Have you ever dreamed of becoming a photographer? Wondered what life would be like if you spent all day working at a job you love?

More importantly, are you making money as a paid professional NOW? If not, why? What’s stopping you from going for your dreams?

Let’s take a minute to talk about our competition. When we compare ourselves to others, we tend to compare ourselves to the best photographers out there. We buy the latest photo magazines and check out the stunning, award winning photos (while secretly doubting our ability to EVER do something as beautiful as that!). Or, we go to local photo competitions and see incredible images that take our breath away. And, sadly shaking our heads, we bury our dreams – once again – and go back to our humdrum, boring existence.

We’ve screwed up!

Those pictures aren’t the normal, everyday work of a pro photographer! The magazine shots are the result of TONS of photo retouching and the contest winners are once in a lifetime photographs. If they weren’t something special, the photographer would never have entered them in the contest! And these shots are the one’s we allow ourselves to be intimidated by. Don’t you do it!

Have you ever gone to the local mall and after gazing through the window of one of the photo studios, (watching the photographer work) thought to yourself „I could do that!“ Know what? You probably could.

Most of the mall photographers you see are part time kids – still living at home and working to earn a little extra spending money. They don’t have any special degrees or any special talent. The store manager spends a day or so working with them to teach them how to load the camera, helps them learn a few simple poses then turns them loose!

Most likely, they walked into the mall one day, saw a help wanted sign and thought, „That looks like an easy job!“ Then they applied – got lucky – and were chosen. Or, just as likely, one of their friends works there and they got the job that way.

In other words, they got the job of YOUR dreams, by sheer luck. They got the job of your dreams, the one that you always felt was out of your reach!

I once spent a little time talking to one of the managers of a mall baby portrait studio. (This was several years ago and I can only hope that the standards are higher now.) She’d been the store manager for 3 years. I asked her what type of camera she used and SHE DIDN’T KNOW! The camera was there when she got her job and she had never bothered to check the brand name. I asked what her favorite lighting pattern was – turns out the lights are permanently attached to the wall! She can’t change them. (I guess one lighting setup fits all.)

Before I get a lot of hate mail from the mall shooters, let me say that I’m sure many of them are conscientious and hard working. I’m sure many of them care about their images and have studied and know everything about photography. My point was not to put down the mall shooters. My point is that the career of your dreams is not out of reach. You don’t have to be brilliant, another Ansel Adams. You just have to be competent at creating and shooting the basic poses that most people buy and that’s it.

You can be a photographer and starting your OWN photo business is actually easier than working for someone else. Just learn the basic lighting and poses, then learn a few time tested and proven marketing strategies, ones that will pull eager clients into your studio (actually, you don’t even need a studio) and you are in the business of your dreams.I believe anyone interested in photography can learn to be making money with their camera within two weeks! By anyone, I mean YOU. Check out my website, the links are in the resources box.