I've worked as a professional photographer in some capacity- from a freelancer all the way to being employed as an in-house commercial photographer- for more than a decade.

In that time I've seen a lot of "wannabe" photographers come and go. Most of the time the reason they don't last can be boiled down to one (or more!) of the following:

😬 They don’t love their craft.

Being a professional photographer can be very rewarding, but if you don't love the actual craft of photography it will quickly turn into a job... then a chore... Then an obligation.

😬 They try to do it all by themselves.

Even "business of one" photographers cannot do it all by themselves long-term. There simply are too many skills to know, too much work to do, and not enough hours in the day.

😬 They refuse to approach it like a business.

If it's not a business, it's an expensive hobby. It's not necessary to have a business degree, but there's no excuse for not understanding how to run a business with all the free resources that exist.

😬 Their portfolio only reflects the thing they’re into.

If you want to photograph families, don't show a portfolio filled with cars, or landscapes, or pets. Fill your portfolio with what you want to get paid to photograph.

😬 They don’t understand that their value is not in the photograph, it’s what that photograph represents.

The value of a photograph is not in the time the photographer puts in to create it. The value is in the emotion the photograph elicits. Don't sell the photograph, sell the way it makes the viewer feel.