The answer to the question, “Can you still make a living as a photographer?” is one that is hotly debated in the photographic industry and in various online channels. Everyone has a different point of view, so I’m going to share mine.

Photography used to be considered a highly technical field that required specialized training and knowledge. It still does, but with the advent of digital cameras, the barrier to entry is low. 

To be able to see what you’re shooting on the back of your camera is immensely helpful. It’s a lot less expensive because you don’t have to print out tons of negatives to find out none of the shots worked out.

There is a misconception that photography is easy now, and anyone can do it (and a lot of people are).

I disagree with this. You still have to know how to get the best out of your camera and shoot in manual mode. You still have to know lighting. And you now need highly developed skills in software like Photoshop and Capture One, whereas before you could dump your film off at the printers if you didn’t feel like developing it yourself. 

So I think photography is still a highly technical field with a steep learning curve. The difference is that it’s easier to take certain types of pictures, for certain audiences.

For example, you can shoot for brands with your iPhone if you have a large Instagram following. You can shoot family or children’s portraits exclusively outdoors in natural light. You can take pictures of people’s pets. Due to the Internet, there are definitely opportunities that didn’t exist before, and a way for potential customers to find you. 

With so many photographers with widely varying skill sets, the value of photography has come to vary greatly as well. There is always going to be the photographer who charges $500.00 to shoot a wedding, or $150.00 for a portrait session. If this is not you, you don’t have to worry about these photographers, because people who hire a photographer to shoot the most important day in their lives for $500.00 won’t or can’t hire you for $2000.00. They are not your target market. So when someone shoots for a super low price, they don’t actually take anything away from you, even though it might feel like it. 

It’s true that the value of photography has gone down in many respects, but if you’re a professional photographer working in advertising and commercial photography and certain kinds of editorial, there is still a lot of money to be made. And these clients care about your background. When I first speak or meet with Creative Directors, I often get asked if I went to photography school. They are looking for photographers who are trained and can handle a variety of lighting and technical situations that many self-taught photographers can’t. 

If you’re charging too little, you can’t make a living as a photographer. You’ll have to work so much to make money that you’ll eventually burn out and hang up your shingle. It’s a very costly business to run. It takes a while just to start to break even. 

I can’t tell you what to charge. Every market is different and everyone has a different cost of living. The important thing is to know your numbers.

I believe you can still make a living as a photographer in 2018. But as with any business, it takes time to build, and you’ll have to be able to do other things to bring in income when money is tight. For example, I fall back on my writing and teaching skills. 

There is one major thing that you can do to increase your chances of success, and I’m going to talk about it in my next post.