Being a Professional

            To anyone aspiring to be a professional photographer, the well-worn phrase, "Don’t give up the day job!", should be kept well in mind. At least until the income coming in from an amateur capacity can be calculated as good enough to sustain life as you know it and worth giving up that employment with its paid vacation time and a good pension.

But to be a successful professional photographer really comes down to an individual’s creative talent and aptitude, a practical approach to life, and planning ability, all of them essential. This can take from a few weeks to many years.

One thing that must never be far away from your thoughts is that it is a business if you take it seriously enough to want to live by it; it is no longer a pleasant hobby you do for fun. I still get a lot of fun out of it, but there are times I’m taking pictures that I

would not take if it were still a hobby. Self-discipline to achieve is the strongest motivation needed, without which nobody will succeed in this game.

It is only when a person comes to thinking that they are in business first and a photographer second, that the road ahead becomes clear. Then, couple that with drive and ability to capitalize on your strengths and knowledge by applying your skills to it, and you can put your foot down hard down on the accelerator. Although there are the occasional hiccups along the route, like the odd month or two when no cheques arrive on the doormat, if you can weather those periods with determination and an eye to where you’re final photographic destination is, then you can rightly call yourself a professional.

All you have to do then is keep it going!

Jeremy Hoare is a freelance travel photographer residing in London, England. Phone/Fax: +44 20 7722 2065. E-mail: jeremyhoare@hotmail.com. Web: www.travelwriters.com/jeremyhoare