You Don't Want to Be a Professional Photographer

Okay, maybe you do! 

Here's where I'll get into Photography Specialties. I will say, I honestly wish I didn't choose this path for myself. (I'm getting into Real Estate photography if you were wondering). 

And for a basic tripod, I'd recommend this guy: 

SmallRig Camera Tripod, 71" Foldable Aluminum Tripod/Monopod, 360 (degrees) detachable ball head.

For real estate specific, 

SILK Pro 700 DX Tripod Legs - Black

In order to use this, you need an "adapter" which has a 3 way gear head:

Benro 3-Way Geared Head (GD3WH) 

Buy everything mentioned above USED off eBay. You'll save money.

Landscape: 

I wouldn't recommend this for 99.9% of people. Landscape photography is one of the most difficult aspects of photography, from an art point of view and from a monetary standpoint. 

That's not to say it's not possible! Check out these videos from my favorite landscape photographer. For me, the cons FAR outweighed the pros. 

Wedding (and portrait): 

Wedding-this is very likely the niche people will talk about and recommend. While it may be fairly easy to get into, such as shooting your first wedding for a family member (I sure did), it's stressful. After shadowing a photographer, I realized that I wouldn't be able to take the photos I'd like to at a wedding. 

There's a shot list of everthing you need to get photos of either before or after the reception. People go off on their own ways, have their own schedules and their own ideas of what pictures should be taken and WHEN. You have to have a backbone and almost be a jerk. They're not the photographer-you are. You can't let other people run your schedule. 

Sometimes, there are getting ready photos. Men can get their photos taken throughout most of the process and women (almost always, from my experience and those of others) prefer to have their photos taken when the finishing touches of their makeup is being put on.

There are detail photos to take of the venue and of specialty items about an hour before anyone gets to the reception area. 

Sometimes, as people are filling in, the bride and groom want to have a "first look"; a time when they look at each other in their wedding attire for the first time. 

When it comes to shooting the family, you should do that with a camera and lens. 

Perhaps a... 

SILENT LENS? 

People may (probably will) ask you to take more photos than the list of family members that you originally submit to the couples. How much editing time does that add on? 

During the reception, will there be significantly different customs than what most people would have for their wedding, such as having a ceremony that's very long, a kiss at the beginning or at some other point or another thing you might have overlooked? 

That's your time to coordinate with the wedding coordinator!

We haven't even gotten to the couple themselves! When will you meet with them in person to discuss expectations (in a relaxing and friendly environment)? 

Do they want an engagement session before the wedding? Do they want a special location? What if they cancel? How many photos will you deliver? When will you deliver them? (Those last two become significantly easier to answer as you progress).

DO YOU HAVE A CONTRACT? 

If you'd like to do more of a deep dive into wedding photography, click on the link below. Some people enjoy it! From the wedding photographers I've seen, they're wedding photographers because it's what they've been doing the longest (and switching genres might be daunting for them, or maybe even impractical). 

I'm not a wedding photographer, but I know three people off the top of my head who will not go back unless it's for a very specific case. Am I trying to say that should sway your decision? 

I absolutely am! This is DOGGONE stressful! 

https://www.youtube.com/@slrlounge

Pye Jirsa is an incredible teacher and businessman. He's super down to Earth and makes photography significantly less daunting. Yes, you can pay for a $1,000 course or make three payments of around $300, but his information that's free is phenomenal. 

Commercial (food)/Commercial Product

https://www.youtube.com/@TinHouseStudioUK/videos

I've never shot an ad campaign, but Scott and his wealth of knowledge spread out in his videos will help you get an idea of what Commercial food/drink photography will take.

You can work by yourself, but large jobs will almost always have a team. 

Chris Pieta talks about his experience here. He does have a course to get product photographers making $1k/month to $8k/month. It's around 1,000 dollars if I recall correctly. He has a sales pitch and a masterclass. I found this out after he reached out to me over Instagram. This was him, not a bot or something else. He's genuinely a good person. He does also have a YouTube channel with a lot of great free content!

Fashion

https://www.youtube.com/@LastXwitness

https://www.youtube.com/@DanielNortonPhotographer/videos

Sports

Jared's channel (at least, his older stuff) focuses a lot on sports. This specific video will articulate some of the sacrifices one photographer made to chase his dream. Many photographers have gone through some similar experiences, though, perhaps not as extreme as the one below.

Real Estate

https://www.youtube.com/@itselijones

He's going to promote his training, yes. However, the free content on his channel is worth gold. They also have a live every Thurdsay at 5 PM (EST) to help answer questions. 

There's a learning curve, but it's not nearly as stressful or intimidating as wedding phototography. 

Headshots 

https://www.youtube.com/@peter_hurley/video

I'd love to meet Peter Hurley some day. The only thing that stopped me from pursuing headshot photography was the (probably false) assumption that I couldn't make a living unless I went to a big city, like New York. Peter Hurley charged $3,000 to work with him, but shoots Actors/Actresses professionally (then $1,000 for anything else they might need).

This is not my specialty, but he does run a company called "The Headshot Crew" that's $75/month and you can ask away in whatever benefits they have for you. This isn't what I'd like to do, but if you think it might be up your alley, maybe watch some videos and see if it's something you could actually do. 

There are other Niches, such as Pet/Event photography. Those are very unfamiliar to me and I won't speak of them without listening to others advice first. 

This is an overview, not a guide. This isn't easy. This takes grit. This takes hard work and dedication. Get after it if you want it.