What are the biggest challenges to becoming a pro photographer?
I have to refer to successful nature photographer Scott Bourne for this one. I heard him once say something like, “Your family and friends say you should become a professional photographer. But has anyone offered you money? If multiple people have, their advice may be valid. Otherwise, then their advice means nothing. Ask them if they’ll buy your picture. If you can’t sell a picture to a friend, how do you plan on selling them to complete strangers?” As a professional photographer, you are selling yourself just as much as the pictures. You will have to invest hours to learn to make better images, but every hour you spend shooting will have to be matched with at least two hours marketing. You’ll be making phone calls, getting your name out, sending emails, and marketing yourself for more hours than you can even imagine. There are plenty of great photographers who aren’t good marketers and are unfriendly, and they do OK. Then there are plenty of decent photographers who know how to sell
