the Internet, and in the homes of wealthy collectors.