Going Pro: How to Make the Leap from Aspiring to Professional Photographer

by Scott Bourne, Skip Cohen

The essential guide to starting a successful career in any genre of professional photography.


You’ve got the gear, the training, and the technology. You’re ready to make the leap from aspiring to professional photographer. Now what?

With today’s affordable, high-quality cameras, Internet technology, and training, any weekend warrior can hang a shingle and open a photography business. But what then? While anyone can buy a professional quality camera, few have the skills to turn their dreams into a profitable business.

Going Pro is the essential guide to leaping successfully into any genre of professional photography. Industry powerhouses Scott Bourne and Skip Cohen share invaluable advice on defining your niche, putting together a portfolio, pricing and showing your work, marketing, positioning your brand, and, most important, building an online social media platform from the ground up. Throughout, advice and tips are offered from 25 of the biggest names in the industry, including Chase Jarvis, Vincent Laforet, Matthew Jordan Smith, Jeremy Cowart, Jules Bianchi, Bambi Cantrell, Tony Corbell, Kevin Kubota, Jerry Ghionis, and more.

Hundreds of thousands of photographers are already tuning in to the Going Pro podcast and blog (goingpro2011.com). Going Pro, the book, now joins the movement, giving amateurs everywhere the confidence and tools they need to make the leap into professional photography.

Genres: Photography, Business

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Yasmen El-Shaa'rawy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the 2011 edition, which is a pretty old punch of marketing strategies and tools. Yet I guess it might work well with beginners. I guess the 2014 edition to be much more updated.

[Edward Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, truly a glimmer of hope in its conveyance that you really can become a professional photographer. In truth, it's an difficult endeavor in this age of iPhones and Instagram filters. Everyone truly is a photographer anymore. Much like writing fiction, only the top tier talents and the ones with the luck of the Irish get to the highest rung. At best, a full time photographer might make 40K a year which isn't exactly pocket change, but it's a lot of work for not much money. Still, Bourne and Cohen's book is an encouragement. The chapters (and sample photographs) is compelling and enough to impel me enough to look at this vocation with more seriousness, albeit as an activity best pursued after retirement.

[Public Speaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book was hardcore enough to gut check a young teenage girl who wanted to become a photographer. I think most people aren't prepared to face some of those harsh realities. If you read this and you still feel like you want to pursue photography as a business go for it. If not continue as a hobby.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars/Non-Fiction; Photography

"Don't fall in love with being a photographer without learning how to be a great photographer. You can make a dream come true only if it's based on a solid foundation." -Helen Yancy

Have you been considering taking your love of photography to the next level by becoming a professional and running your own business? If so, then this book will provide you with a wealth of information to help you decide whether or not you are truly prepared to take that first leap.

It is astonishing to me, how in a world full of competitive photograpers, there seems to be so many pros willing to help others get started. In Going Pro, professional photographers Scott Bourne and Skip Cohen use their combined 75 years of experience to walk you through each step of the process. From the click of the shutter all the way through the behind-the-scenes business operations, they leave no stone unturned. Divided into chapters such as Define Your Niche, Showing Your Work, Social Media Marketing and Expanding Your Business they give you a solid foundation containing details that you may or may not have thought about.

Along with twenty-five additional professional photographer contributions and full color images for inspiration, there is a practical advice guide at the end of each section that is full of great ideas. Suggestions that will open your eyes to the business of photography and help you become the best photographer that you can be.

I feel that the information presented in Going Pro; How to Make the Leap from Aspiring to Professional Photographer is practical, well thought out and written with the most current trends of the industry in mind. The in-depth explanations of using websites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and personal blogs correctly to expand your customer base were especially helpful. At the end of the book includes a great resource list that gives you an inside look at where the professionals go to find everything from equipment to printing needs and more.

If going pro is in your future, I think that this book can definitely set you on the right course to making those dreams a reality.

[Mrs C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I'm a very visual person and this book gets plenty of points for having plenty of images versus text. It has plenty of advice: find your passion, practice wherever you can, showcase your work etc. but they also show accompanying pictures that would make you want to get moving because they are so good that you are green with envy (how can they take such amazing pictures?). It's akin to asking, "Show me!" instead of "Tell me!" The only gripe I have about this book is that unlike other photography books such as Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" for example, the author doesn't provide the parameters on how the image was taken--shutter speed, lens, and aperture specifics. No matter, it is primarily a book on great advice and this book has it enough to actually entice the reader to go Pro!

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing book about how to take photography to the next level. It includes some unbelievable photos and brilliantly creative ideas - I can't wait put them into practice! Still, I couldn't recommend some of the images to a general audience. It has extremely helpful ideas about how to use social media, offering practical advice that could be useful for all small business professionals. I'm keeping a list of them handy!

[Kathleen Messmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The most useful part for me was the social media section. While this marketing area boggles my mind, Scott and Skip cleared it up in very simple, easy to understand terms. Thank goodness! The resources section was also very useful. A must read for any photographer!

[Donald Phelps]

Photography Business Bible

This book contains an amazing amount of information on getting started with your photography business. I will keep this book handy and reference it often