Photography can be an enjoyable pastime for many people, as well as a satisfying creative outlet. However, if you’re looking to turn your hobby into a side-hustle — or even a fully-fledged business — there’s a few things you might want to learn. A recent campaign has gathered insights from four professional photographers who specialise in different styles of photography including fashion, food, travel and family. Below are their top tips on becoming a pro.
1) Understand your equipment
Whether you’re a novice or a pro, knowing your equipment inside out will help you when you get behind the camera. To turn your client’s vision into a reality, food photographer Sid Ali says, “you need to understand the limitations of your equipment, you need to be able to tell a story with your photo, and you need to be able to set the mood with your lighting.” Photography is all about the narrative and knowing the equipment that you’re working with will help you understand when and what to use to achieve the right mood or tone for each image.
2) See the bigger picture
Richard Bernabe, a travel photographer, states that, “the natural impulse of most photographers would be to zoom tight on the subjects they’re trying to capture. But sometimes the wider composition is the stronger one.” Like most things in life, it’s good to take a step back to see your surroundings when you have a camera in your hands. Set your work apart from your competition by letting the background elements do the hard work and tell some of the narrative for you. If the setting isn’t quite right, don’t be afraid to move around and change positions to ensure you get the perfect shot.
3) Plan, plan, plan
If you fail to prepare, you must prepare to fail. The perfect shot rarely happens by accident and there’s a lot of work that goes into achieving it. This is something that Bernabe believes, saying, “the vast majority of my time is spent writing, planning, doing promotions and marketing.” The makings of a successful photography business can mean putting as much effort into sourcing clients, creating and maintaining a website, and preparing for a shoot as much as getting the actual shot. These factors can make or break you when first starting your business.
4) Patience is key
When you’re looking to become a professional photographer, family photographer Hannah Harding says “patience [will be your] most important strength”. She adds that, “children [can be] unpredictable and have the ability to be gloriously stubborn at times. If you lose your cool, you lose their willingness and trust.” Taking the time to get to know your clients and make them comfortable with you and the camera can make them less guarded and so it’s easier for you to get more natural shots.
5) Experiment
To keep your work fresh and different, Ali advises you “to never stop being inspired and to never stop shooting.” Absorb inspiration from your day-to-day life, artwork, movies, conversations with people — the more varied the better. Use these inspirations and incorporate them into your photography for unique and inventive pieces of work.
6) Have a thick skin
Fashion photographer Saurabh Dua suggests that, “you need to learn from your mistakes as well as critically analyse your work on a regular basis.” Photography is an art form so it’s important to distance yourself from a piece in order to examine it. This will allow you to see where you can improve or change to make your work better. Take this a step further by seeking critiques and feedback from other professionals that inspire you. When doing this, remember that art is subjective: people will be honest about your work, so be prepared for the good as well as the bad. Take criticism in your stride and cherry-pick the bits of advice that are most helpful to you.
7) There’s art in being candid
One of the most difficult things for Dua is, “encouraging the model to be candid, yet creating a strong presence”. Overly crafted and planned photos often don’t portray life as it is and can be harder for audiences to connect to. Candid shots can offer an authentic depiction of your subject, but they can be hard to capture. It does mean that as a photographer you should always be in the moment when on set, ready to snap your subject — even when they’re not posing.
8) There are no rules
Both Dua and Bernabe agree that there are no set rules in photography. “You can break and mould whatever you like, and no one is going to stop you,” says Dua. In fact, when you don’t follow any rules or patterns, “it only makes the image more unique and gives intense joy and delight,” says Bernabe. By following your gut creatively, you can develop your individual style and create pieces of work that stand out to clients.
