Specialising

Once you start taking photographs you’ll probably find there are certain styles and subjects you enjoy more than others. If you’re setting up as a professional you might want to only concentrate on particular forms of work where you feel most comfortable. However, it’s always worth keeping your hand in and being familiar with other styles just in case you’re asked to photograph something different.

Weddings and Events

Weddings, anniversary parties, 18th, 21st, 40th and 60th birthdays, college open days, trade shows, new business openings, product launches, Christmas parties …. the list for potential photography assignments is endless.
Wedding photography is a good source of income for the confident photographer. Besides using your photography expertise you’ll also be calling on your people management and assertiveness skills.

Portraits

People love family photographs − the chance to capture that special occasion forever or to give a photograph as a gift.
Working with children is often a challenge. A tip is to try and photograph children in their own home or an environment where they are comfortable as they’ll be much more relaxed and easy to work with. It’s a matter of opinion, but candid shots can be so much more effective and meaningful than poses. Children at play laughing naturally make much more honest photographs than children trying to pose.
Hospitals can be a good source of work. Make contact with the maternity unit of your local hospital and see if they have a photographer to take shots of the newborn. This can lead to future work when the child reaches each birthday.
Schools and colleges also often need photographers, not just to take portrait photos but for events they hold such as sports days, open days, activity days and Christmas plays. Important point: be aware of the laws involved in photographing children under 16. At the very minimum you must have their parents’ permission both to take the photographs and to use them for any purposes.

Marketing Photography

There are a wealth of marketing opportunities to be had in the photographic world. For example:

Product shots for commercial purposes

• Postcards/greetings cards/calendars
• Photographs for newspapers and magazines − known as photo journalism
• Photographs for photo libraries
• Photographs for web sites

Fashion Photography

A specialised area that needs a good understanding of poses, lighting and how to work with models.

Travel and Outdoor Photography

There are some stunning scenes both in the UK and around the world that have yet to be photographed. When travelling always have your camera to hand. Unless they have a particular personal memory, travel shots can be rather uninteresting to those who haven’t visited the scene. How often have you viewed someone’s holiday snaps of numerous lake and mountain views and sunsets and tried to look interested? To overcome this always try to get yourself and others in the photographs so you have a lasting memory of the wonderful places you’ve visited.