Yahoo finance says anyone can be a photographer?

your workload is wholly dependent on ability.. ive been doing this for 36yrs, teaching for 16yrs, and ive never had to advertise. all my work is by word of mouth... which suits me fine... i work by reccomendation... and grabbing a camera, putting it on auto and shooting a few frames does not make you a professional... we make it look easy, which doesnt mean it is... its 95% boring, and thankfully the other 5% is gobsmakingly fantastic...

Most of the career articles I read are extremely unrealistic. They often recommend careers that are not much in demand, which may take an extraordinary investment in education, training, and experience to succeed in. ∠°)

As said above' consider the source. The article is by Businessweek. These guys are.. surprise; business writers. The write & blog about harvard management pinheads, not real-world skilled crafts & trades, so of course they will know nothing. I love the statement; "The barriers to starting a photography business virtually disappeared with the dawn of affordable digital SLR cameras and software like Photoshop." They make it sound as if you can just go buy a $300 Rebel & you're on your way. Pffftt; most photographers I know have at LEAST $10k into their Basic gear, let alone their home studio stuff. The writer also seems to think that you put a crappy shot into photoshop, press the "make me cool" button, and out comes a masterpiece. I've been using that program for nearly ten years, and there are STILL huge parts of it I don't understand. Reinvestment is also constant; bank on putting at least 10% - 20% of your income back into upgrading your gear. When reading articles like this; remember that the writer just needs to fill space on the page, that's his gig. With the glut of space to be filled these days, most of them spew more BS than fact. Their attitude is; just make it sound good, who cares if it's accurate. (So long as they can't get sued over the inaccuracies) You can make some cash at it as a part-time gig, but remember it is also an art. If you don't have a passion for it, you're going to get trampled by the ones that do. That's all there is to it.

They neglected to mention "musician." Just buy a guitar, drum or piano, learn a few tunes and you too could be rich. A little side Botox injecting could also turn a few bucks.

I have to say "consider the source". There are key statements in the article that sound much like many of the questions in this forum. The article reads like all that is needed is a DSLR and Photoshop. It does say having the ability to take "great pictures". Well, we all know what some people's ideas are as concerns the "great" pictures they take. That is very subjective. Then the article says "pick a niche and build a business around it". Yeah, as if that is real easy to do, and whatever you do pick already has probably thousands of others trying for the same thing. No mention is made of having any BUSINESS skills or knowledge. That is what kills more photography businesses than anything else. The whole article is just silly and ill founded. It was written by two fellows that obviously have NO real insight into the photography business, or at least that is my take on it. It sounds exactly like the same "reasoning" that is displayed on this forum over and over again by the new Canon Rebel owners with a copy of Photoshop Elements who all of a sudden think they can be "in business" steve Here is the text from the article: Photographer The barriers to starting a photography business virtually disappeared with the dawn of affordable digital SLR cameras and software like Photoshop. If you're skilled in taking great pictures, pick a niche and build a business around it. You might want to shoot weddings, bar mitzvahs, or corporate events. Or consider family or individual portraits. You could even set up a small studio space in your home. Consider what services you'll offer clients beyond just taking pictures—can you build a Web page to showcase the photos of their event as well? First steps: Put together a portfolio of your existing work to show potential clients. Time needed: For event photography, expect most gigs to be on weekends or evenings (galas, for example). You may be able to arrange portrait appointments on a more flexible schedule. Average sales: $26,259, based on Economic Census data.

That article is about part-time work. Yeah, I think a decent photographer could add a little extra income "here and there" to their regular income. Probably not $26,000!! That was just an average anyway. Being a full-time photographer...that would be a nice trick, however beyond the scope of the article.

Notice it said "if you are skilled at taking photographs". But seriously, photography is a luxury so its one of the first expenses to go in a budget conscious environment. People will will still need photographers (weddings, children,high school portraits) but a portfolio won't cut it .You need a website with portfolio, good marketing skills, etc. It's not so simple with the amount of established photographers competing for the same jobs. All those side jobs take planning, time ,& money to start ,Yahoo has to fill up space with articles but I wouldn't use them as a financial adviser.

Read the article properly. It says "If you're skilled in taking great pictures, pick a niche and build a business around it." this is where many many "photographers" fail. They are not skilled enough and have no idea how to build a business. You will never earn that money working either full time or part time if you fail on the skill or the business skills. It is actually extremely easy to start a photographic business - it is extremely hard to keep one profitable and successful.

C'mon Micheal, when did any of these guys writing this stuff ever live in the real world? Sweetheart, just remember this, IT'S HARD ALL OVER. My son is a plumber and everyone I speak to thinks they must be printing money. NO!!! He's struggling to get work just like everyone else. Not even undertakers are cashing in. People are having cheaper funerals too, not that they know it! The demand for plywood coffins and cremations has gone up. Let's face it, the main customer isn't going to complain, and their families are only being pragmatic and practical. Personally, I'd rather my family spent my savings on a holiday and enjoyed themselves, rather than give me a fancy funeral I will never see. Have you thought of asking secondary schools if they have sorted out a photographer for their Prom nights yet? You could take the photos and showcase them on your website if you have one, then the families of the Prom attendees could order prints online. Get good photos of the kids arriving in their chosen transport, have a makeshift studio for individual and couple/group shots, (a white or black background sheet will look classy) and take digital shots to display on the website, but reduce the quality so that they need to buy them. If you love photography, don't give it up, just hang in there. There are still customers out there, they're just a little harder to find.