professional

How to Become a Photographer

You’ve been taking your camera everywhere, shooting photos of your experiences, and you love the way photography makes you see the world. Gradually, you’ve started to wonder what it would be like to turn your passion into a career. This guide will walk you through the process of how to become a photographer.

How to Overcome Your Fears of Starting a Photography Business

Photographers learn to see light but creatives also find themselves trapped in the darkness of their doubt. If you’re stuck in your fear of starting a business, I’m going to help you break through some myths and mental blocks to remind you that another word for fear is excitement. At the end of the day, would you rather be someone who faced their fears or gave into them?

Canon Professional Services: Should You Join CPS as a Photographer?

As a professional photographer, it's highly important to know you have support from a manufacturer to maintain your equipment. Canon knows this, which is why it provides a dedicated Canon Professional Services (CPS) for its customers; here's a look into what the service is and whether you should become a member.

Nikon Z9 Review

Nikon Z9 Review: It Makes Other Cameras Feel Like Antiques

The Z9 takes a massive leap forward in technology and levels the playing field between Canon and Sony both in its construction and capabilities. While Nikon may have been late delivering a professional mirrorless system, the 120 frames per second (FPS) burst, 8K video, impressive battery life, and "always-on" EVF more than make the wait worth it.

The Evolution of the Pro Photographer Through Phases and Crises

The professional growth of a photographer, and therefore the maturity of his or her projects, passes through several phases. Different phases require different skills from the photographer. In each phase the work and the goal of photography change, the maturity of his or her work grows.

Apple Finally Put the ‘Pro’ in MacBook Pro Again

In 2016, after Apple removed the memory card slot from MacBook Pros, I complained about this loudly. “Everything is going wireless,” a since-departed executive told me, adding that there was no need for the slot anymore.

To Make Money from Photography, You Should Know Your Value Chain

I am writing this article because I see a lot of photographers asking the same questions over and over and thought it would be nice to give you all the tools to answer your own questions. Or at least the 2% of you who search before asking questions.

How to Prepare for a Professional Photo Shoot

Back when I was taking pictures just for the fun of it, I never once thought to optimize my preparation. There was no preparation -- no shot list, no scouting, no mood board. That all changed when making pictures became my job and my livelihood.

Canon Rebuffs Rumors That Its R3 Sensor is Made by Sony

Since Canon's initial development announcement for the EOS R3, rumors have swirled that the company -- despite its statement otherwise -- was not the manufacturer of the backside illuminated sensor at its core. A report published on June 17 stated factually that the R3 sensor is made by Sony, and Canon has responded.

Passion vs Profession: Should I Become a Professional Photographer?

Professional photographer and YouTuber Sean Tucker recently released a video that covers one of the most common (and tricky) questions that enthusiast photographers ask: "should I go pro?" In other words: should I take this thing that I'm passionate about, and turn it into my profession?

Pro Sports Photographers: A Message from Your Friendly Broadcast Camera Operator

A few months ago, I was hired as an on-court, fixed broadcast camera operator for an Association of Tennis Professionals event as an independent contractor. While we were not broadcast live on a network, we were broadcasting throughout the stadium and event village as well as being taped for the network.

I’m a TV Show Set Photographer and This is My Process

I get asked all the time about my process: what applications I use, what gear I use, how I do what I do. So I figured, since I'm locked in my apartment by myself because of COVID-19, I might as well write my first blog post about it.

Woman Pays for a Pro Photo Shoot for Her Cat, Has No Regrets

Want professional portraits... of your cat? If so, there are pet portrait photographers out there that can make your dreams come true. One woman who decided to pay for a pro photo shoot for her cat earlier this year has made a splash by sharing the photos, and she says she has no regrets at all.

Cyclorama: How to Build Your Own Professional ‘Infinity Studio’

The folks over at Syrp have just released plans for one of the most intense, involved, but potentially rewarding DIY projects you could possibly embark on: building your own professional photo studio with no corners, giving the impression of an infinite background—AKA: a cyclorama.

From Homeless to Pro Photographer: What it Actually Takes to Make it as a Photographer

Perhaps you have a dream of becoming a professional photographer or you have already started your professional photography business. If for you it’s still a dream what is it that’s holding you back? If you have already started how was it for you? Did you start part-time, nervous about taking that first step or did you, like me, jump straight in?

How to Price Your First Photo Shoot

If photography is your chosen career path or even just a hobby, at some point, someone is going to ask you to take some photographs in exchange for a paycheck.

Why I Hate Being Called a ‘Professional Photographer’

Yesterday, I was at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia shooting for Flashes of Hope, a wonderful non-profit organization that gets photographers like myself to volunteer their time and create portraits of kids who are literally fighting for their lives. These portraits are given to the families for free. Flashes of Hope is a truly wonderful group.

Dropping Photojournalists Also Drops Photo Quality, Study Finds

A number of prominent newspapers and magazines have laid off some or all of their photojournalists in recent years, but these moves are not without their consequences. A new study has found that switching from a photojournalist staff to non-professional photos causes, to no one's surprise, a significant drop in photo quality.

Sony’s Mirrorless Cameras are Winning Over the Pros: Bloomberg

The ongoing battle over camera supremacy between Canon, Nikon, and Sony is receiving more mainstream attention in the business world. Bloomberg has published a report on the rise of Sony through its mirrorless cameras and states that Sony is now winning over professional photographers.

Is Fujifilm’s X Series Really a Professional Camera System?

I admit to being a bit of a Fuji fanboy. I have to be in order to put up with all the quirks of the Fuji X system. I believe it is this unconventional approach by Fuji that results in their growth and dedicated following.

What IS a Professional Photographer?

The phrase heard every day in the world of photography is “I am a professional photographer.” This statement must be viewed in the context that 8 out of 10 people with a DSLR refer to themselves as professional photographers. Of course, this statistical claim is a MUS (Made-Up-Stat). OK, the math is fuzzy, but in reality, the claim is not that outlandish.

Reality Check: What Counts as ‘Pro’ Photography Gear?

The short answer: whatever works for you. In this short video/soliloquy, photography educator Matt Granger takes a break from looking at the best pro photo gear, to help define what exactly "pro gear" means to him, and what it should mean to you.

Should Photography Be Relaxing?

What’s the difference between a hobby, and a job? Ignoring money, of course, I’d say that a hobby’s primary purpose is entertainment and relaxation, whereas a job’s primary purpose is to produce value. And yet, defying common sense, photographers seem to have this reversed.

The Giant ‘How To’ Guide to Car Photography

My name is Amy Shore, and I'm a UK-based photographer who mainly shoots car and motorbike related subjects. A few days ago, I asked all of my social media platforms what questions they wanted answered to do with car photography, whether it was about what settings I use or how to start a business. In this post, I’m going to answer questions that got asked with as much info and honesty as I can.

How I Found My Niche in Professional Photography

I’m Alastair Philip Wiper, a British photographer based in Copenhagen and working worldwide. From the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, to giant shipyards in South Korea and radio observatories in Peru, I work with the weird and wonderful subjects of industry, science, architecture. Finding a niche has been very important for my career, so I’m going to share a bit about how I went about it.