Becoming a professional photographer is not as easy as buying a
camera, taking up a photography course, and clicking pictures. Like any
other profession, you need to posses the right attitude clubbed with
appropriate skills in order to be a successful photographer. If you
foresee yourself as a professionally successful photographer, here is
what you must do.Be passionate
The most important attribute that successful people have is passion towards their job. This applies on photographers as well. Passion always gives you the power to do extra and achieve perfection in your job despite repeated failures. If you want to become a professional photographer then be passionate to work under any condition. You will not get luxury always; sometimes you have to shoot in cold weather, in rains, standing for hours with no food and water. For achieving success you have to overcome all these external factors and achieve perfection in your job in all cases.
Think of money
Photography can be a boring work, especially when you are shooting newborns, wildlife, jungles, theaters, etc. Shooting photos can be tiring and the post processing work is even boring. Whenever you feel disappointed, think of the money that you will receive for this assignment. Money is a big factor for human being, so beat your boredom by thinking about it.
Dedicate as much time as you can
All you need in photography is lots and lots of time. The more time you give the better photos you will get. You have to devote time during the shoot and even for post processing. Moreover, you have to spend hours experimenting with the lighting, with camera, aperture, ISO, etc. The more you experiment, the better photographer you will become. So, reduce your leisure time and dedicate as much time as possible for shooting.
Learn from failure
Success never comes at first attempt. Don't fear failure but try to improve yourself and learn from failure. Prepare a list of things you don't feel confident at and then try to work on them. Shoot your pictures and always show them to seniors or experts who can give you genuine feedback. Accept their criticism in full faith and try to improve the areas they highlighted. This way, you will polish your work and groom yourself to shoot better photographs.
The only key to success is patience. You may not get satisfactory results right after you have completed your photography course. Don't bother if people didn't like your work. Shoot, shoot, and shoot more. Keep patience and take your time to learn the basics. Don't assume that you can become a successful photographer overnight. Polish yourself as much as you can and if you stay on the right track, success is assured.
