Scott Bourne - Going pro: How to make the leap from aspiring to professional photographer

Copyright 2011 by Scott Bourne and Skip Cohen

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Amphoto Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing
Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York
www.crownpublishing.com
www.amphotobooks.com

AMPHOTO BOOKS and the Amphoto Books logo are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
eISBN: 978-0-8174-4973-5

Cover and interior design by Kara Plikaitis
Cover photos by (left to right): Jim Garner, Scott Bourne,
Eddie Tapp, Stacy Pearsall, Eddie Tapp
Title page photo by David Ziser
Table of Contents photo by Chase Jarvis

v3.1

Good photographers allow us to see things we would never see otherwise. Here Vincent Laforet captures intriguing aerial views of surfers.

PHOTOS BY VINCENT LAFORET

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

WE REALIZED A SHORT TIME AGO that between the two of us we have at least seventy years of combined experience in the photography industry. During all those years, the number of people who have come into our lives, influenced our styles, inspired and motivated us through a maze of lifes paths has been incredible. So, where do we start when it comes to thanking so many wonderful friends and artists?

For the purpose of this book we have to start with all the photographers who contributed images to help demonstrate our message. All of you have been remarkable and your work represents some of the finest contemporary images in photography today. Next, we have to acknowledge those vendors who believed in our concept and are helping every day to raise the bar for new professional photographers, as well as those well established.

Lastly, its our friends, families, and staff who have been there to watch our backs and help us stay focused, no pun intended. We consider ourselves two of the luckiest guys in photography and appreciate the incredible legacy left to us by so many wonderful photographers before us.

The poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote, I am a part of all that I have met! All of you have in some way helped in writing Going Pro. Its your influence and passion for photography that continues to make imaging one of the most incredible career choices in the world today!

FOREWORD

AS MASTERS OF THE ART AND BUSINESS OF PHOTOGRAPHY, Scott Bourne and Skip Cohen are keenly aware that photography is just as much a business as it is an artif not more so. In other words, being able to pick up a camera and push a button does not in itself make you a professional photographer.

Within the pages of this book you can expect to gain some invaluable advice on what it means to become a professional, and what you need to do to become a better one. Scott and Skip will guide you through some important choices, such as picking your niche and how to make your business grow. Youll be reminded that who you are and how you treat your clients and your subjects will define you as a photographer, perhaps more than your photographs will.

Youll be introduced to new ways of getting feedback on your work that will help you grow and market yourself. Youll gain a solid foundation in what it means to be a responsible professional who is aware of your market and how your actions affect that market.

As you approach the last pages of this book you will be better prepared to face the challenges of being a photographer in todays incredibly competitive market. You may find the ultimate reward in having a solid business foundation is that you get to focus on the most important part of photography: what is in your heart and in your mind. If you do, you will have come full circle and gotten back to what got you into photography in the first placethe passion, the fun, and the discovery that every single shutter click brings to all of us!

Vincent Laforet

These aerial views of Manhattan are not just scenic. The scene at top documents traffic leading up to the George Washington Bridge as subways and buses were halted by a transit strike.

PHOTOS BY VINCENT LAFORET

As photographers, authors, bloggers, and members of this incredible industry for seven decades between us, we can say with some authority theres no industry like photography! All of you who read this book are committed to joining us in becoming magicians who capture moments out of time to be savored, cherished, and archived forever. Photographers have captured the tragedies of the world, the violation of human rights, and moments of celebration, joy, and love for almost two centuries.

Being a professional photographer carries with it a great deal of responsibility too, especially when working with clients. Theyre putting their trust in you to capture everything theyre not going to have time to see, especially at an event like a wedding. A commercial client is looking for you to show the essence of a product in ways that can promote and grab the attention of the public. A photojournalist has a responsibility to freeze a moment to share with the rest of society with a full commitment to truth in imaging.

Youve chosen a career path with a rich heritage of creativity, and nobody could be prouder to be a part of it than the two of us! The concept of Going Pro springs from our need to help new photographers focus on more than just their subjects. Going Pro is about developing a plan to start a business and following through on each component. Its about building a career, step by step, that not only gives you a reasonable income but builds your self-esteem and your role in the community.

Digital technology, Photoshop, and the Internet have all made it relatively easy for beginners to think they can get into the business. After all, it just takes some gear and an understanding of Photoshop, right? Nothing could be further from the truthat least, not if you want to sell your services to a second customer. Anybody can get the first few customers, but will they ever come back to you? Will they be ecstatic enough to tell their friends about your work or will they become your worst nightmare?

We dont intend to teach you photography. Thousands of books, websites, webinars, blogs, schools, and workshops provide that kind of support. Were making the assumption that you understand exposure, composition, lighting, posing, Photoshop, printing, and other elements of creating great images (and youre dead meat if you cant make a picture!) and that youve developed a good workflow. Were also going to assume that you completely understand your gear, are comfortable with various lenses, and understand when a change in focal length is necessary.