Mid Life Crisis?

[chrismg67]

Ok, so I think I am in my midlife crisis. I desperately want to change careers and become a pro photog. Problem is, I have no formal training. I've found a few very interesting job opportunities on the internet but have not applied for them because I have nothing on my resume that has anything to do with photography.

I have started researching online photography training. I even actually enrolled in NYIP one time but I was not impressed so asked for a refund. I recently found an online bachelors degree through the Art Institute of Pittsburgh but holy crap it's expensive!

Does anyone have any advise for someone needing formal training. Keep in mind that I need to keep my current job so I can support my family so I need something part time and preferably online.

BTW-I am passionate about travel, landscape and architecture photography, if that makes any difference

[Tom]

Originally Posted by chrismg67

Ok, so I think I am in my midlife crisis. I desperately want to change careers and become a pro photog. Problem is, I have no formal training. I've found a few very interesting job opportunities on the internet but have not applied for them because I have nothing on my resume that has anything to do with photography.

I have started researching online photography training. I even actually enrolled in NYIP one time but I was not impressed so asked for a refund. I recently found an online bachelors degree through the Art Institute of Pittsburgh but holy crap it's expensive!

Does anyone have any advise for someone needing formal training. Keep in mind that I need to keep my current job so I can support my family so I need something part time and preferably online.

BTW-I am passionate about travel, landscape and architecture photography, if that makes any difference

Yeah - you don't need formal training. You need the ability to do things.

You couldn't have picked a worse time to want to be a full-time pro photog. Guys (non-gender specific) who are crazy talented and have been doing nothing but take pictures for decades are being laid off right and left. That FLOODS the market with talented guys who have experience and awards and published work. That's gonna make it very hard to compete with.

If you want to be a professional photographer, keep your job. Use your vacation time to go to some Santa Fe Workshops to study light and portraits. Read everything David Hobby writes and learn how to put it into practice. Learn to take creative and dynamic portraits.


If you want to shoot sports, read this:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/2210


It doesn't matter where you studied nearly as much as what you can produce. And no matter where you are gonna work, chances are you are going to be asked to take a good portrait from time to time. Learning how to see light and control light will make itself useful in other genres of photography.

And don't forget studying marketing, business, etc.

[JohnT]

Thomas is right. You don't need formal training, BUT some people do better with it than without it. Different people learn by different methods (visual, auditory, hands-on, etc.). It's a tough time for a lot of professions including photography. Weigh your options carefully.

[dtscds]

having given this a passing thought every now and then here is what I was thinking:
You could take a night class or two at UTA. See how you like doing assignments. See how you do. If you show promise then you could take more.
Taking a class or two now would let you keep your 'real' gig while exploring the possibilities. But, that will only last for so long. At some point you will have to decide how much you are willing to commit to this. It's a tough thing deciding if you want to risk it all on one throw of the dice. Been there, done that. I left a pretty good paying job to go to seminary so I could, someday, be a lowly paid preacher. At least you have the prospect of a job in the glamorous world of photography!

[andyz]

This is an interesting thread. I know I couldn't go pro, but it is a nice idea as I enjoy it as a hobby. (The grass is always greener...)

Recognizing that you get out what you put in, the market, your talent, what you shoot, is there a general income bracket for a photographer, or are there significant differences between one who does a little of everything, one who specializes in weddings, portraits, seniors, products, etc? I know that is very general, but I know there is an average because that is basic math. Photography can be a passion, but passion doesn't pay the bills.

I just wonder how lucrative it can be, or if it is like sports where the top 2% makes all the real money and you do it for the love of doing it.

[HeatherLou]

I think Thomas is giving you some really good advice. You don't NEED formal training to do good or even great work. Unfortunately there is no easy road in photography. If you look at TPF's nearly 20,000 members, you can count on your hands and toes the amount of people that do this as there only source of income. It takes living and breathing photography to make a go of it, and even then, your never guaranteed anything. Everyone comes to this in there own way and find different ways to make there passion work for them. I would seriously consider talking to the folks that do this full time, as there only income and see what the pro's and con's are.

[HotHolly]

Originally Posted by dtscds

...so I could, someday, be a lowly paid preacher.

I did that too!!! lol. When art pays better than preaching, you really get excited about the photography!

Ive had interns from the local colleges...and my degrees are in ministry (with minors in art)...it doesnt make a difference. My interns didnt know how to use their cameras. They knew principles, but nothing else.

Here is how to get started in TWO EASY STEPS:
1. Figure out how to use your camera entirely
2. Learn how to run a business

And Tah-Dah! All done! I swear Im not a jerk. Thomas is right about your timing. Its tough right now. But its also a good time to learn. Audit some classes at colleges. The art ones, the photo ones, the business ones. You dont need to matriculate through an entire program.

And here is the biggest thing that will make or break you - LEARN HOW TO SELL. If you cant sell, you starve. Even if you have to sell yourself to get a job so someone else can pay you - you still have to learn to sell. I know several photogs who are so great, but their selling skills are lacking and they struggle.

Learn as much as you can before you jump in head 1st.

PS - Mid life crisis in terms of changing jobs...I noticed when all my friends turned 30 - we all changed careers. 30's the new 40!

HotHolly added 6 Minutes and 30 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

PPS - What I really still want to do for a living is paint. I LOVE PAINTING! Photography is more lucrative. Ironic, huh? Could I pick any poorer professions?

[Shelby Lane]

Originally Posted by HotHolly

And here is the biggest thing that will make or break you - LEARN HOW TO SELL. If you cant sell, you starve. Even if you have to sell yourself to get a job so someone else can pay you - you still have to learn to sell. I know several photogs who are so great, but their selling skills are lacking and they struggle.

Learn as much as you can before you jump in head 1st!

Amen, Sister Holly.

Taking classes to learn the technical and artistic aspects of photography will help you become the best photographer you can be. But they won't help you feed your family. You have to know how to run a photography business, how to market, how to price yourself, and how to sell your work, or you will not make enough to survive on. So my answer to "what classes should I take to become a pro" is always "first, whatever business classes you can find."

[Digigeek]

Originally Posted by HotHolly

I did that too!!! lol. When art pays better than preaching, you really get excited about the photography!

Ive had interns from the local colleges...and my degrees are in ministry (with minors in art)...it doesnt make a difference. My interns didnt know how to use their cameras. They knew principles, but nothing else.

Here is how to get started in TWO EASY STEPS:
1. Figure out how to use your camera entirely
2. Learn how to run a business

And Tah-Dah! All done! I swear Im not a jerk. Thomas is right about your timing. Its tough right now. But its also a good time to learn. Audit some classes at colleges. The art ones, the photo ones, the business ones. You dont need to matriculate through an entire program.

And here is the biggest thing that will make or break you - LEARN HOW TO SELL. If you cant sell, you starve. Even if you have to sell yourself to get a job so someone else can pay you - you still have to learn to sell. I know several photogs who are so great, but their selling skills are lacking and they struggle.

Learn as much as you can before you jump in head 1st.

PS - Mid life crisis in terms of changing jobs...I noticed when all my friends turned 30 - we all changed careers. 30's the new 40!

That's cause 50 is the new 30! I know that for a fact.

Set up your new business to work nights and weekends. After you've worked every waking hour between your day job and the new venture for 6 months or more, see if you think you can make enough to live on and if so, quite the day job.

I've been self-employed for over 5 years, and there are still time I wonder if I will get a paycheck next month.

[johnastovall]

You are not having a mid-life crisis. A mid-life crisis is a hair transplant and a Porche.

But you should make a good business plan before you do anything else. Maybe even take an evening course on "Starting a Business."

[andyz]

A little business training.
http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...ad.php?t=99383

[KJ Smith]

Get a motorcycle or a girlfriend or both.

What telco ?

Kevin

[Flea77]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

You are not having a mid-life crisis. A mid-life crisis is a hair transplant and a Porche.

So exactly what is the difference between a Porche and a EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus Lens? There are a LOT of used Porches at http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/porsche-overview for a LOT less money :-)

Allan

[Tom]

I read once on Sportsshooter that there are less full-time salaried photographers in America than there are NFL players. I don't know if that is true, but I read it once on the internet, so I am going to repeat it.

I did the freelance thing for a few years, and it was CRAZY stressful. I wasn't real established so I had to wonder what I was going to eat until I got paid from my next job. Or if I could pay rent on time. I wouldn't recommend going through life like that.

But I am one of the lucky ones. I have a salaried job and my formal photography education is an A in a 3 hour class in photojournalism in 1999 at Texas A&M and some video-J classes.

When I was hired, I was told they chose me because I had a strong portfolio with a wide variety of things. I had documented famine in the Sudan, orphanages in India, lots of sporting events, architecture from NYC, have been a featured artist in galleries, have been featured in a national museum, etc. So I had done a lot, but hadn't made a ton of money at it. Being well rounded it important, but if I could tell a new photographer anything, it is learn to be an amazing portrait artist. Even if that isn't necessarily your thing, learn it. The skills you learn will translate to other forms of photography easily.

[jkderby]

If you want to go pro. Join PPA and TPPA. Go to the Texas School of Photography, it will change your whole out look in a positive way!!! If you do not know what the Texas School of Photography is, google it. Worth every penny.