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Karen Wright

Ms. Amanda Tibbits

Language Arts 12

9 March 2019

Photography Career

I have always loved taking pictures. I love taking pictures for my family, and for my

extended family. I love taking pictures of sports and nature. I Just love when I get that perfect

shot, and I feel proud of the shot I got. I like to take pride in the shots I take, because I know I

took them and nobody else did. I think it would be awesome to make money off of the shots I

take since I love taking pictures anyways. Being a Photographer is really, an easy career to get

into, but can be kinda difficult to make money off of it. I believe that unless you are single, and

don't have kids, being a photographer is really like a side job. Photographers don't make a whole

lot of money. This paper will discuss some people and how they got up to that point in their

careers. Some things this paper will also discuss are some different tools and techniques of

photography. Such as the angles, what to keep in mind, tripods, and creativity.

Each photographer has there own unique style of photography. According to Rita Cook,

Each has a special sense of style, a unique "eye" for a shot. This quote means that not every

photographer is the same. Each one has there own unique style of taking shots. This info is

important to a photography career because it's good to keep in mind that you don't have to take

specific shots. You don't have to compare to other people and how their shots are angled, or how

the lighting is placed. You can be you and that's just fine.

To get a great start in the photography business, you should get involved in activities.
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Photographer Rita Cook says that to get a jump start on photography you should, Join camera

clubs, work part-time in camera stores or photo studios, read photographic newsletters and

magazines. Getting involved in activities such as school newsletter, and the newspaper and

activities like that. This info is important so that you can get a start in the photography career

early and not have a late start.

Being a photographer doesn't always have to be a professional setting. Photographer

Kathy Russell says that photography doesn't have to be a show it can be a personal level.” This

quote means that photography doesn't always have to be on a time schedule, or have a certain

number of shots in a certain amount of time. Photography can be on a personal level. This

information is important in a photography career because you can be you, you don't have to be

rushed into things.

Even though you have to make a profit, it’s always good to think about the customers,

and there well needs. Sometimes I work with barns who offer mini-sessions at a lesser rate if I

have multiple clients within a barn that are on a bit of a tighter budget but still want some special

memories with their horse (Russell). Russell will work on a tighter budget to make the customers

feel great about there pictures. Having this mentality is great in a photography career because it

lets the customers know that you actually care about them, and are willing to work with people

with low money.

Having some experience in the field where you are taking the shots helps out a lot. In the

article Lee says that having experience helps him mirrors his movements with yours to get the

perfect shot. This quote means that Lee mirrors the movement of the dancers to get the perfect

shot. He has been a dancer for most of his life but he also really likes the photography aspect of
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it also. So having experience in the field of dancing, Lee uses his experiences to follow the

moves of the dancer to get the best shots.

Being able to relate to what you are taking pictures of really helps out with how to take

the shots. Dancers know what looks good and know what looks bad, and I think that really helps

me in photography (McGuire). Since Lee has experience with dancing and dancers, both Lee and

the dancers know what angles are the best. These are great techniques in the photography career

because it was easier when both the photographer and the people you are taking the shots of,

know what the best angles are.

Some tips are good to keep in mind when using tripods. For example, once you fix the

camera on a tripod your mobility will be somewhat restricted. Hence, the first scout around to

find a suitable position and then only mount the camera on the tripod (Kandimalla). This quote

just goes to show that, using some tools can restrict you from moving around. So knowing what

you want to take pictures of is very beneficial because it will save you time and effort if you

need to move a position.

Using tools to help you with photography have some ups and down. There are some

tripods that have a center brace to increase stability. However, the brace will prevent individual

leg angle adjustment and hence will force all the three legs to be at the same angle. This is

actually very restrictive on uneven ground (Kandimalla). This quote shows you the pros and cons

of using a tripod with a center brace on it. It's just good to keep in mind all the different types of

tools you can use to take pictures. It's also good to know the pros and cons of the product before

buying it.

Here is another example of using skills outside of the photography business, that helped
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Richard out. Thornton says that photography of buildings is a rather specialized field. I had a

background in construction, which helped me. Using his knowledge and skills in construction

help him with the rules and regulations with construction, and with 20 years of experience, he

had lots of contacts to create work for him. It made it easier to connect with old friends and

having those experiences made it easy to take lots of pictures during construction sights.

Being a street photographer may seem easy to get in, yet it's hard to look unique and

stand out in. Scott Schuman says while street-fashion photography is an easy world to join (do

you have a camera? Are you on a street?), it’s a tough one to stand out in. This quote goes to

show that being a photographer may be easy but you have to work hard to make your shots

different from other photographers on the street. You have to have this mentality because if you

want to get your photos sold, you have to stand out one way or another.

Since there is so much competition in the photography career, there are tons of camera

people lined up to take pictures of celebrities on the streets. From the photographers lining the

sidewalk outside Lawson, you’d think Omotesando is a giant red carpet (Schuman). That's how

much competition there is for photographers. It's easy to get into the business but it takes a lot of

creativity and time and patience to get to the top.

Photographers can get their name out way easier in the 21st century than ever before, due

to the internet. Scott says that thanks to the democratic universe of the internet, street fashion is

mainstream. Photographers can show their pictures through social media and the internet, and

multiple other resources. We can get into contact so much easier than any other generation.

Being able to change for something you want better can greatly benefit you. This is a life

skill to have and is just a great personality to have also. Rosenthal decision to give up his
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commercial career was motivated by a desire to make his own work. If Rosenthal had not

changed his career, he wouldn't be known for his awesome shots in nature. Sometimes change is

hard but it can greatly benefit you.

Some important things that I learned from writing this paper are how patient you have to

be when working your way up to the top. You can't start taking pictures and expect to be making

money just like that. You actually have to be patient and work really hard for it. Another thing

that I learned is that you have to work hard to stand out. You have to be creative in your own

way. You have to find out what makes you different from the rest of the photographers. Doing

this research hasn't affected my career choice because I feel like I can make a lot of money from

photography. The photography that I will most likely do is family photography, and interacting

with other people and their situations. Some more things to learn about photography is how

much everything will cost. How much will the camera cost? How much to charge the customers

for pictures? Where I will have my location at? Do I choose to work with other people or do I

choose to work alone?

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Works Cited

Cook, Rita. “Zoom in on a Photography Career.” Career World, vol. 28, no. 1, Sept. 1999, p. 13.

EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=2237893&site=ehost-live.

Williams, Lydia. “A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: An Interview with Virginia

Photographer Pierre Courtois.” Virginia Libraries, vol. 55, no. 4, Oct. 2009, p. 5.

EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=b6h&AN=48000923&site=ehost-live.

HALL, PHIL. “Danbury Photographer Rides Her Passion into a Career.” Fairfield County

Business Journal, vol. 53, no. 25, June 2017, p. 1. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=123712353&site=ehost-live

McGuire, Kathleen. “PICTURE Perfect: How Dancer Lee Gumbs Rose to Photography Fame.”

Dance Spirit, vol. 22, no. 2, Feb. 2018, p. 60. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=127446061&site=ehost-live

Kandimalla, Ashok. “Photographer’s Best Friend!” Smart Photography, vol. 10, no. 8, Nov.

2014, p. 74. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=99114274&site=ehost-live.

Thornton, Richard. “Adventures of a Part-Time Professional.” PSA Journal, vol. 60, no. 3, Mar.

1994, p. 13. EBSCOhost,

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search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=9411283306&site=ehost-liv

e.

SCHUMAN, SCOTT. “Selling It on the Street.” American Photo, vol. 22, no. 5, Sept. 2011, p.

59. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mat&AN=67656837&site=ehost-live.

WALSH, BRIENNE. “ESTABLISHING A CAREER IN FINE-ART PHOTOGRAPHY: Barry

Rosenthal on His Transition from Commercial to Fine Art.” Photo District News, Oct.

2017, p. 24. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=126546061&site=ehost-live.