What is required to become a Professional Photographer?

I am a part-time photographer, by that I mean I make some money from my photography and I do work hard at it, but I still need a full time job to pay the bills. I do not have any photography qualifications, I am completely self taught and I personally believe that a photography career is not based on the qualifications you hold, but the results you get. Photography is one of those strange careers in which you do not need any qualifications to become good, or even famous. You just need to practice the art, become good at what you do, and have a good business head. You may have a passion for photography, but so do tens of millions of others who have just bought a DSLR and consider themselves to be a 'Pro'. The truth is that having a photography degree means nothing, you are not guaranteed any jobs, you are going to have to compete with millions of other people to make any kind of money and have any kind of business. The bottom line is that you are going to struggle to make any kind of money. That is not a reflection on your skills, far from it, you may be a great photographer. But that is the current climate regarding photography as a career and it is only going to get worse. By all means attend a local college and do an evening course, but attending university and aiming for a degree will result in you leaving with a lot of debt and little photography work available to pay it off and pay the bills. I will honestly say that you should keep a full-time job and stick to keeping photography as a hobby and maybe use it as a way to make a little money on the side. +++ Additonal: Please have a look at the link below to see the kind of images people are producing these days. http://photo.net/gallery/photocritique/filter If you want to make a career out of this, you have to compete with this. +++

If you know what you're doing, no schooling is required. I would advise that you should be able to do it as a business and take good photos. If you have those two mastered, go for it.

Its artistic so it will be rewarding for you everytime you do it, your better off doing a degree in it and then working for a photographers for a couple of years while doing freelance jobs on the side and building up a portfolio of pictures. Its rewarding if your customers really love your work and it makes them happy.

A camera

Depends if you become a good photographer and make a name for yourself your good, As a normal one the job doesn't pay extremely well but enough to live. To get hired at a high class company or model agencies you would need at least an AA Degree, if its possible go for a Bachelors or Masters so when you go for the job you will be more qualified. The classes you take will get you going your going to wanna go to an art collage I'm going to AIT to learn animation. Look up AIT and collage's like it they prepare you the best. There are also universitiess and community collages(for an AA degree) that specialize in photography just google your area and see what comes up.

Skill and money

a camera

a camera and good pics of stuff good luck HEY I DIDNT SEE HIS!!!! ^ dang it!!!

i dont know what everyone is going on about - mostly talking crap or making it up from ignorance, aq couple of good answers, the rest little kids talking crap my own personal experience has been 2 years photography school , 1 year TV broadcasting school, a few years selling cameras and a few years working as a photographer school is the best and fastest way for humans to learn - so if your in a hurry do it, they are popular worldwide and most people insist on sending their children there, self teaching is ok but will take years and years money is an issue if i didnt have other interests i doubt i would still be doing what i do