A Photographer’s Steps to Working in Advertising
Step 1: Find a Hobby
By Jay P Morgan

If you’re a photographer and you want to get started in the advertising industry, one way to start is to get a hobby. Nice try: not photography! It’s not a hobby. It’s your profession. So branch outside the world of photography, and find something that you love!

Why? Well, people with a certain hobby associate with other people that do that certain hobby. And inside this group of people are the ones who make equipment for the certain hobby.  These manufacturers want to work with a photographer who enjoys and understands the hobby.

For example, I have a friend who is a photographer that loves to mountain bike. As he got more into mountain biking, he started upgrading his bikes to nicer and nicer bikes. Then he started getting into competitions. At these events, he started to meet other mountain bikers. Some of these bikers made their own equipment and had their own lines of equipment, like bike rims. As he associated more with these people, and they found out he is a photographer, he started shooting their products. They liked working with him because they knew he understood mountain biking and also enjoyed it.

This is not an uncommon story, and it can be applied to almost any niche. Once you really get into your hobby, you will start meeting manufacturers. If you continue with that thought, you will also know the industry and where it’s headed, which is very valuable information that you can apply to your shots.

So get out into the world! Start doing other things that you love, and meeting other people who share your interests. Develop your niche, and have fun with commercial photography.