9 Ways to Boost Your Success as a Commercial Photographer
Diversity is one of the greatest benefits of being a commercial, or professional, photographer. You have a wide choice of photography opportunities to pursue, from weddings to fashion to food to high-school senior portraits. You’re able to discover which category appeals to you and matches with your personality, temperament and personal and professional goals.
To succeed in the commercial photography category of your choice, you need the right combination of skills and experience. You can spend years learning on your own and experimenting until you acquire sufficient experience to become the successful photographer you want to be. You can also attend a university that offers a photography degree or an institution of higher learning that specializes in teaching photography skills for various categories of the commercial market. Either choice could be expensive and require you to relocate.
A much better alternative is taking online courses. You can learn from home and keep your day job until you’re ready to go pro or continue operating your freelance photography business, as you learn the techniques to become a wedding, portrait or other photography professional. Picture Perfect School of Photography (PPSOP) is one of the most respect online photography schools. Founded by Bryan Peterson, an highly acclaimed commercial photographer, author, speaker and instructor, PPSOP is known for the quality of its teachers, who are very successful pros in their own right. They’ve been in the trenches, facing real-life photographic challenges and delivering on the expectations of their clients. They know what it takes to succeed as a commercial photography and are eager to share their knowledge and experience with you.
This PhotographyTalk article explores 9 categories of commercial photography, one of which may inspire you to pursue a career as a professional photographer, and the PPSOP course that will boost you toward your goal.
1. Whether you’re an amateur chef, a food blogger or a photographer that likes close-up work, food photography offers many opportunities for the pro that know his or her stuff. You’ll learn the basics in PPSOP’s Introduction to Food Photography and specifically how to enhance your food blog with Photography for Food Bloggers. Visit these Web pages for more information:
http://www.ppsop.com/food.aspx
http://www.ppsop.com/fblo.aspx
2. Wedding photography is for those pros that like to capture the excitement and emotions of a special day in people’s lives. Weddings offer the immediacy of photojournalism as well as many opportunities to be creative with light and location. The Picture Perfect School of Photography has a six-course wedding photography series that includes tips for shooting the ceremony, the use of light and business topics. Details about the first course can be found at http://www.ppsop.com/wedd1.aspx
3. People want pictures of their pets almost as much as their children and other family members. If you’re a pet lover, then this category of commercial photography may appeal to you; plus, it can be very lucrative. It takes a special kind of pro, with extreme patience and the right techniques, to succeed as a pet portrait photographer. You’ll learn what you need to know with the PPSOP course, Pet Photography.
4. The portrait photography market has expanded beyond the traditional formal poses, as many customers prefer casual or lifestyle photos. The secret to growing a successful photography business for all types of portraits is to understand how to use natural and artificial light sources. PPSOP has three courses that will prepare you to succeed as a portrait photographer:
· Lighting Techniques of the Portrait Masters – An Introduction to Digital Portrait Photography.
· Eye to Eye: Capturing the Face.
5. As long as humans build, there will be a need for skillful architectural photographers. This can be a very creative and successful category of commercial photography, especially if you like to work outside the studio, and travel. Often, the biggest challenges are technical, requiring the kind of knowledge you’ll learn in PPSOP’s Architectural Photography course.
6. There is also a constant market for nature and landscape photography, which is very appealing to those with an adventurous spirit and the patience to wait and capture the best images possible. PPSOP’s Nature and Landscape Photography class will reveal the skills and insights required to excel in this category of commercial photography. Learn more at http://www.ppsop.com/land.aspx
7. With the rapid advancement of the Internet and many digital devices, the stock photography market has exploded during recent years. Success is a matter of developing the right portfolio and knowing how to work with the agencies that buy stock images. Make Money in Microstock is the PPSOP course that will take you inside the business.
8. The high-school senior portrait is another commercial photography category that is a constant. The secret to your success is more than technique and lighting. You must also understand how today’s teens would like to be portrayed, often according to their cultural orientation. This is exactly what you’ll learn during The Business of Photographing High-School Senior Portraits.
9. Fashion photography may be glamorous and exciting, but it also requires great dedication to the craft. Commercial photography opportunities include both shooting fashion spreads and portfolio images for models in your locale. You’ll discover all the critical details in the PPSOP course, Fashion Photography – Creativity and Profit by Kevin Focht.
For information about the instructors of all these Perfect Picture School of Photography courses, visit http://www.ppsop.com/instructors.aspx You’ll also find a profile of Bryan Peterson on PhotographyTalk.com; and many of his videos can be found in the Forum section of the site.
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