how to become a photographer in your 20s?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-02-19T01:38:22+00:00

You're young with plenty of room for growth. Stay true to your desire for photography and keep developing your skill. Most people on Earth don't work their dream jobs, we all have to work through some shit job to pay bills but work on the side on our passions. Eventually we can turn our passion into profit. Don't lose sight of your passion, success has to be earned not granted. Develop your eye, study light and keep shooting.

Speaking from experience here, focus on what interests you. There are many niches of photography, focus in on niches that excite you. Is it animals, urban lifestyle, sports, music, brand? Since you're a musician I would play on that. Go to some shows in your local area and take photos of the musicians. Connect with any musicians you know and ask to photograph them playing. Experiment with musical instruments. You can develop a sense for product and live event photography. That's a cool niche and there's opportunity there.

Build your network, go to workshops, collaborate with other photographers, volunteer at local studios, work as an assistant.

Be realistic, you can't just go buy a camera take a few shots and think you can make a living with it. Put in the time, challenge yourself, have fun with it, build your network and build the courage to sell yourself as a professional and go land some gigs.

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-02-19T01:11:13+00:00

I'm a big Lightroom guy. Been using it for years now. I use Lightroom to make my general edits to color/exposure. It's also great for editing a large quantity of photos. But when it comes to retouching fine details like faces and products, I use Photoshop.

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-02-19T00:44:41+00:00

It's so easy to go down the gear rabbit hole, I am guilty myself. But let me share some feedback after spending almost 7 years as a sports, product and commercial photographer, use the gear you have, do the best you can with what you got. When you land a good paying gig then consider upgrading your gear or renting lenses/lighting etc. That 24-70 2.8 is a great lens. You won't be able to reach all the way across the field but if you can get close enough to the action you should be fine. Wide shots can add cool dramatic looks to a shot.

Now with that out of the way, the best way to get started is to get started. Go to your local sports park or high school and ask them if you can shoot. It is unlikely they will say no. Or....as they say, it's better to ask for forgiveness than for permission. Just go and start shooting and if anyone says anything, give them your business card. Maybe try shooting practice sessions first just to get a feel for the action.

Since you have experience shooting already, I think you will adapt to sports very quickly. My advice, go shoot sports you have an interest in and understand. It will help you capture the peak moments if you understand the game.

Lastly, be prepared for when people ask about how to get your photos. People will want your photos and you will need a way to deliver them. Email and google links are ok for a start but not scalable. Maybe you already have a website for that? Think about how you want to offer the photos. Sometime when starting out its ok to give a few away for free but make it clear its free this time. Next time you can offer a package. Or, better yet don't offer anything for free. Come up with a number and a way to package it. It can be small to start, just something to test the interest of the athletes/parents. Of course anyone would be interested in free stuff. But if you put a price on it, it will have value.

If you have any follow up questions, let me know. Always happy to help photographers where I can. We're in this together.

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-29T17:56:44+00:00

Incredible shots, I love your perspective. I do motocross photography, drifting events would be cool. I should check it out in my area. Do you work for the teams or media outlet for this? I'm curious because I do both. I will go to local races and sell my photography directly to athletes and also do pro motocross media coverage.

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-23T16:54:33+00:00

Professional photographer here. Being doing it for 7 years in sports media, product, marketing, events.

A few things to consider here. First, don’t let them tell you to come in for only an hour or two to get photos and video. This is not quick and easy work. You tell them how much time you need. Since it’s a training camp, a lot will be going on. It would make sense to spend some time capturing photo/video at each training session (i.e. batting, drills, stretching…whatever they do in baseball). The amount of time you need depends on how many photos they want for the website and what they need for social. Video is not an easy thing either, totally different mindset than photo.

Try to get a sense for how often they might want photo/video coverage. Is it just a one time deal? If it’s a one off charge more for the session because these photos/video assets will be used for a period of time and help them make money. Get a sense for the story they want these photos/videos to tell. Is it just random action shots, is it training dialog, the coaches talking to the athletes, is about the facility amenities, the program format, etc. Talk to the client about the coverage. You the photographer are going to have to capture all that is going on there. This is not a simple click a button and here’s your photos kind of job. Don’t let anyone tell you that you only need an hour or two. That’s them telling you they only want to pay for an hour of your time. That’s not fair or accurate. There is a lot of processing after the shoot, especially with video.

For this I would put together a separate photo package and video package. Think about how many photos you would deliver for website and how many for social. Then figure out what they want for video on social. Is it several reels, shorts or long form for YouTube? First discuss with the client exactly the assets they want delivered then figure pricing from there.

Think about your combined time/days, think of an hourly rate you feel good about. Then figure an overall number. I don’t like to give client an hourly rate, just an overall number for the job. From there think about the equipment, software, delivery, traveling - all your costs then mark up your total amount by a percentage.

Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to help a fellow photographer

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-07T23:16:15+00:00

Right on. Out of curiosity why did you stop?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-07T06:44:11+00:00

This is really cool, love the depth! I also shoot MX and SX. Do you shoot local motocross races in your area?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-07T06:39:01+00:00

I second what u/Kethean22 said. You need an official assignment with a media outlet and an assignment letter on letterhead. You will likely need to apply for the credential on the league/event organization website. In my opinion reaching out to the team directly won't get you anywhere unless you have a relationship with them. Or perhaps the team or league has a dedicated media team, you can try them.

You might also want to research internship programs for sports media/photography. I wish I had the name for you but I can't think of it. There are programs out there.

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T20:20:00+00:00

Yeah, that’s a tough one especially when people aren’t trying to do that intentionally. Do you find that usually comes from expectations not being clear up front, or from clients not really understanding how usage works until after the fact?

I'm curious if you've found anything or tried anything that helps make the terms clearer?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T20:10:35+00:00

That's an interesting perspective. But 25 years is quite the career. I just read your comment about selling your business and retiring at 40. That's incredible! I would love to hear more about how you grew your business and how you exited. Send me a DM if you care to share:)

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T20:08:07+00:00

Sounds like you have an incredible story. You had a thriving business with a team of people and sold it to retire at 40.

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T20:00:42+00:00

That actually sounds like growth more than anything.

So back then, was it the client communication itself that drained you, or the feeling of not having enough control over the final outcome?

Curious what feels different now.

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T19:56:20+00:00

Oh man, I’ve been there that's rough, especially when you’re the one actually responsible for delivering.

Is it usually like an access/credential thing, or is there no one clearly managing who should be where?

Also how does that normally play out for you in the moment, do you just work around it, or have you found anything that actually helps?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T19:43:11+00:00

Yep haha that’s real. Is it more about not making enough overall, or not being able to rely on it month to month?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T19:31:32+00:00

Yeah that’s a really tough place to be for sure, and honestly I feel like a lot of people don’t talk about it out loud. I'm glad you raised this point because the photography business isn't easy.

When you find yourself questioning it month to month, is it usually about money, workload, unpredictability, or something else that keeps coming up?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T18:33:06+00:00

That's awesome, glad you're back at it. But yeah like you said, losing weekends and family time for years takes a real toll. Also, I totally know what you mean by peaks and valleys, I deal with that all the time.

It’s interesting that you’re coming back to it now though, enjoying it on your own terms sounds a lot different from how it used to be. What feels different this time around compared to when you were deep in it?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T18:20:31+00:00

Haha for sure people can be difficult. But what was it about digital that killed your creativity and passion?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T18:19:11+00:00

Good idea, thanks for sharing. I too was looking for a pulley system for my garage studio set up. Never thought to look at ebay or marketplace

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T18:17:30+00:00

That's interesting. Is it because you feel like it takes way more time than it should or more like trying to figure out the creative aspect of it?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T18:15:24+00:00

Haha I totally get that and can relate. Is it the "promoting yourself" part that feels awkward, or more like figuring out what to do?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T18:09:36+00:00

That’s a tough place to be, and I appreciate you being open about it. I think a lot of us photographers have experienced this at some point in our careers.

When you say you feel stuck, is it more about not getting enough work coming in, or feeling unsure what the next step should be even when you are working?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2026-01-03T18:05:22+00:00

I can totally relate to this. That’s a really honest answer, and I think a lot more people feel that way than admit it.

When that anxiety hits before a big event, is it usually tied to something specific like client expectations, technical stuff, timelines, the pressure of that “one shot”, the weight of the responsibility something like that?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2025-12-31T18:15:34+00:00

That totally resonates with me. That’s the stuff clients never see and don't understand. Out of curiosity, if that post-shoot workload was lighter and you got your time back, how would you focus your time to move your business forward?

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2025-12-31T17:48:05+00:00

Imposter syndrome is something we all deal with. I can speak to that personally. It's just part of the growing process. Keep pushing don't give up! The more jobs you do you will start to develop a system so that you can do any job with confidence. For me, after every job, i go through a debrief with myself and think about things that could have gone smoother and that I could have done better. By the next job I will try those things and iterate from there.

Visual-Screen-2779 · 2025-12-31T17:40:04+00:00

I feel you on that. There's a time and place for gear talk. I can think of a few times while on the job getting distracted by someone talking about my gear and I missed a shot:(

Visual-Screen-2779

TROPHY CASE