The Realities of Turning a Passion for Photography into a Full-Time Profession

You pick up a camera at a young age, attach the biggest lens you can find, and are amazed by how far you can zoom in on the person across the block. Spies look cool with their cameras, documenting evidence to lock away the villains. Movies romanticize the life of a famous photographer, working with celebrities, a colony of assistants scrambling around like army ants in your studio, which is situated in a historic building with your own cool freight elevator. You think to yourself…I want that!

Here’s another scenario: you’re in your father’s old leather Lazy Boy armchair, awestruck by the images in a National Geographic magazine on the coffee table. You imagine yourself traveling around the world, photographing incredible landscapes, capturing wildlife that looks impossible to get close to, or documenting significant events. You think to yourself…I wanna do that!

Every single person who’s ever wanted to be a “professional” photographer (whatever that means these days) and has actually managed to pull it off, has done so for a different reason and under extremely unique circumstances. I won’t get into my reasons and circumstances at this time.

Starting a business in any capacity or industry is a challenge in itself. It’s not for everyone. While the idea of being a business owner sounds great when you say it out loud, it takes a certain type of person. It takes tenacity and perhaps even stubbornness, among many other things, to make it happen.

Let’s take a look at some recent numbers. Yes, they are scary. But hey, there is “some” light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe?

In the United States, according to the Forbes article “Small Business Statistics of 2024,” 20% of startups disappear within the first year, 30% by year two, and 50% by year five! Let’s say that again. FIFTY percent of startups close their doors by year five.

In Canada, these numbers are even worse! According to Canada.ca’s Key Small Business Statistics 2024, “…Over the last five years (from 2016 to 2020), on average, 100,475 small businesses were created every year and 96,548 disappeared…”. That’s a staggering 96.09%! I didn’t dig into the details past that point. I dont know, maybe im reading it wrong?

Would you consider starting a business after hearing those numbers? If the answer is no, then I don’t blame you. If the answer is yes, though, you’re MY people. Are we crazy to even try? Yup! Let’s go back to the “type of person” comment I mentioned earlier.

I’m no psychologist nor will I even try to come across as someone who can define what that type of person is. But I do know a few traits that we may share. We don’t conform to the specific “mold” that the majority of the workforce occupies. I can only speak for myself (but would love to hear from you in the comments): I am not a fan of doing things that don’t make sense to me. As a neurodivergent, it’s hard for me to put in all the effort into something I don’t enjoy doing or don’t agree with. I ask too many questions, look for alternative solutions to problems, constructively challenge ideas, expect individuals to keep up with me, challenge me, and more specifically…tell me that this cannot be done! I thrive on statements such as “we tried that, it won’t work,” “this is a complex problem,” and “everyone that’s tried has failed.” I truly believe that every problem has a solution, and in most cases if not all, the solution is a lot more simple than you think. We like to overcomplicate things.

Not many will agree with my way of viewing things. There is no problem that cannot be solved. Ever. We like to stick to what we know and use processes and procedures that have a “proven” track record. Who’s to say that this is the ONLY way to solve a specific problem? “Others couldn’t do it, Kal…otherwise it would be happening right now.” My response has always been: “they haven’t done it yet because they haven’t thought of everything.”

Now, where was I going with this? Oh yes, starting a small business and more specifically starting a business as a Professional Photographer! Keep reading, there IS a light at the end of all these dark tunnels.

The reality of being a professional photographer is not the most glamorous career. It can be, sure. Let me explain.

The idea of quitting your mundane 9-5 job, starting your own business, making your own hours, and being your own boss is extremely romanticized. This is NOT the reality at all. First of all, starting your own business, regardless of the kind of business, has now become a 24/7 job. You’re also wearing a lot more hats now. Rather than working a job that you were hired to do and that’s it, you now have to learn how to start a business, operate and grow that business. You need to learn about the legalities of it, how marketing works, advertising, concept/product/service market research, and more. You need to learn finance, economic analysis, market research, find your unique selling point, network, generate leads and then turn those leads into clients…all while you’re still paying bills and managing your personal life.

It may come across as a great idea. Start your own business and report to no one, etc. The work you have to put in is endless. The stress comes in the form of emotional, mental, as well as physical stress. Oh wait…the financial stress too. It’s really not for everyone. Not everyone is meant to start their own business (in my opinion anyway). But the rewards are second to none.

Movies have always glamourized and romanticized the idea of a “successful” photographer. Your assistants bringing you your coffee, holding your camera, setting up the lights while you talk with agents, and then rolling up to your camera that your intern is holding up for you. You take a single picture of a major celebrity that you charged tens of thousands of dollars for, then ride off on your Vespa with your hipster scarf flapping behind you.

The reality is so, so far from that. Apart from a very small percentage of photographers who earn a ton of money and rub shoulders with celebrities, fashion icons, and executives, the majority of us are still wading in waist-high mud. Going to networking meetings, schmoozing with people you don’t have things in common with but who make great clients. Scouring Facebook Marketplace for used equipment for that one lens you need but can’t afford to pay the $4,000 retail price for, drowning in credit card bills that all your necessary software platforms and other subscriptions are just eating through every month. Then there’s the stress of getting leads, turning those into clients. You think you just made it! But wait, it’s taking them forever to settle their invoices, making last-minute changes, postponing shoots, changing the creative brief on the day of the shoot.

Maintaining your gear is just as stressful as financing it. Wanna turn pro? Cool. Awesome. The ideal and BASIC equipment list for a pro photographer should be 2 camera bodies (at an average of $3,500-$4,500 each), a selection of 2, maybe 3 lenses at least (another $2,000-$3,000 each), a laptop ($4,000), spare batteries ($500-$600), memory cards ($500-$700), and lighting equipment starting at $1,800 for an absolute beginner entry-level set of lights. Ideally, your lighting budget alone should be $5,000-$6,500. Then, there are insurance, travel expenses, marketing and advertising costs, and the costs of repairing or replacing damaged, lost, or stolen items. I’ll let you do the math.

We’ve all seen the TikToks and short Instagram reels of photographers explaining all these expenses to potential clients. “We charge a lot because of all our expenses,” etc. It’s like those old MasterCard commercials but for photographers:

• Pro Level Camera: $5,000

• Pro Level Lenses: $4,000

• Fancy Laptop: $4,000

• A client that loves their images: priceless.

To be honest, the client doesn’t care how much you’re spending on your gear. That’s not their problem; it’s yours. Just because you took out a business loan or racked up $40,000-$50,000 in credit card debt doesn’t mean you can charge thousands of dollars right off the bat. How much you should charge is a different topic for a different article.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably thinking…so why do you do it? The answer is simple. Because I love it! Yes, it’s hard, it’s expensive, and it destroys your body and eyes over time. 70% of the time spent is behind the laptop doing boring admin work. Networking, lead generation, lead conversion, sending quotes, and chasing payments are things we all hate doing. 20% is actually behind the camera and the last 10% is editing and retouching (percentages could vary slightly). But when your client asks you to create something that will help them stand out from the crowd or boost sales, and you then see their faces light up when you deliver stunning and one-of-a-kind imagery that works perfectly for their brand, or when a mother sees her baby’s new portrait on the wall, it’s THOSE moments that I chase.

I do it because it allows me to express myself in ways that words cannot. It allows me to create my own reality and show it to the world rather than be told what my reality should look like. Every time that shutter slams open and shut, I get this sense of adrenaline and anticipation. Was the technical knowledge of photography adequate enough to translate what’s in my head onto screen or print for others to experience? No? Amazing…how can I solve this? Oh goody, a new challenge!

Most of us don’t do it for the money. Most of us don’t make a ton of it. In fact, most of us struggle a lot. The struggle is constant. The grind is constant. But when your passion and hobby is also your job, you stop seeing it as your “job.” I haven’t “worked” a day since 2003. If you want it bad enough, you will hit every obstacle along the way. I can promise you this. Just keep reminding yourself why you want to do this. If it’s about the money, stop and get a desk job. If it’s about working fewer hours, stop and find a rich partner. If it’s about the beauty of the grind, the creativity, and the drive to create something out of nothing and see it grow—then keep going.

If I had one piece of advice for anyone looking to start their own business, it would be to expect a lot of challenges, embrace them, welcome them. Ask yourself: “Why am I doing this?”

I will leave you with one of my favourite quotes by one of my favourite photographers, whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with in the past. It’s from the book “The Moment It Clicks” by Joe McNally:

“No matter how much crap you gotta plow through to stay alive as a photographer, no matter how many bad assignments, bad days, bad clients, snotty subjects, obnoxious handlers, wigged-out art directors, technical disasters, failures of the mind, body, and will, all the shouldas, couldas, and wouldas that befuddle our brains and creep into our dreams, always remember to make room to shoot what you love. It’s the only way to keep your heart beating as a photographer.”