When You Should Quit Your Day Job for a Full-Time Photography Career https://www.adorama.com/alc/when-you-should-quit-your-day-job-for-a-full-time-photography-career

1. When You Should Quit
Your Day Job for a Full-
Time Photography Career
PHOTO . TRENDING  May 16, 2018  642 Views
Home  Trending  Photo  When You Should Quit Your Day Job For A Full-Time Photography Career
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You are just not that into your day job anymore. You love making
photographs. Your friends and family tell you that you are really
good at it. Maybe people are already hiring you and you are shooting
assignments on the weekends. You sleep, eat, and breathe
photography and are chomping at the bit to jump in with both feet.
Is it time to quit your day job? The truth is, only you can answer that
question. What I can do is share my experience and give you a check
list. The rest will be up to you.
I am a big believer in teaching others from the mistakes that I have
made. Exactly 20 years ago, I left my sta photography position at a
small weekly newspaper because I wanted to work for larger news
organizations and be able to travel to cover stories internationally. In
addition to working at the paper, I had a few portrait clients and had
already been hired a handful of times to photograph weddings so I
gured I was set.


3. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the word “freelancer”
actually means “business owner.” Meaning my success both
nancially and in general as an independently employed
photographer was dependent on my ability to run a business. As an
idealistic person I insisted to myself that talent and determination
would be enough. This was my version of quitting my day job, and
let’s just say, I have had to eat many slices of humble pie along the
way.
If you are ready to make the jump and become a professional
photographer, I applaud your adventurous spirit and welcome you
aboard. Below is a checklist of what you will need in order to
succeed.
At this stage I will assume:
1. You have your gear or at least one camera body, a few lenses, and
a ash — the rest you can rent or buy as you are able. You have
enough experience with your gear that you are con dent and

4. What you need in your bag of tricks
besides camera gear:
I often think about my camera bag like Mary Poppins’ carpet bag or
Hermione Granger’s magic bag — there are things that I can pull out
of my bag of tricks which are not physical, things like skill,
experience, relationships, and resources.
when you do run into technical di culties or any kind of di culty,
and you know how to troubleshoot and remain calm under
pressure.
2. You have your niche or a speci c market where you think your
ideal clients are, and you have a strategy of how to reach them.
3. You have a website or well populated Instagram account where
potential clients can see your work.
4. You have enough money in your savings account that you can
nancially weather starting a business. This is the time when you
will spend more money than you earn.

5. 1. Business acumen: Marketing, sales and advertising know-how. If
you don’t know the di erence between these three things you
might need to tap on the brakes before you quit your day job. Your
success in today’s market depends more on your skill as a
business person than as a photographer. We all have seen plenty
of mediocre photographers who are booked solid with
assignments. This is because they are good businesspeople.
2. Graphic designer: If you don’t have graphic design skills you need
to hire someone who does. Develop a relationship with them so
they know how you want your designs, logo, books, and cards to
look. I have worked with the same graphic designer for six years
and because he knows what I like, it saves me time and money.
3. Insurance: You need to buy insurance to cover that expensive
equipment you just invested in as well as liability insurance. As a
freelancer, you will also have to buy your own health insurance.
And you may want to buy home/renters insurance to cover any of
the business equipment your business policy doesn’t cover.
4. A professional community: Don’t go it alone. I repeat, don’t go it
alone. There’s a lot to learn, and thankfully in my experience the

6. photography industry has one of the most supportive
communities I have ever experienced. Join a professional
association like ASMP, NPPA, or APA. Get involved with a local
group or even a Facebook group. And, of course Adorama’s
Learning Center and the event space provide many opportunities
to learn new skills and grow your community.
5. Stay persistent (it’ll pay o ): Make sure inside your bag of tricks
you have skin thickener and a sense of humor. Being in a creative
eld means that you will have to deal with a lot of rejection. In the
beginning, you may not land the jobs you thought you’d land. Or
you may land a job and then the client doesn’t like your
work. Perhaps they like the rst few jobs you do but then they
want something di erent. Perhaps they no longer have the budget
for professional photography, so the graphic designer is just going
to take the photos on their smartphone. How you respond to
these situations will determine how long you remain in the eld. I
have been a professional photographer for 20 years and I am
proof that persistence is the secret sauce.

7. If you have already thought of all of these things, then you are well
on your way. Congratulations on quitting your job and I wish you
great success in your new one. Let me know how it goes.
Dorie Hagler
I am a New York City-based storyteller and an advocate. I am as interested
in photographing newsbreaking events as I am in patiently covering a long
6. The ability to pivot. In the age of social media and the internet,
photography has been a quickly changing industry. There is more
demand for imagery than ever, but there is also a glut of images
available and anyone with a smart phone is a photographer. As a
professional, you must be willing to pivot, learn new skills, and
keep up with the changing demands. When I started, I was a
“photojournalist,” I still am but I am also “a visual storyteller,” a
“custom content producer” and I have needed to rely on my other
skills such as writing, lmmaking, art direction, and photo curating
to remain relevant in the eld.

8. form documentary project.

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Wally Gustafson Holem • 8 days ago
Thanks for the advice!
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