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There are several roads one can take to becoming a professional. Formal education, apprentice, informal education and experience are all viable methods to making a career out of photography. Simply find the one that fits your lifestyle and budget and pursue it.

Formal education is most likely the first one people would think of. This would consist of finding a school with a degree program, be it two or four year, enrolling and getting the most out of it. This can be time consuming and expensive, but you will have all the resources and people available to make sure you are well equiped in looking for a job or clients. After this time you will at least have the most important thing you will need; a portfolio.

Apprentice is another route. This is simply finding a job as a helper to a photographer, giving him/her your all, learning every move they make and getting the chance to do some photography for them. In a perfect situation, you will also obtain that all important portfolio by this route.

Informal education is simply checking books out from the library or purchasing them, reading, digesting and gaining the knowledge that way. In this method, you can learn from many of the worlds best photographers. They will teach you important things such as lighting, posing, composition, etc. There is not the ability to have questions answered, but if you are a good self learner, this can be a much more cost effective way to learn. This should always be coupled with experience, though.

Which leads me to the final method. Experience is simply buying a camera and taking thousands of pictures. As you look at those pictures and compare them to the work of others, you will begin to see where you need to improve. As you improve, you will gain a porfolio. For this, you will need either to take lots of pictures of family and friends or offer your services at little or no cost, making sure your clients know that you are in a learning curve.

After you have the appropriate education and a portfolio you will be ready to either apply at a studio or open your own. When people see your work, they will be able to determine if you are the photographer to meet their needs. Make sure, then, that your portfolio sets you apart.

Learn more about this author, Jim Becker.
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