What They Don’t Teach You In Photography School

Almost every Photographer wants to translate their talents into cash.Their first step is to attend photography school.

Over the years I have noticed an increasing interest in professional photography. I noticed that in this digital age photography became a desirable profession. Every year more and more youngsters are trying to break into the industry and make photography their number one source of income.

To make this dream a reality, they attend photography school. But, there is one small problem that these youngsters don’t realize. Going to photography school will teach you everything that has to do with the photograph. That means you will learn about lighting, poses, cameras, effects of weather conditions, the effects of different colors, sharp lenses, equipment malfunctions and so much more; but you will not learn how to translate this into a stream of steady income.

The problem and pain point

It is a well-known fact that graduating from photography school provides no guarantee since many graduates struggle to find work. Most of them lose more money than they make because they don’t know the business side of it. I come across absolutely brilliant photographers each day who are struggling to get work simply because they lack business skills. The business side of it is of utmost importance in this highly competitive industry and you must understand it or your talents will go unrecognized. It is as important as knowing how to take the perfect shot.

[pullquote]It’s not required to be a business head like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, but you do need to have basic business skills such as basic marketing skills, legal information, customer service, Sales and pricing, website management, blogging and so forth.[/pullquote]

Knowing the art of photography and have a simple understanding of how to make money with your talents are the two most important things needed to proceed, and since your changes of becoming an industry established photographer are very slim I recommend considering other alternatives such:

  1. different photoshoots: People celebrate memorable days in their lives every day. A real estate photo ad, a wedding anniversary, a baby shower, a push party, a birthday or graduation. the list is endless. these are the people you should offer your services to and build your portfolio.
  2.  selling or license your photos on stock sites: As a photographer, everything that has to do with photos is interesting to me. I recently came across a young and brilliant photographer who told me that a huge portion of his profit comes from licensing and selling his photos on stock sites. Stock photos are huge in the online world and they sell like hotcakes. Stock photos are used for many online ads, blog posts, and lead magnets.
  3. Start a photography blog: One of the easiest ways to get noticed online is through blogging. If you are an adept writing this shouldn’t be a challenge. Contrary to popular belief, bloggers do not make their money from ads but from offering services, and affiliate products. When blogging the best way to get noticed is to offer unique and helpful content. Make sure to have a visible page on your blog that serves as your information page. This page must have your business information and your portfolio.