working as an event photographer can be a blast! there are a lot of ways to break into it.
as with anything, what separates the pros from the wannabees are the results, and that largely depends on equipment, experience, and access. unless you have a rich uncle or a killer day job, you'll have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. when i first decided i wanted to make a living at photography, i had a canon 300D, a 70-300 consumer telephoto zoom, and a kit lens. i did have almost 20 years experience, though. the main thing is to know what type of shots people are buying or expecting, and then to be able to deliver them. sometimes this means pushing yourself really hard to compensate for lack of equipment. sometimes, it means being really creative. the main thing is to build up a portfolio that shows that you can deliver the results.
if at all possible, avoid working for free, especially events. even once you've proven yourself, it's really hard to get them to pay for what they can get for free. a better approach would be to get a press pass (some tips on that here); that would get you access so that you can get experience. then all you need to do is identify the crucial equipment you need and put all your efforts into getting that equipment.
if you don't want to go the press pass route, there are other ways to gain access. the main thing is not to get yourself painted as 'works for free'.
some more articles about event photography here.
good luck! |
