Photo District News

also known as (PDN) recently did a survey on emerging photographer’s and had nearly 200 responses whom provided insight on how they got their training, how they were able to fund it, and information on launching their careers.

62% earned college degrees

62 percent of those photographers earned four-year college degrees in photography, and 38 percent also spent time in assisting other photographers to expand their knowledge. 75 percent went into debt to fund their education, mainly from credit cards and student loans.

74% freelance primarily!

74 percent were able to establish themselves in the industry by working for their own clients, as opposed to assisting other photographers, within just three years of finishing their education. That’s great inspiration!
PND surveyed several hundred photographers who also submitted their portfolios. Among the many goals they had, some of the strongest interest was in exhibiting in galleries and museums, as well as selling prints of their work. Most of them also had a large interest in shooting more editorial work.

About 48 percent of the photographers mentioned that they’ve attended workshops to enhance on their skills in certain areas including photojournalistic and documentary story telling, post production, and photo business management.

66% need more business skills

Most of them felt that photo business management skills were their weakest points. 66 percent said they could benefit from more training in that area, including post production training, and lighting techniques.

45 percent have not participated in portfolio reviews outside of school in the past two years! Wow, that’s a high number! 35 percent said they’ve only attended one or two reviews!

85% are getting consistent work

The upside however, is that they said they’re finding work in their field. 85 percent are able to support themselves solely on getting work in the photography industry, including selling prints, teaching and assisting. 52 percent are living primarily off of freelance work. That’s AWESOME! They have also been able to find more of their work in editorial assignments in the past year.

Some of these emerging photographers are shooting pro-bono, as a means for self promotion, but not as often as you may think. About one in five shot for free more than three times for free last year, 1 in 4 report having done it only once or twice and slightly more than half (53 percent) said they shot no assignments for free in 2008.

This information is very eye opening, and let’s us all know that work is out there and you CAN get paid for being a photographer, you just have to be willing to put the time and work in to market yourself and make it happen.

Sometimes it takes that one pro-bono spread you do for a magazine to start getting paid work. Pay your dues, build your portfolio and you too can become one of the many successful photographer’s PDN surveys!

As a photographer, people are going to want you to know EVERYTHING

about photography. You may have already experienced random questions about photography from people who know you, and if you haven’t, the time will soon come.

Even experts will admit that they don’t know EVERYTHING about their niche or topic, and if a question comes up that they can’t answer, they will make sure to find the answer. In the previous post, you learned how to make yourself visible to new clients through your website, following up with new leads, and getting listed in the Yellow and White Pages.

Continuing on 10 ways photographer’s can generate more clients, today you’ll learn how to create an image of expertise in your field.

Do you know what type of photography you want to be known for? Product, Wedding, Advertising? There are so many different avenues in photography you can go into, I’d suggest you try out the ones that are of most interest to you, and from there, focus on becoming an expert in that area.

Once you decide, you can make a name for yourself as the “go to” guy/girl, when it comes to a particular aspect of photography.

So let’s go over some steps to take when positioning yourself as an expert. First of all, you can pitch an article to a photography publication. Or a publication that uses pictures in the area of the photography work you do. The less work an editor has to do, the better. So I’d suggest writing an article along with your pictures to tell the story, for a better chance of getting it published.

You could also pitch a story to a blog or resource website. Do you have a great testimonial on your success in photography? Have you gained knowledge that other photographer’s could use? Why not pitch your story and get online publication? This blog you’re reading now is also open to submissions. What better inspiration to other photographer’s, than hearing stories from like minded individuals!

Offer to speak at industry and networking events. What great exposure would it be if you spoke in front of a group of people wanting to hear your message! You could speak about the tips and tools you’ll learn right from this website! Or speak about photography in general, and offer your services.

Are you starting to see how you can be an expert in photography? Let’s move on!

Do you know your camera like the back of your hand? Or do you know some great photoshop tips that could help a large amount of people? You could submit tutorials to websites. People will associate your name with tutorials you’ve submitted that have helped them become better photographer’s.

Get on the radio. This goes back to the post about using the media to your advantage. Getting an interview on the radio can be a great leverage toward expanding your freelance career!

There are contests always being held in photography. Pick up a few photography magazines and you are sure to find something that not only interests you, but you could have the potential of winning money and/or fantastic prizes!!

So becoming an expert in photography isn’t as hard as it sounds right?

If you have a great story you’d like to submit to YoungPhotopreneur.com, for possible submission, please e-mail me, Cheri Amour, at info@cheriamour.com. I’ll look forward to hearing from you! Cheers to your success!

Next Post: The Trusty Phone

Profoto has recently come out with a new powerpack called the Pro-8 Air. Check out the video below that explains the improvement from the Pro-7. Also is a behind-the scenes look with photographer Annie Leibovitz and Chairman and Founder of Profoto, Conny Dufgran. Maybe this will spark some inspiration inside you Young Photopreneur’s! If you haven’t had a chance to use Profoto equipment, please try to get your hands on some, even if it’s just watching someone else use it. If you have used this equipment, then I’m sure you know what the possibilities are! Enjoy!