How can I get a career in photography?

How do you get started in a photography career?

• I'm nearly 15 years old and i absolutely adore photography. I have my own dslr camera and i know about apeture, iso, shutter speed etc. and I am learning how to use programs like photoshop for editing photos. How do i get started? What can I donow in my life to help me start a photography career further on? Thankyou for any help :)

• Answer:

  I'd recomend trying to find which areas of photography really appeal to you. Fashion, Journalism, Portraiture etc. As soon as you find your niche, you can specialise and become really talented and hone your skills in on that area. The sooner you discover which are you're specifically "into", the sooner you can tailor a portfolio to show my specific talents. Look online (ebay or an online store) for a portfolio, and fill it with 14 of your best photos. Then think what is your strength. Then work on making better photos and replacing ones that aren't as good. Try to look at your photos as if you didn't take them, and try to see what could make the pictures better. Perhaps ask the opinion of someone you trust. Or sign up to online photgraphy forums like http://www.ephotozine.com/ Their free and you can get great feedback and ideas, and these webpages also often have competitions you can enter to win equipment. (and they love to have younger photographers win so don't be affraid to make it known you're a young budding photographer, everyone will give you helpful pointers too) You're also lucky to be starting right at the beginning of the digital photography revolution. Experimenting with your camera is (asides from the cost to recharge your battery) complety free to experiment with. I recomend you perhaps try out some of the newer techniques that digital photography has made possible. Like HDR photography (http://www.hdrsoft.com/ for a trial of the software that makes it possible), or using photoshop to compose multiple images into one (like combining a day shot, with a night shot). But the best advice is... Find your specific talent and passion and focus and practice on it. You're pretty young though and at a point where you have plenty of time to feel around and discover what area of photography it is you love. Best to start from a solid foundation of knowing what it is you like. So try some of everything. Animal portraits, sport, night time photography, landscapes, architecture, fashion etc. Then work on your portfolio. And by the time you get ready to go to college, you should have some kick *** work to show off and perhaps will be able to land a scholarship (since you'll be far ahead of the competition). Joey Lawrence is only 18 and he already landed a photoshoot to produce the Twilight movie posters. Oh and pratice and read up on photography and check online forums and youtube videos as often as you can. If photography is your passion, then it's a responsibility to yourself and the world to become awesome at it. =] Good luck. And if you get stuck or need some critique, feel free to send me a message.