ChrisCoaster wrote:
> On Apr 7, 1:28 pm, Chris H <ch...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> Where in the world are you?
>> Advice will vary depending on where you are.
>>
>> In message
>> <5ddc480c-ba17-48d9-ac61-103db2dbd...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>> ChrisCoaster <ckozi...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes
>>
>>> As indicated by my many inquiries here regarding manual digital
>>> photography, I am inquiring as to what it takes to start a solo gig
>>> as a photographer.
>>
>> Some skill
>> Some equipment
>> Some contacts
>> Some luck
>> A lot of bottle
>>
>> (invariably these days you also need a web site as much as a camera )
>>
>>> I'm basically looking to do ****traits, some action/athletics,
>>> nature/ animals, and scenery/landmarks.
>>
>> So most things other than news re****tage or studio?
>>
>>> I would really love for my work to create emotional impact in the
>>> minds of my clients, and the fact that I understand the ways zoom,
>>> aperature, shutter speed and sensitivity work and interact(or at
>>> least what they are!) means that I wouldn't be lost in the manual
>>> section of most cameras.
>>
>>> So, some tips on entry-level equipment
>>
>> What have you got now?
>>
>>> and accessories(lighting, etc.)
>>
>> Depends what you want to light... lighting for landscapes ? :-)
>>
>>> would be helpful, along with what some of your typical work days
>>> entail.
>>
>> Read some of the photographic press aimed at professionals. Which
>> depends on which country you are in. I can recommend some but you may
>> be in a foreign country
>> --
>> \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
>> \/\/\/\/\ Chris Hills Staffs England /\/\/\/\/
>> /\/\/ ch...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.phaedsys.org\/\/\
>> \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
> ____________________
> USA!
>
> Invariably, I expect to be called upon for some wedding shots,
> individual ****traits(the annual grade school shots), so fill-in would
> probably be needed there. Right now I've got a Canon A-570is, with
> limitations I've described in other threads regarding aperature,
> flash, etc.
>
> I expect to be in the hole for at least a year just with a decent D-
> SLR, a separate zoom lens, and a very modest light kit.
There is naive and there is *NAIVE*. You are pretty much the latter.
I have no desire to shoot down your goal but if you have to ask what
equipment you need you are no where close to being ready to embark on a
photographic career.
First of all, photography is exceedingly competitive. It is rare for
people
to seek you out (particularly when you are a beginner); instead, you have
to
go get the business. For example, the "annual grade school shots" you
mention are normally contracted either to a local representative of a
national chain or to another long established local photographer; either
way, whoever is doing it now is well entrenched and if *you* want to do
them
you will have to wrench them away.
Success in photography is much less dependant on equipment than it is on
other skills...such as people skills, marketing, advertising, selling,
etc.;
IMO, even photographic skills are subservient to those other skills.
I'll tell you what I have told dozens of aspiring photographers...
1. Spend a couple of years taking business courses with heavy emphasis
on marketing and selling. Learn how to read a balance sheet, how to
prepare
a profit and loss statement. Learn how to keep books.
2. Decide if you want to specialize in photography of things or
people.
3. Go to a photographic school such as Brooks Institute in Santa
Barbara
and study the specialization upon which you decided.
4. Find some way to work for a year for a well thought of, established
photographer in your specialization. Do it even if you have to work
without
pay. You'll learn more in a year than you would in a decade on your own.
5. While doing any of the above, take some courses at Dale Carnegie or
Toastmasters to hone people skills. I really can't emphasize this too
much
because people skills are *THE* most useful thing you can have regardless
of
the type of photography you want to do.
As I said, I've told dozens of aspiring photographers those same
things...none ever did them, none ever succeeded. They didn't do them
because they take 4-5 years and they wanted to be a photographer right
NOW.
I am sure it is true that most successful photographers have not done
those
steps. They are exceptional and for every one of them there are probably
a
hundred others that failed. Moreover, had they done them, it is likely
that
even those exceptional photographers would have been even more successful
and become so much sooner, saving themselves years of struggle and
frustration in the process.
Good luck.
--
dadiOH
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