So You Want to Be a Photographer…
Hey, so, do you shoot weddings? How do I get to be a photographer?
Being a photographer, as with any self-run business, doesn’t just “happen” – and especially as with any art, it comes over years and years of “growth”, which often times is just another word for trial-and-error. But, if I had to give anyone advice, here’s what I would say:
1) Start by shooting. Anything and everything. (With your camera, please.)
You will not learn unless you’re constantly shooting. Figure out why that image is out of focus. Figure out why the lighting looks so harsh. Put down all the fancy gadgets, get out there with a light meter, and figure it out. Don’t understand depth of field and how your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together?
**your free lesson on aperture/shutter speed/ISO**
Take 12 cans and place them in a row down your sidewalk or a shelf or *somewhere*. Put your camera on a tabletop tripod – and if you don’t have one, use a book. Set your focus on the first can in the row. Use the rules of reciprocity and change your aperture accordingly. That means, start at your lowest f-stop and work your way to your highest f-stop. Remember that f-stops are fractions. 1/2.8, 1/4.0, 1/5.6, 1/8.0, 1/11, 1/16, 1/22. The “bigger” the number, the smaller your aperture (the hole the light shines through to get to your sensor) is. Meter and adjust your shutter speed so that you are correctly exposed at these different apertures. Remember, if you have a smaller aperture, less light is getting into your sensor (or film) which means that you’re going to need a longer exposure (shutter speed).
See how those go together? Bigger aperture (aka 1.2, 2.8, 4.0), shorter shutter speed. Smaller aperture, longer shutter speed.
ISO = how “reactive” your film/sensor is to light. You have a higher ISO, you can be shooting at 1/22 and have a faster shutter speed, because your sensor is more sensitive to the light. The “problem” (or, sometimes creative tool) is that the higher the ISO, the more noise or “film grain” you get in your image, making those beautiful skin tones not look quite so beautiful.
The point is – the more you shoot, the more you’ll be able to understand these things. The more you shoot and look at your image and think, gee, now why didn’t that work, the more you’ll learn. You will be able to figure out on-the-fly how to correct for problems, eventually, which is key to being a portrait/wedding/event/almost anything photographer. Except maybe fine art, when you’re just shooting for yourself and time is not of the essence. 
2. Talk to other photographers. Pal up, make friends, especially friends of differing skill levels. The ones that are less experienced than you help to reinforce what you know as you teach it. The ones that are more experienced than you can help you along the way. Join a group, get involved in your community, find different photography clubs that meet in your area. Whatever it is – get out there, and get connected.
3. Shadow. Volunteer up your services as an umbrella-holding photography-bag-carrying, second-shooting wannabe pro photographer to someone more experienced (who WON’T take advantage of you – that is key. Don’t get burnt out.). Find a good friend or mentor to second shoot for or assist. Pay attention to how they pose, light, wrangle, and shoot. It might be some of the best learning you do.
4. Don’t get in over your head. Pace yourself. You’ve got your whole life to figure this out. Keep it going little by little, one thing at a time. You’re going to get it as long as you keep at it. Don’t compare yourself to other photographers. Comparing yourself to people either gives you a big head or makes you feel like you’ll never be good enough. Just be YOU. Do what makes you happy and don’t lose sight of that. Don’t sacrifice your family for some ink on glossy paper, or light beaming off a monitor. Keep it real.
5. Read “Fast Track Photographer” by Dane Sanders. This was the #1 best book on the “biz” I have ever read – and one that really changes your mindset and puts it in perspective. If you don’t read any other photography books, please read this one. We are building a great community of photographers and a great “new” generation. Let’s do it the right way, helping one another, being respectable and honest, and finding who we truly are and using that as our creative advantage.
