Making the shift from amateur photographer to professional is about much more than simply being good with your camera and asking to be paid for it. It takes the confluence of a lot of skills and preparedness to be a successful professional photographer, and this great video will give you 10 things you need to know.
Coming to you from Tyler Stalman, this helpful video discusses 10 things you need to know if you want to become a successful professional photographer. Personally, I think the most important thing that many photographers overlook has nothing to do with a camera: having a competent grasp of how to successfully run a business. The unfortunate truth is that many talented creatives do not find success in the professional realm not because they lack the technical skills or imagination, but because they simply do not know how to properly market themselves, work with clients, and handle the finances of a business. The best photographers are all highly business savvy in addition to their creative talents. Check out the video above for lots of helpful tips from Stalman.
If you have the technical aptitude, but you need to work on your business skills, check out "Making Real Money: The Business of Commercial Photography"
I think there are a few more, quite important things that a 'pro' photographer has to know besides the technical stuff. Sometimes or a lot of times, a client comes to you without any knowledge of how a fashion shoot happens, but they have been instructed by their big bosses to shoot an ad campaign for a certain product. They've also been advised by their 'expert' friends that this is easy because they've watched random fashion shoots on the streets a few times. A client approached me to shoot a brand of airline luggage and amenities. They needed to show two models using their products in certain locations in Hong Kong. Because the client had zero experience, she depended on my knowledge and advise. I had to produce mood boards, style sheets, hairstyle proposals for her immediately. That got them started with ideas and they hired a local ad agency to help them out. So some of the things I'd like to add are: knowing how to get models and clothing rental. How to get make up artists. How to produce Mood Boards, Style Sheets, Call Sheets. How to arrange transportation for everyone and maybe a motor home just for the models, stylist and MUA to work in. How to book studios and arrange timing for everything to a T. You have to know the agencies to advise you how to contact authorities for usage of places like airport, train stations or government facilities or even close off a part of a park or street for 2 hours. They can advise you on how long it takes to get permits and how much you gotta pay to use these facilities.
No matter how banal it sounds, but most of the processes in business, especially those that have already grown from startups, are associated with financial management. This takes a lot of time as documentation becomes more and more, and control of financial resources is simply necessary. I’m the director of a photo studio in Orlando and my business is over 4 years old. The most difficult stage was business planning and forecasting, taking into account financial statements. The photo industry as a holistic system and enterprise is not so famous, because I needed to automate the financial accounting process, cash flow statements and I found a solution using https://finmodelslab.com/. This company was created by financial experts 5 years ago, and their goal is precisely to scale automation of financial management using excel templates individually for each business niche. This skill will be able to make money in the business of commercial photography.