When you think of the wide variety of genres that exist in the world of photography, becoming a professional can be a daunting experience. Richard Avedon was a world-class professional photographer providing images for magazines such as Life, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and others. He started out taking identification photos for the Merchant Marines using a camera given to him by his dad. What brought him to professional status was his unique perspective of imaging that broke the fashion photographer rules. His images of models no longer showed the motionless model looking much like a mannequin. He added action and vibrancy to the image. They actually looked alive. His eye and vision made him a professional; not his education.
From the lowly freelance professional photojournalists working for next to nothing at local newspapers to the portrait photographers with big budgets shooting for national and worldwide magazines, all have one common goal. It is not the money, by the way. It is their love of light and capturing it as it falls on whatever subject is before the lens. Many aspiring photographers spend a ton of money to get an education and buy the best professional gear available in hopes of finding the gig of a lifetime. More times than not the greenhorn photographer will end up working for either low pay or no pay just to build a working portfolio.
The conventional wisdom from the professionals is that your experience will probably bring you closer to becoming a professional shooter for a renowned publication than your education. Having an eye for the odd and strange occurrence mixed among the ordinary or vice versa is invaluable. Spending time shooting images perfecting your style within a genre you enjoy will eventually allow you to have that professional photographer moniker.
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