How long does it take to become a professional photographer?

If you're interested in becoming a wedding photographer or setting up a local studio, then I'd STRONGLY encourage you to look into entrepreneurship/small business classes in addition to your photographic training. Plenty of decent photographers fail due to lack of business skills. Photo school is like most school: could you teach yourself everything you need on your own? Yes. Would it take you a heck of a lot longer? Yes. Do most people have the discipline to study on their own? No. The money varies widely. Its possible to be very successful financially as a photographer, but far more struggle with money than roll in it. EDIT: Sounds like Michael and I are on the same sheet of music here.

It varies according to the individual. You'll get a host of opinions here, all of which are based on personal experience, which varies for each and every one of us. I am wary of suggesting one option over another - assisting or studying at college or university, or just going for it, as there are pros and cons to each route and everyone has a personal learning style. A lot of people here on YA seem very 'rules driven' (it HAS to happen a certain way)... it doesn't. So this is a "how long's a piece of string" kind of question. If you go along the university or college route you are only as good as your course curriculum and tutors + personal talent and motivation. If you work as an assistant you could equally learn poor information as well as good information, depending on how good the photographer is, not just at photography, but at teaching as well. And going it alone from a cold start gives you immediate experience - but again you may take a very long time to discover some things that could appear on a curriculum... ! The money varies greatly here in the UK - the low end wedding operators can charge as little as £300 per wedding - but they may do several per day. The top players go out at around £3,500 and often make £5,000 per wedding or more - but they have the portfolio, the experience, qualifications and awards. Portraiture can also be lucrative - well over £1,000 per portrait is possible. My personal experience was that I was getting work published by major magazines as an amateur via a leading agency before I went professional, so I just went for it. I was fortunate to pick up the biggest calendar job in the UK that year within weeks of turning professional... which opened a lot of doors for me after it achieved a finalists place in the national calendar awards. So, for me, the experience was an unusually fast transition from amateur to professional... Everyones experience varies is probably the only 'correct' answer to your question - but I hope these insights help. The fact is that few photographers succeed in the profession, especially long term... you need to get the basics right not just in terms of your images and service, but also the business aspects too - sales, marketing, profitability and cash flow. So being a successful long term professional is not just about photography.

It took me 2 years of self education, practice and apprenticeship to get to the point that I knew I could deliver a quality product to the clients. Your timeframe may be more or less depending on how well the instruction is, how fast you catch on and how hard you are willing to work at it. Money is very hard to guestimate as it depends on your geographic location, volume, quality, sometimes a little bit of luck... I use photography to supplement my income, and do a few jobs a month. A couple extra thousand a month never hurts.

The best route is to take photos constantly and build up a good portfolio. Along with that, a degree in photography is very valuable, but not required. Getting a job as an assistant to a photographer is one of the best ways to learn the business too. There are not usually set requirements to getting a job with a photography studio, but experience is the key and the only way to get experience is to get involved in your local photography community. Flickr is a great place to start posting your photos. I've sold 2 photos from posting them on flickr and my son sold 1. There are flickr groups who meet up locally to discuss photography and take photos too. It's a good way to get your name out there if you are interested in becoming a professional photographer. I think an education is invaluable though and would highly recommend, at a minimum, an associates degree, but a bachelors is even better. A good wedding photographer makes several thousand dollars per wedding.

how long u got a soon as u get paid for taking a photo u are classed as a proffesional

You can start a free-lance business IMMEDIATELY... Start by doing friends and relatives at a discount... and hand out business cards. That's how my band got started.

Well for starters i'd disregard anyone that says you can just pick up any camera and start taking pictures and being a self-acclaimed professional photographer. I'd recommend you apply for an NQ level Photography course which lasts a year but is a requirement if you wish to move up to HND level photography ( which lasts two years). After completion on the HND you can either choose to go out and start trying to find work or proceed on to university to do a year to top you up to a degree. Hope that helps :P

It seems the easiest way is to get a degree for it and make a portfolio and get in with a photographer in your area that is pretty popular.. after that it just takes time to build a reputation and as your reputation grows so will your wallet. Once you can save up enough money and clients opening your own studio I think is where the money is at.

depends how good you are at it, u'll have 2 find work, get really good at it, then eventually u'll get the title