Whether you take pictures purely for your own pleasure or have ambitions to build a career for yourself through photography, there comes a time when you have to stop snapping and start making pictures. Here, professional photographer, writer and lecturer Grant Scott explains how you can take your photography to the next level.
We all take more photographs than we have ever done or were able to in the past. We post images on social networks, share them with friends and use them as a form of visual shorthand to communicate where we are, what we are doing and often how we feel. Yet few of us would describe ourselves as photographers. Even fewer would describe themselves as professional photographers or understand what that job description means.
So how can you begin to understand what a professional photographer is or does? And start to move your own work into an area of professional photography?
The answer is actually very simple. You need to use photography to document your passions and explore the work of professional photographers who are already doing so.
For example, if you enjoy cooking, look towards food photography. If you enjoy sports, look at the photographers documenting your favourite sport. If you enjoy styling and decorating your home, interiors photography could be the area for you.
These are just a few examples of genres of professional photography, and there are many more such as:
By focusing on your passions, you will bring insight and commitment to your photography that will show in your pictures.
Thanks to the advancements in camera technology, most of us can take technically good pictures to what many consider to be a professional standard, but the professional photographer can and has to do this consistently and to order. They also need to understand the importance of telling a story with a series of images and having an area of photographic specialisation that a potential client needs for their business.
Every decision you make in your life from what you wear, what you eat, how you vote, how you decorate your home, where you visit, what you listen to, what you watch and what you believe are influenced by professional photography and professional photographers. They don't just shoot weddings.
Here are 10 tips to help you get started in taking your photography to a different level:
Grant Scott is a professional photographer and senior lecturer in editorial and advertising at the University of Gloucestershire.
He is also the writer of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography.
You can read more of Grant's articles on his website United Nations of Photography and follow him on Twitter @UNofPhoto.
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