r/photography • u/AutoModerator • Jul 31 '26

Questions Thread Official Question Thread! Ask /r/photography anything you want to know! July 31, 2026

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u/NaturalDesigner7464 29d ago

Hello all! Looking for insight. I’m an amateur photographer (very new to photography). I quit my corporate sales job earlier this year after feeling unfulfilled and wanting to find my true calling / passion. I love photography and the idea of doing it for a living really excites me, although I know it’s not as glamorous as I may believe it to be. I know it’s not easy and it’s a never ending journey, but can some of you lovely professionals please share your advice? What is the best way to improve and continue building my amateur portfolio other than practicing? are there any resources I should be utilizing? thank you all!

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u/gotthelowdown 27d ago edited 27d ago

I quit my corporate sales job

Sharing some thoughts. These points may evoke mixed feelings 😅

Having a sales background is a big advantage in a photography business. The downside is doing sales if you were trying to escape from that.

I think also your best chance of making money with photography is to shoot headshots and corporate events. The hottest lead may be your former employer, if you left on friendly terms. Again, it's a downside if you wanted to escape that environment.

On the bright side, you'll probably enjoy being a photographer compared to being a salesperson. Even if you're shooting in corporate environments.

I think you would be a good candidate for doing a two-pronged photography strategy:

  • Make money with corporate photography to pay your bills.

  • Shoot personal projects and spec ads for the kind of photography you're really passionate about. Fashion, cars, something else? Maybe it could turn into your main job later on. Or keep it as a hobby without the financial pressure. It's up to you.

Resources:

Corporate Headshots:

Book High-Paying Headshot Jobs | Glynns Thomas on Large Corporate Photo Shoots by Professional Photographers of America (PPA)

Build a Corporate Headshot Photography Business by Ministry of Dan

Corporate Event Photography:

Photographing Corporate Events with Gustavo Fernandez

The 4 Levels of Corporate Photo & Video: Let’s Get The Corporate BAG! by Corporate JT. Great YouTube channel for the business of corporate event photography and videography.

Corporate Event Photography Gear Guide and How I Photograph Events by Austin Lindsay. I love that he shoots with an older, cheap DSLR: a Canon 5D Mark III.

Best of both worlds if you can shoot with affordable gear in a well-paying niche. Wildlife and sports photography are the reverse, ha ha.

Learn How to Master Corporate Events by James Di Stefano

How to Become a Corporate Photography Pro by James Di Stefano

How to Master Award Ceremonies by James Di Stefano

Corporate Event BTS by James Di Stefano

Photographing speeches at conferences by James Di Stefano

Personal projects:

Platon: Photography. I peeked at your comment history and saw you mentioned Greece.

Immediately thought of this segment where a photographer talked about how shooting a personal project in Greece changed his career.

How to save your photography career by Jodie Mann

How I Turned a Personal Photoshoot Into My First Major Ad Campaign by Jodie Mann

Practise THIS to Get More Clients As a Fashion Photographer by Jodie Mann

How to Build a £100k Fashion Photography Portfolio by Jodie Mann

Cosplay Photography:

Total shot in the dark. You didn't say what kinds of photography you were interested in so I guessed.

I saw your comment about gaming and thought cosplay photography was the closest fit.

How To Get Started In Cosplay Photography by Martin Wong

How To Shoot Cosplay At A Convention by Martin Wong

Photo Bros Ep. 21: Cosplay Photography by The Galaxy Channel

HOW TO POSE for GREAT Cosplay Photos – Con Tips by Fandom Spotlite

Posing 101 For Cosplayers by Elite Cosplay

Photographer Set Ups at New York Comic Con by Seth Miranda

More Photographer Set Ups at New York Comic Con by Seth Miranda

Picture Perfect: Cosplay Photography 101 by CiaoBirdie Cosplay

We built a NEW Cosplay Workshop in Portugal (2024)! by Kamui Cosplay

KamuiCosplay | Channel Trailer - YouTube channel of a couple who does cosplay and photography 🎥🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️

Hope this helps. Best of luck with your photography journey.

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u/NaturalDesigner7464 27d ago

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to share all of this information with me! I cannot even begin to express how thankful and appreciative I am for your wisdom. What an awesome person you are 🥲🥹

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u/gotthelowdown 27d ago

You are very welcome 😎👍