Careers in Photography

Getting into the Fashion Industry- fashion photographer

Step 1- You have to start somewhere. Build up on a portfolio by taking shoots for free or having your friends model for you and practice. Having friends share their photos on social networking sites will give you more exposure 

Step 2 - Work with real models. Now that you had practice working with people you know, you're prepared to work with real models. An easy way to do this is through joining ModelMayhem online- a simple social networking site for fashion designers, photographers, models, and agencies. It'll be really easy to get jobs through the website and you can stay in contact with people in the business. Start shooting for clothing companies, especially private or local apparel stores who may not have a professional photographer for their merchandise.

Step 3- Make it easy to find you. Once you have your spectacular portfolio complete it will be useful when you have models and designers look at your work and see if you're up to the job. Make your work visible online!

Step 4- Keep taking pictures. From here on out, you have choices to work on your own or submit your portfolio to agencies and studios for publication. Never stop taking pictures, your portfolio should be ever-growing. 

At Your Weddings and Birthday Parties- event photography

Tips if you want to specialize in event photography:

Step 1-  Learn the event. Make sure the style of photography you do fits the event. For example, at sports games, it would be useful to learn the game in advance. 

Step 2- close-ups. Take pictures of lots of people at the event.

Step 3- Shoot quick sets. Some events may be fast-paced and will want to take different pictures at different places. It's important that your setup is flexible, especially if there are random oppurtunities for good pics, you have to be ready for those.

Step 4- Come early, leave last. Make sure you plan on arriving early. Have your equipment ready to go, so you don't want to be rushing, especially for a wedding. If you come first, you have time to set-up the camera and backdrops,etc. You also want to be the last one to leave the event, so you are there to take pictures of everything and get in as many shots as possible.

The Most Annoying Photographer- paparazzi

Paparazzis are pests who spend their time following high-profile individuals and celebrities to document on their day to day lives. You will generally find this type of job listed under 'media photojournalism' which is the same thing as paparazzi. The best locations for these positions are found in: LA, Hollywood, and NY City. Typically, the company doesn't provide equipment and will expect that you own these things already. Now the most important part is actually finding celebrities. Do some research, find out where the top actors and celebs hang out. Once you get a really good photo make sure you get is sold as quickly as possible.It's important to establish ownership of the photos you take, b/c it's so easy for someone to pass your pictures off as their own.