Dana Pierce Features Specifics On Professional Photography

Photography as a profession is as completely unique as the billions of photographs shot each year. From formal to more casual, headshots to landscapes, photo journalism to pet photography - it is a career that provides numerous choices to best reveal your creative imagination and mechanical skills. Whether you are just getting started and serious in making photography your job or you’re established in another field and want to make a career change, there are details you ought to take into consideration prior to making the leap into the world of professional photography.

The fundamental question you should ask yourself is: What type of photographer am I? Will you be interested in portraits or landscapes? Wedding and Party photography or photo journalism? Nature photography or pet photography? The possible choices you have are as wide-ranging as the multitude of ways a single subject can be shot. With the advancement of digital photography and really good digital SLR cameras being available at a price many people can afford, photography is becoming even more accessible to more people that at any time in the past.

One of the primary steps it is necessary to take, is knowing how to use your camera. Whether you own a $100 point-and-shoot model or a $600 digital SLR model - get knowledgeable with the different settings and features of the camera. Offer to take pictures of your friends’ kids and pets. Experiment with lenses and filters and photo editing software. Dive into the magic of photography and see where it leads you. Chances are, given time, you will find the subject matters that you have a natural talent for. Many people are skilled at capturing a baby’s smile, others at getting a pet’s personality to shine through and still others at unveiling the sweetness in a wedding and the horror in a war. There really is no limit to where you can take a photography career - or, for that matter, hobby.

One of the many advantages to digital photography is how much it has reduced the learning curve for new or novice photographers. No longer will we have to worry about having sufficient film left. No longer do we have to wait around until the film is developed to see how our shots turned out. The arrival of digital photography has made the art instantly accessible. Think about the fact that you can grab your camera, walk outside and take 25 pictures of the same tree using different settings, filters and lenses. You instantaneously know what worked and what didn’t, how the light played a role in the composition of the photo, and where shadows were too prominent.

The best help and advice you can get about starting a photography career is to just pick up your camera and go shoot some pictures. Trial and error and getting familiar with your camera and it’s settings are a substantial part of the process. Talk to friends about what cameras they like, what their favorite settings and techniques are. Take a class - many community colleges, professional camera stores , university extensions and learning annexes offer photography courses for all levels of experience. And remember, have fun with it as that will come across in your finished photographs too.

I hope that you have found this post useful in your endeavors to find out about photography as a profession.