Hey, im just wondering (:?

so for a long while i've been wanting to be a photographer when i grow up [im 13 and gonna be in 8th grade when school begins]
soo do i have to go to a special college or something ? and does it pay well ? oh and how do i find SOMEONE to work for? like if i take pictures where do i take them too ?
i think im really good at it and also at editing as well
but i want to be a professional photographer when i grow up (:

oh theres a degree in photography ?
k thanks (:

You can get a degree in photography, but you definitely do NOT need one in order to be a very successful photographer. I can name six or seven extremely well-paid photographers who either never went to college at all or went to college for something OTHER than photography! Photography is one of the few professions that have the potential to make a lot of money and in which you do not need a specialized degree. You need to have some skill with your camera and you need to be a good "people person."

However, what you DO need is terrific business skills, since nearly all professional photographers run their own businesses, and that can be really hard, especially for creative types. I'd strongly recommend that you at least take some basic courses in college on the various aspects of business so that you have a good foundation in economics, math, management, and other key business skills. Even if you want to work in photojournalism or on assignment, you will still need the business savvy to negotiate contracts and find the work in the first place.

Still, even though you don't need a photography degree, it never hurts to have one. If you are able to study photography in college, do it!

Since most photogs are self-employed, how much you make depends very much on how good you are at business. I know photographers who are comfortably in the middle class. I know others who make a high seven figures. It depends on how good they are at pushing their own businesses, and on how long they've been at it. (Few make a gazillion dollars right out of the gate, but that's true of any profession.) You have to really know how to find and keep clients. You have to make your photography appealing to them. You have to get them so excited about YOU that they tell all their friends to hire you. It's hard work, but you can make a very comfortable living from it. :)

When you're ready to start taking on paying clients, they will probably come to you if you do just some moderate advertising. Like most small businesses, "word of mouth" (people talking about how great you are) is what drives most photography businesses. So when you're ready to start your career, you should just focus on wowing a handful of people and let them talk about you to all their friends.

If you want to do photojournalism or assignment photography (like for National Geographic for example) you should focus on building up a portfolio that shows that you can do a very wide variety of photographic work and that you know how to "tell a story" with your images. That is very important!

I think right now, you should keep practicing! Keep working at your editing skills as well as your shooting skills. Know that you CAN be a successful photographer if you are smart about how you run your business. And it's a lot of fun! it's a really, really cool job. :)

Photography is hard pays poorly and is really expensive. However as fore mentioned if you driven and have talent than you should definitely go for it. You don't just have to work behind the lens you can work touching up images for ad agency's and still do your thing on the side. you should bring your work to a professor before you go to college and ask him if he thinks you have a chance as for as how your photographs goes. As far as schools go it is important to go for a bachelor's degree. Even better if you go for a master's because you can teach photography. If you love it and if you are driven go for it.

I am a photography student right now at Columbia College. You will have to go to school and get a BA in Photography. You can go to any art college or some universities have photography degrees.
Photography doesn't pay that great though unless you are really driven or find a great salary job (which are rare). Most of the photography work is freelance (where you just work job to job. Newspapers and Magazines will hire freelance photographers just for one job here and there to shoot.)
You will learn how and where to get jobs while at College. If you really want it then go for it. Photography is all I wanted to do when I was younger and it is hard but if you really want to do it for a living you can make it work.

You need a degree. There is a degree for photography. There are also photography schools which you can attend.

You work for magazines, newspapers, websites