Career in photography

[Lunar_Wolf]

So I've been doing photography since 2004.
Have experience by doing a photography course which I'm currently in and I've done work experience with a photographer.

But I want to peruse a career in it.

There are two things I want to do in the field.

1. Work at a newspaper freelance or hire. Which mainly consists of ''bread and butter shots'' you're basic taking a photo of people at a new building, stuff like that.

For this I need a portfolio. What should I add in it?
Different sections? Like 'animals' 'color in photography'?
Any portfolio tips?

2. My own business. I got the equipment.

• Digital camera-Nikon D50
• 19-55mm lens
• 55-200mm
• tri pod
• flash
• photoshop
• SLR Cannon film

My business is filming(pro camera, panasonicMD10000) and photographing events such as weddings, Birthdays etc

I'll advertise in the newspaper, flyer's, INTERNET.

Anyone got any tips? Business wise?

 

[Avangarde]

Well I know that my friend got his job from doing wedding photo's, he went for a job at a news paper for the Weddings of the Week section and got it from his 3 years worth of photography. After doing that for 9 months he enquired about other photography work at the paper , they told him to go out and take pictures of what he called the "human element" and return with an updated portfolio. They liked some of his work and said they could use him for certain jobs. He ended up doing well with sport shots and now does most of the sporting photography. I think it's a case of getting your foot in the door, after that work hard and keep trying to better yourself. Mind you this was for a local paper, not a major paper, so there may be more competition, just keep at it.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Well I know that my friend got his job from doing wedding photo's, he went for a job at a news paper for the Weddings of the Week section and got it from his 3 years worth of photography. After doing that for 9 months he enquired about other photography work at the paper , they told him to go out and take pictures of what he called the "human element" and return with an updated portfolio. They liked some of his work and said they could use him for certain jobs. He ended up doing well with sport shots and now does most of the sporting photography. I think it's a case of getting your foot in the door, after that work hard and keep trying to better yourself. Mind you this was for a local paper, not a major paper, so there may be more competition, just keep at it.

I'm not into sport but I do think it's a good idea and take them spoty shots, considering news papers are big into sport sections.

I'll go for the local paper, my guess is work from the bottom to the top.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

good luck, i finished my degree in photography back in may and have been looking for a job based in it from then, they're hard to come by and no studio will touch you without experience wouking in one or with the public.

personally i'm looking for one that will take me on as an assistant or apprentice and in the mean time seeling personal prints to people and possibly online in the future

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

good luck, i finished my degree in photography back in may and have been looking for a job based in it from then, they're hard to come by and no studio will touch you without experience wouking in one or with the public.

personally i'm looking for one that will take me on as an assistant or apprentice and in the mean time seeling personal prints to people and possibly online in the future

I would love to get a degree in photography.
All we get is a fetac award(which anyone can get doing any job here). For our course we needed 50 photographs, we had from mind sep to mid dec. We were not allowed to use photographs before the course and plus we had other classes like media studies, photoshop, information technology, and starting a business to do too. Plus workbooks.
Be lucky to get 30 photographs in with all the other classes.

 

[GuardianofOa]

First off, good luck.

And for your portfolio, maybe use a lot fo shots of people in distress, buildings from many angles and whatnot. Just think; What do you see when you read the paper? If there's a fire, you see firemen, the victims and whatnot. If there's a new animal at the zoo, you see the people who are there wanting to see it, and the animal itself.

Distress brings along exploitation. Remember that.

Use pics in your portfolio that you like as well, so that they see what you are interested in and what you care for.

Again, good luck and I hope to see some of these pics some time.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

trust me it was a lot of hard work, i had to do a wide range of photography style ranging from graphic design to fine art to abstract.

i would also recommend if you can join a photography club, i've been a member of the belfast one and its really opened my eyes to what others can do and what is expected of a professional photographer

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

trust me it was a lot of hard work, i had to do a wide range of photography style ranging from graphic design to fine art to abstract.

i would also recommend if you can join a photography club, i've been a member of the belfast one and its really opened my eyes to what others can do and what is expected of a professional photographer

That I will do. I think there is one on here on tuesdays.

First off, good luck.

And for your portfolio, maybe use a lot fo shots of people in distress, buildings from many angles and whatnot. Just think; What do you see when you read the paper? If there's a fire, you see firemen, the victims and whatnot. If there's a new animal at the zoo, you see the people who are there wanting to see it, and the animal itself.

Distress brings along exploitation. Remember that.

Use pics in your portfolio that you like as well, so that they see what you are interested in and what you care for.

Again, good luck and I hope to see some of these pics some time.

Thanks, great idea you pointed out. I'm going to look in the paper and see can I get some of the similer shots.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

make sure your portfolio is varied if you go in with just one style or similer shots to what you have they wont give you a second thought. show your able to work in a range of fields.

i'm working on my own portfolio site and i have a different sections including architecture, animals, studio, nature. its a good thing being able to work to multiple crowds interets

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

make sure your portfolio is varied if you go in with just one style or similer shots to what you have they wont give you a second thought. show your able to work in a range of fields.

i'm working on my own portfolio site and i have a different sections including architecture, animals, studio, nature. its a good thing being able to work to multiple crowds interets

I'm going to have colour in photography, nature, protraits and sports.

I'm most doing 7x5 or should I mix sizes?

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

try and keep your sizes consistent unless the piece is designed to be a certain size.if it ranges to much larger one will over power the smaller.

the last contest i entered the actual print could be any size i went for A4 but the mount had to be 16x12

you got anywhere we can view your work, i wouldn't mind seeing what you've done, not that mines anything special to go by lol

 

[chamber-music]

commercial photography is very cut throat.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

try and keep your sizes consistent unless the piece is designed to be a certain size.if it ranges to much larger one will over power the smaller.

the last contest i entered the actual print could be any size i went for A4 but the mount had to be 16x12

you got anywhere we can view your work, i wouldn't mind seeing what you've done, not that mines anything special to go by lol

These are just some I really like.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

pretty cool, the composition is good in them though i do feel in the first there is too much background it draws away from the main subject try softening it.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

pretty cool, the composition is good in them though i do feel in the first there is too much background it draws away from the main subject try softening it.

I'm going to get photoshop today, I need to fix some photos also.
The first one was originally in colour but didn't do anything for me.
It's appealed to me more in b/w.
When I take a picture I always tend to make out it's faults first. I don't know if thats a good or bad thing.