Got a note the other day from an aspiring photographer. He wanted to know what it takes to become a pro. I thought–very pragmatically–that it’s really not complicated. HARD maybe, but complicated, no. And this applies to so many FILL-IN-THE-BLANK things you aspire to be:
1. Declare yourself as that thing. That’s what you ARE in life. You’re not a student, not a finance-guy-slash-part-time-photographer, not a part time anything. You’re a photographer, or entrepreneur, or chef, or fill-in-the-blank. Let it be known.
2. Be in business. Make it real. Get a business bank account, business license (city + county), business cards. Business. Otherwise it’s a hobby.
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3. Read every book you can find at the library or online about the thing you want to do. Understand the rules. Because if you fail at the business part, if you can’t SUSTAIN this business, you’re not a pro. You’re unemployed, or back to part-time this or that. And back to step 1 you go again…wanting to be a pro. NOW then, if read these books and they make sense, and they teach you how to run the books and land the gigs…you gotta then break some of the rules you read in these books. And YOU choose which are the right ones to break. You’ll be right 50% of the time, you just won’t know which 50% until after you’ve taken the leap. Action is the only thing that matters.
4. In order to be the noun, do the verb. Do that thing everyday and share your work, hustle, and promote it like mad. For clients and for yourself. Get creative as all hell. Find YOUR voice through creating more than you thought was possible. Aim to be different, not better than everybody else. Be brutal in judging your own work. Put forward only your best work around the the things you actually want to to do. Break all the rules here too. And again, you’ll be mistaken 50% of the time, but you gotta take your swings to hit anything at all. Don’t forget, the DOING is the only thing that matters here too. What you THINK is nice, but it counts for zilch, zero, nada. Action wins.
5. Repeat.
Now, if you got this far and you’re thinking – Chase, it is a bunch of fluff…. Well, of course. Here’s the truth: This isn’t really about how to become a pro. It’s about how to commit to something.
There are a zillion steps to becoming a pro. Days, weeks, years of work on the craft. But the #1 thing I see absent in people who SAY they want it….it a lack of commitment – a lack of those few last steps to get them over the line, get them off their asses, off the couch, off the internet where people hide behind fake names where they pretend they’ve DONE it, that they are a pro, or have even begun to commit… This is usually because of fear.
Fear that you won’t be able to support yourself and MAKE A LIVING – WHICH IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A PROFESSIONAL. The reality is that you probably either want to become a pro and still need to do the following things; or you don’t want it.
In the former case – that you DO want to become a pro and – then this episode is a ‘you can do this / get off your ass’ message to you. In the latter case – the case of not actually wanting it — then there’s no need to pretend. Maybe it’s just a hobby or an side-interest and that’s okay too.
But if you’re serious, start with one of the hardest things — and that’s point #1: Start by calling yourself a pro in front of your friends and your parents or whomever you come across. Then start. One foot in front of the other.
Jack Nicklaus once said that his best golf shots were probably not that much better than the best shots of an avid amateur. But, his worst shots were a lot better than the worst shots of amateurs. I think of pro photographers as being able to get a really good capture every time they click the button. As an amateur, my hit rate of shots that I would want to show someone else is maybe 10%. Would love to hear what others believe their hit rates to be.
Hey Glenn, for me the “hit rate” is different based on the work I’m doing. If it’s event work, I might keep 25%, but the definition of “keeper” in those shoots is super loose.
A bit higher up the chain, I usually have a handful of images that capture any given shoot in a way that meets my level of expectation and that of my clients. These images might represent 1% of the images in the shoot. (This is the number that starts to rise as you hone your craft.)
However, for an image that I’d put in my portfolio (i.e. a photograph that accurately represents my eye, creativity and technical ability), that’s a totally different deal. I’m fairly new to photography as part of my profession, but of all the thousands of images I’ve taken, I might have 30-40 that rise to that level of critique.
Well said Chase, I would invert the order though, starting from n. 4 to n. 1; and according to what photography you want to do, being prepared to do a lot of networking and knocking on doors, you don’t get clients sitting on your chair!
oh geez, this is going to be work isn’t it……..
Great advice as always Chase. I believe this can be applied to most things in life, but not everything. The question I’m constantly asking myself is where do I want to be?
I know exactly, but It’s getting there! It frustrates the hell out of me. That feeling of it bottling up all those ideas and aspirations in side you. The difficulty of putting it all in to play and just doing it, I think that it comes down to circumstances. When is the perfect time to release the create beast we all have inside of us?
I’m not a pessimist by any means, It’s that doubt and feeling of failure that scares most. Sometimes I sit down outside in my garden thinking about what next. I’m 26, to me that’s the wrong side of 25 to be in a position i’m in now. My heart’s there, with ideas and passion oozing. Looking up to sky, constantly wishing I could end my 9 until 5 so I could follow my dreams. I’m the only one that can make this happen.
Everyone need to ask themselves… Am I ready to take the first step? There are major factors beyond the title “Declare yourself a photographer.”
Going back to the topic of discussion, I love the attitude and the post you put up on the blog. They’re ever so inspiring.
Thank you Chase,
Sam