Becoming a Photographer

Shedding the light on the best “ins” to the industry and pursuing your dreams

Photography has been a part of my life since I was ten years old. I was often found with a parent’s phone on silent, clicking away or walking around with friends doing “fashion photoshoots” but I often remember hearing the phrase, “The photography industry is too hard to get into”.

Humans have been telling stories for THOUSANDS of years, using many different mediums to communicate with one another. We’ve told oral stories around campfires, danced, written plays, songs, poems, for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Only recently have we as a species been able to capture it in a visual format and share it with others. Nowadays, we have over seven billion people on Earth who are all discovering a new way to share their milestones with one another whether it be personal or business-related.

Since I went professional, in the photography industry, I’ve had the chance to appreciate the human experience in a new way. I’ve travelled across the world to photograph some of the most beautiful places, met with some incredible mentors and have been able to share some amazing milestones with different clients along the way.

I always love having the chance to meet passionate up and coming photographers at events. These are my tips for the up and comers!

Tip #1 Reach Out

GO ANNOY SOME PHOTOGRAPHERS (we love it!) WITH YOUR QUESTIONS! Six years ago I was at a friends event and I started talking to the photographer there who was a part of a popular event photography company at the time and he said to me, “This is the equipment you need to get”. He told me:

• “This is the equipment you need to become an event photographer”

• “Get this equipment, take some photographs and send us your portfolio”

• “If we like your photographs, we might hire you!”

I rushed home very excitedly and sorted it all out. Although I didn’t get the job for that company (I later did), sent around messages to a bunch of different photography companies and I started somewhere else.

Tip #2 Get the Right Equipment

“It’s not the size, it’s what you do with it”

If you can take a photo on a quote-unquote “bad camera”, you’ll be able to take a great photograph on anything. You don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on a camera either, you can start by exploring Gumtree, the Trading Post and Facebook Marketplace for your new beau.

The most important pieces in your collection if you want to become a socials photographer is:

• A full-frame DSLR

• A wide-angle lens

• A flash

• A diffuser

With this equipment, you should be all set to start practicing and reaching out to your network.

Tip #3 Praaaaaacctiiiiiseeee!

Photography is all about photographing EVERYTHING that interests you. When I first started I would photograph flowers, people, travels, anything I could! It can be hard to find out exactly what your style is when you are doing it all but this will show you what you enjoy.

Tip #4 Find a Mentor

There are many ways you can dive into learning about how to take the ultimate photo and most people will do this by spending a TONNE to go to photography school.

Finding a successful photography mentor is amazing because you can learn great skills and learn how it’s done in the industry.

A photography mentor can come in many different forms:

• Someone who you can tag along with at an event who can help ease you in

• Someone who you can sit and watch edit

• Someone who you can meet up with who will go through your album and be sometimes ruthless with you (this is the best way to grow)

• Someone who you can go to an event with and have a “shoot-off” with

• If you are meeting different photographers, you can also create a group chat or a page where you can discuss photography

• Someone you can meet up with for coffee

Sometimes my mentors have not always even been photographers. Sometimes my mentors have been successful entrepreneurs who I always know I can message for support or throw an idea around with.

Food for Thought

Photography is sooooooooo dynamic and there are so many different ways to be a photographer in this day and age. I love that I’m able to empower people through photography. You can start by doing a photoshoot with a bestie, reaching out to a business to see if they need good photography or you can reach out to an NGO which can help them communicate their message better. There is always a way to begin.