The decision to turn photography from a passion into a profession is a leap many dream about but few take. It’s a deeply personal journey, shaped by ambition, risk, and the challenges of balancing creative freedom with financial stability. For outdoor photography, in particular, the realities can be even more complex.
Coming to you from Adrian Vila of aows, this thought-provoking video explores the highs and lows of transitioning to full-time outdoor photography. Vila begins by addressing a critical realization: time is your most valuable resource as a photographer. Unlike writing or music, outdoor photography demands specific conditions and locations, which often conflict with traditional work schedules. Vila shares how this understanding drove him to leave a stable, remote job despite its flexibility. His point is clear—without the freedom to chase light, weather, and fleeting moments, the best gear or skill won’t matter.
The video also dives into the financial realities of photography. Vila explains how making a living in this field often involves cobbling together income from various sources. For him, these include Patreon support, book and print sales, workshops, and sponsorships. He emphasizes the need for a diversified approach, warning that relying too heavily on one income stream can be risky. His practical advice includes building an audience, saving money, and starting small before committing fully to the profession. These lessons are essential for understanding the financial and logistical planning required to succeed in a competitive field.
Vila’s reflections on the cost of photography are both practical and eye-opening. He points out that upgrading to bigger, more expensive gear can lead to hidden costs—larger bags, tripods, and hard drives, to name a few. He also stresses the importance of embracing local photography to save on travel expenses, reserving bigger trips for when the budget allows. The most striking part of Vila’s message is his advice to avoid rushing into full-time photography without preparation. He suggests taking small steps, like pursuing photography part-time, testing the waters by selling prints or books, and building up savings. This approach allows for a smoother transition and reduces the risk of burning out or facing financial strain too early. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Vila.
Well stated about photography is something your drawn to where ever you are like you are always seeing what others do not and seeing compositions even without having a camera in the first place. Some go to higher learning and are shown the many rules compositions and the triangle of light capture as well colors that make a 3D of depth on a flat 2D medium like paper, metal, and even on a digital screen. I am A hobbyist not a pro but first I would say become a hobbyist first, why you would ask is because gear is expensive along with makers of all makes of cameras are yearly saying this that and the other is best and better that what you have saying this will make better images/videos. Not so fast to jump is so hard to do, any camera will capture the great image as well as the many lenses talked about.
Many of us who started way back in the film days and went through the start of the digital days of first point and shoot to the mirrored to the now mirrorless cameras with changeable lenses have taken the hook line sinker on many items over the past decade plus. This will hurt the makes the most but it is not the next great camera or lens BUT the Software!!!! Yep, Software is the thing that gets better and best sometime every month.
In the point and shoot days it was like the film era you took an SD card to a camera store or a store that could get a print. The makes of cameras like Canon you had to use Canons SW to edit, what is not known of the past is the king of SW was Adobe its PS/Lr were $800 + for each and each full update meaning only companies with big bucks could afford not the hobbyist the guy getting started. There were several $80 to a $100 SW's.
The many SW's had a major not have and that was a lens profile, good noise control or sensor dust removal but today all the SW have all this and get better with the many other things they come up with in the many things Photographers want like what is called AI today but the AI is nothing more than a lot of SW options rolled up into one to make a capture better whereas you can do all yourself. There are things that are taken for granted like sensor dust removal that today would be called AI as well as Lens corrections etc.
I started editing with Canon SW then Sony gave for the very low price of $20 the pro SW of Capture One that was just Lr like but with layers of sections of the image like Lr masking sections and put together like PS's individual images all this back in 2014. But still no real Noise Control, LC, or Sensor dust removal but back then Topaz had a Studio of apps for many things and there was also the Nik collection started in the late 90's bought by Google that sold to photographers for $600 that Google in 2016 was free to use having a following so when it was to end Dxo saved it and is now an add in to Dxo SW.
The great thing is SW low prices of other than Adobe made for the monthly/yearly cost of the combo PS/Lr/Lrc kinda made Adobe to offer it.
This history of Software is the other side of photography cost and the need know the how and what for of your want to make am image greater than what you captured, This where digital went beyond Film and the darkrooms in the past.
The SW will keep you on your butt in front of a computer screen for many hours and not out doing captures, the key here is to have certain hours to do SW for to much time without some blue blocker glasses you will get racoon eyes and your muscles for walking and what not become weak.
All this was a non pro list, I have no idea about the rest of the business of selling and travel expenses and on top with a family on the side too!
But like the call of the wild to ones soul photography is a many involved wonderment.
To help some I have viewed on the Tube many pro photographers road traveled to greatness a great place I would review for ideas, I enjoy watching them myself for a lot of great travels.
If I was younger a place to start would be a wedding photographer side line of one as a night Milky Way capturer over a wedding group for it is a narrow monthly thing of 5 days before and after a new moon or even a narrow group of months say June, July where you have a whole night of to do with many as you could get appointments for also you can do MW Arch's that can be done in less than 90 sec. with a high MP camera and a super fast lens that require a 5 second or less of each shot. Just an idea for some one i never see anyone while out in the darkness of night. The path in the stars with MW to the right is like the path of life in a marriage, is what the story I see! take and run with it!!!!