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Industry Overview
If you’ve ever snapped a photo with your cell phone, you’ve utilized digital photography. Digital cameras store photographs as digital images instead of using film like traditional cameras. This provides an affordable and convenient way for individuals to take pictures.

Technology breakthroughs have caused the price of digital cameras and digital editing software to drop dramatically, allowing ordinary photographers to create extraordinary pictures inexpensively. With a multitude of in-camera features and computer programs that help photographers fine-tune their work, digital photography can inspire creativity in a different way than film-based photography. And because digital photographers don’t have to pay to develop pictures they don’t like, they can experiment with different styles and settings at little to no cost.

Maybe you’d just like to take better pictures of your family or places you’ve been. Or perhaps you’re looking for a new hobby. Maybe one day you would like to work professionally. Whatever the reason is, learning how to take great pictures is a worthwhile venture. But, photography is an expensive hobby, and one with a vast amount of information to discover—which leaves you asking, how do I get into photography?

Like any creative venture, there’s no single “right” way to get into photography. But, there are a number of things you can do to get off to a great start, instead of getting frustrated and winding up with a nice camera that serves as a paperweight. Here are eight tips for the very newest photographers out there.

Before you do anything else, find your inspiration. Do you enjoy traveling and taking pictures? Or snapping photos of your kids? Do you like to have everything perfect, or would you rather simply capture the moment as it unfolds? Are you more interested in one type of photography over the other, like sports or macro?

Start by evaluating what you already like to do—if you enjoy traveling, it’s a great idea to get into landscape photography. If you enjoy spending time with your kids, you could capture them in a photojournalistic style as they go about their day. Photography is a hobby that meshes well with other hobbies, like travel, sports and gardening. Then, browse through some photos—what ones are you most drawn to? Photos of people or inanimate objects? Posed photos, or candids? By identifying what inspires you, or what you already enjoy doing, you can better determine where to start learning photography.

Get a camera, and get to know your camera.

Of course, you can’t really get into photography without a camera. To take pictures as a hobby, you don’t need the latest, greatest camera. But there’s a few features you’ll want to look for in a camera if you want to get serious about photography. First, you should get a camera that has manual mode—that’s what’s going to allow you to really control your images. You should also get a camera that has RAW, because after you learn manual modes, you’ll want to learn how to perfect those shots through editing. If you identified your inspiration as something that moves quickly—like sports or a child—you’ll also want to look for a camera with at least 5 fps burst speed (bigger numbers being better in this case).

DSLRs and mirrorless cameras are great if you’re looking to get into photography because they have a high resolution and flexibility for expanding with different lenses, flashes and filters. The entry-level models are often inexpensive and contain a minimal amount of buttons and dials that new photographers find daunting. But there are a few compact cameras that offer manual modes, RAW shooting and fast speeds too. They typically don’t have the resolution of a DSLR, but they’re a good option for travel.

Once you get a good camera, learn it inside and out. Play around and find out what all the buttons and dials do, and where all the features are located.

Portrait photography is more than just capturing a picture of somebody; it’s an artistic representation of a person’s attitude. In this lesson, we will learn about portrait photography as well as some tips for taking great photos.
Background
Imagine if a person asked you to highlight who they are in a photo–ultimately, snapping their personality to preserve it forever. Well, you probably wouldn’t just take a quick photo of that person, would you? You’d have to think about what position and background would help highlight everything about them. Well, welcome to the world of portraiture. Portrait photography is much more than a snapshot of somebody’s face. A portrait is about capturing the essence of a person’s identity and attitude that they want to share with the world. In those terms, a portrait photographer has a really big job to do! Learning to work with clients and using a camera to snap the perfect exposure is about hard work and knowing a few simple tips. In this lesson, we will go over an in-depth definition of portrait photography, and explore some tips and techniques to help you master portrait photography.

What is Portrait Photography?
Portrait photography is all about the face. A photographer’s goal is to take a carefully decided photograph of a person’s distinguishing facial features, while capturing the person’s attitude, identity, and personality. The photo may include a blurred background and the person’s body, but those factors are not emphasized in the image.

Is a Portrait Candid?
A portrait is carefully planned and rehearsed with the client; a candid photo is not considered a portrait. Does that mean that a portrait cannot appear candid? Definitely not; this should be taken into account depending on the client’s overall attitude and the purpose of the image.

A portrait, regardless of whether it appears candid, should be planned out with the client. The outfit, background, props, client’s position, and the angle of the photo should be prepared before the actual photo shoot.

Approaches in Portrait Photography
Four types of approaches exist in portrait photography: environmental, constructionist, candid, and creative. The photographer should select a specific approach in conversation with the client based on the type of portrait that is being taken. Let’s look at the different styles of portrait photography.

Environmental
The environmental approach to portrait photography means that the portrait is taken with the client in a surrounding that speaks to the person’s identity or profession. For example, if a client loves horses, then the portrait might be taken with the client in a stable while brushing a horse.

On the other hand, if a client is a professional writer, then the portrait might be taken inside an office with the client holding a pen and notepad.

Do you have your camera with you wherever you go? Are you constantly snapping pictures to add to your Instagram feed? Are the go-to photographer at family functions? You can turn your photo-taking interest, talent, and hobby into a home-based photography business.

While you may be good at photography, before you jump in and start charging for picture taking services, research and plan your business strategy for greater success.

Pros of Starting a Photography Business
There are several great reasons to consider turning your interest in photography into a business, including:

Get paid to do something you enjoy
Flexible schedule that allows you start around a job, and build into a part-time or full-time business
Meet new people
Travel
Help other capture important events in their lives
Cons of Starting a Photography Business
There are always a few downsides you should consider in any home business. Here’s a few you could encounter in a photography business:

Can be expensive to start if you don’t already own your equipment
Customers can be extremely picky or difficult to work with, especially at high stress events such as weddings
Many events take place on the weekends, so you’d be working when the rest of your family would be off
Inconsistent income
Can take time to build up to a steady stream of income
Turning a hobby into a business can take the joy out of the activity
Steps to Starting a Home Based Photography Business
If you’re ready to start getting paid to take pictures, here are the steps to get started.

1. Decide what types of photography services you’ll offer. Businesses and individuals need photographers for many reasons. Businesses need pictures of their products for brochures. Realtors need images of the homes they’re selling. Magazines need photos related to the articles they’re publishing. Or you can stick with non-business photography and take portraits or photograph weddings.

2. Develop your business plan. The business plan outlines the details of your business, including the services you offer, how you’ll differ from the competition, financial projections, and marketing strategies. This is a good time to determine your pricing structure. For example, if you want to make $50,000 per year and believe you can book 26 weddings a year, you’d need to charge nearly $2,000 per wedding. Your pricing needs to take into account the cost of equipment, supplies, and travel, as well as your time.

3. Decide your business structure. The easiest and lowest cost option is sole proprietor; however, creating a limited liability company (LLC) will offer greater protection of your personal assets should you run into legal problems.

4. Create a business name. What you name your business will become the brand image, so choose a name that fits the type of photography you want to do. If you want to take kid portraits you can have a whimsical name, but if you want to do business photography or weddings, you’ll want something that sounds professional or elegant. If you don’t use your given name in your business name, you’ll likely need to file a fictitious name statement with your county clerk’s office. You also need to check with the U. S. Patent and Trademark office to insure the name isn’t protected by trademark.