There are different opinions as to what professional photography entails. A school of thought would describe professional photography as a business of making quick cash given human propensity towards arching important moments. A more conservative school of thought would see photography as an art, a formidable way or approach of capturing creativity.
Here are Kelechi Amadi-Obi’s 6 tips on how to become a successful Photographer.
- Practice
- Start small and take risks
- Study to improve your skills
- Network with other photographers
- Have a portfolio
- Always be ready
1. Practice:
I started practicing art full-time in school while studying Law part-time, after identifying my love for the art. This has helped develop my visual skills.
2. Start small and take risks:
Invest in the major working utensils that you need, it could be a good camera, lights, sketching board. Just have something to practice with. I didn’t have all my working utensils but I started with the essentials items as at that time, a cardboard paper, sketch book, pencil, water colour and oil paint.
3. Study to improve your skills:
Develop your skills and know what you are doing. While growing up I learnt from an early stage that I could research on anything and whatever you doing, you can excel at it. So I started reading about painting and artistry because art itself is powerful. Photography is all about the lights, following the light to create a balance between light and dark. To create an illustrator between form and sharp.
4. Network with other Photographers:
Hang out with other photographers who are into what you are doing, learn from them, share experiences with each other. I didn’t have a studio when I started, so I would shoot in black and white film, use other people’s darkroom and chemicals to print.
5. Have a Portfolio:
Having a portfolio is to have a reference material where you can showcase to people what you have done, a collection of all your pictures. Having a portfolio helped me get my first fashion editorial job with Truelove magazine.
6. Always be Ready: Sometimes you don’t have to have a client you working for before you take some particular shots because you never know what your client is looking for. So explore.
Art is a powerful media for social engineering because as an artist you determine what you want to showcase.