What are the qualifications for being a photographer?

You're only thirteen and you already know what you want to be? That's impressive, I am a senior in college and I still have no idea. If you want to be a photographer I recommend taking TV/Photography classes in high school if they are offered to you. If you want to get into photography in college, you can go to any college really and take some photography courses. Don't expect there to be a lot to offer in terms of photography degrees, in that most degrees out there encompass a lot of visual arts aspects. My father is a wedding photographer and he took a few courses in college and was self taught. So, basically the qualifications for being a photographer are really being naturally talented or well-trained in terms of classes. Having the right equipment qualifies you as well. In short, you don't need a degree, you need a portfolio and a vision. Experience and talent make a great photographer. Having a graphic arts degree just enhances your resume.

The only things you need to be a photographer are patience, practice, and perseverance. That said, I would recommend to anyone wanting to be a photographer that they take at least a beginners course, just to learn the basics of photography - how to compose a shot, how to light it, etc. Thirteen is a good age to start. Buy a good quality digital pocket camera - one with an optical zoom, rather than just a digital zoom - and carry it with you wherever you go. And I mean everywhere - the shops, the park, your mates' house, whatever... Get used to taking lots of photographs; it's digital, so you can wipe them all later if you want. Set yourself projects. For example, one day you might decide to only shoot things that are red, or circular, or pairs of things. You'll soon learn to see things that you'd normally miss if you weren't looking at them with a photographer's eye. Make sure you keep your best pictures - then try and take even better ones. As you get older, you can think about buying a better camera - a digital SLR with interchangeable lenses. By sixteen or seventeen, you should have amassed a fair portfolio, which you can show to either art colleges (if you decide to go down that route), prospective employers, (if you want to work for another photographer), or a bank manager (if you want to set up in business for yourself.) A word of caution, however. When I started out (twenty years ago) being a photographer was a little goldmine. You could charge pretty much whatever you wanted, and people would pay. Nowadays, the advent of digital means that just about everyone has a camera and thinks they can do it themselves. The market for photographers has shrunk dramatically, and will probably continue to do so. Certainly, the portrait and wedding side of business is a tiny proportion of what it was, and the margins are tiny; you might like to think, therefore, about specialising in commercial or architectural work, becoming a police forensic photographer, or trying to get a job with a local newspaper... Whatever you choose to do, good luck, and happy snapping...

Hello Rachella! Wow ambitious at 13, wish I had been. First, the advice of the folks before me is great! You really don't have to be a "professional" to take great pictures and enjoy doing it! It's truly an art and the best thing to do is find your style and stick with it. That said, there are many technical things to learn that will greatly increase your chances of taking great pictures and making some money doing it. Check out http://www.almostprofoto.com, there are lots of great lessons to learn here, as well as tips, photo editing techniques and inspiration to help you find the kind of photography that you love. Hope this helps, and GOOD LUCK. The world needs more of your go-get-it attitude. MV

there's a couple of things you should do once you decide that you want to be a pro. I'm actually impressed you've decided now, you can get the jump on a lot of people since you're still young. First off get a camera. you may not have the money for a SLR right now but any camera will do. Start to compose your shots and frame them. Get an eye of what looks good and what doesn't. Experiment. Read, Read, Read. start reading blogs of other photographers and look at their works. You may be inspired by them. Then go out and try photos of your own. I would get a subscription to a photography magazine as well. learn some tricks. Popular Photography is a good one. Start building a portfolio. Every professional has a portfolio to show future clients/employers. Start taking pictures in what you're interested in. Portraits? fashion? landscape?, etc. This is what will get you jobs or not. So snap away and have fun.

Being a photographer entails knowing how to use a camera to create an image that is in your mind before you release the shutter. To get to that state takes a long time during which you try different things and are your own worst critic. Follow these steps: 1. Buy a camera. 2. Take pictures. 3. Try to figure out what you did wrong in step 2 by (a) asking photographers you know, (b) reading photography books and magazines, (c) posting your photos on on-line forums for photography (not places like Flickr) and requesting critiques and suggestions, (4) taking classes. 4. Repeat from step 2 until it's time to upgrade your equipment. In that case, start again at step 1.

There's alot of idiots with no qualifications that call themselves photographers but to be a real, qualifyed photographer once you've finished your GCSE's you could either do alevels one of which would be photography, which is great if you want to keep your options open about what you want to do, but if your absolutely sure this is what you want to do a much more in depth course is a BTEC National Diploma in photography, i've tried them both, Alevel barely scratches the surface of what you need to know, BTEC is really in depth, brilliant course! Then once you've completed either one of them you could go to uni to do a BA Hons degree, though that's thinking far far into the future. Good luck x

Talent.

Hey =) Im 13 and also want to be a photographer :)! i dont think you need special qualifications

NONE! That the beauty of it! It's considered an art form! All you need is a great camera (which I'm sorry to say is expensive) and some creativity and a good eye. Well you don't NEED a great camera but it helps. The better the camera the more detail it will pick up. Think about going to Art school for it too! You could already be a great photographer but you can ALWAYS be better when it comes to being an artist. Also you will have a degree and that can't hurt.