professional

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.

Why Professional Photography is ‘Worth It’

Being in the photography business successfully for 40 years has been an amazing journey and a great accomplishment for me. I believe that the people I meet are the best clients anyone could wish for.

Infographic: How to Become a Pro Photographer

Becoming a professional photographer is pretty "easy" in one sense, yet incredibly "hard" in another. The lower and lower barriers of entry makes jumping in easy, but developing yourself and your business in the industry can be a challenge that takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication.

To help aspiring photographers take their first baby steps toward that goal, UK-based wedding photographer Robert Sail has created a giant infographic that serves as a roapmap.

This is Why You Hire a Pro Wedding Photographer

Vogue magazine sparked controversy earlier this month by recommending that brides say "I don't" to "hiring a professional wedding photographer." Needless to say, the suggestion didn't go over well in the photography community.

Now one bride is hitting back at Vogue by posting an Instagram photo that shows why you should hire a pro wedding photographer.

8 Tips For Starting a Photography Business

I am often asked for advice by those starting out in the photography industry. And if there’s one thing I have no shortage of, it’s advice. So with that in mind, I present you with my 8 Tips for Starting a Photography Business.

Review: Woody Woodclick Provides Exceptional Boxes For Next-Level Presentation

Here at PetaPixel, we receive quite a number of review requests daily, and picking what we feel is unique and interesting can prove to be a difficult task. But when we recently got a slightly more unusual request to review custom-branded wooden boxes from a company called ‘Woody Woodclick’ we had to give it a try. Producing custom wooden boxes and engraved flash drives, the company aims at premium packaging for photographers.

10 Beliefs That Suck the Life out of Photographers

What if I told you that it's not the industry, the bad economy, where you live, what camera you shoot with, how many lights you have or how small your Facebook following is that is holding you back. None of those are truly capable of stopping you, they are only challenges for you to meet -- the same challenges everyone who creates art or starts a business has to meet and beat.

Maps Showing the Pro Photography Landscape in the United States

What is the current state of the professional photography industry in the United States? Back in April 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released statistics about the photography profession from May 2013. The data offers an interesting look into where photographers are living and how much they're earning.

Sony Announces Pro Support Service: Quick Repairs, Loaners and More for Pro Photographers

As more and more professional photographers make the jump to Sony (for one reason or another), it only makes sense that the electronics giant start offering professional services along the line of Canon’s CPS program and Nikon’s NPS program.

And that is exactly what the company has decided to do. As of this morning, Sony Imaging has officially launched what it's calling the Sony PRO Support service program.

5 Top Photographers Share Advice on What it Takes to Become a Professional

In a bid to both inspire you and advertise themselves a bit, Nikon Europe gathered a group of 5 professional photographers who presented at this year’s Photokina and asked them to share their advice on what it takes to become a professional in the world of photography.

Their insights, as you might imaging, are well worth two minutes of your time.

Relonch Case Slaps an APS-C Sensor and f/2.0 Lens Onto Your iPhone

The Panasonic CM1 smartphone with its 1-inch sensor and super-fast Leica lens might not be available outside of a few European countries any time soon, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can't have a supercharged smartphone camera.

Enter Relonch: an iPhone case that adds a much larger APS-C sensor and fast f/2.0 lens to any iPhone 5 or 6.

Which Pro Camera Do You Really Need to Shoot Like a Pro?

Let’s start with a little quiz. What one thing makes a pro camera a pro camera? Build quality? Weather sealing? Fast autofocus? Fast motor drive? Dual SD card slots?

Don’t think too long over the answer because it’s none of the above. A pro camera is a camera that a pro uses. Period.