If there’s one thing a photographer needs to get work, it’s a portfolio. People want to see their photographic style and the types of photographs they take, and it’s important to have a theme running through your photographic portfolio.

Ideally your portfolio should reflect the work you would like to gain in the future. For example, if you’re want to get into wedding photography, you should have a large portfolio of wedding photographs, all finished to a high standard, reflecting your style.

This is why, if you’re a new starter, you should become a photography assistant for a current wedding photographer, you can then build up a photographic portfolio that can help you find work in the future, whilst you’re bound to learn a great deal from the photographer you’re assisting.

Food photography is not easy is as it looks; it’s not just a case of getting the food in the cameras frame and pressing the shutter. If food looks good in real life, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to look good when it’s photographed, but correct lighting can help.

Using photo studio lights can be really good, or even natural daylight, whilst making sure you set the right aperture on your camera is also important. For food photography, you want it to stand out and look good, which is why we recommend a shallow depth of field, perhaps using the lowest possible aperture your camera can handle, maybe F2.1.

This can create a blurred background effect whilst keeping the food itself in focus, and that’s exactly what you want. And with adequate lighting you’ll be able to make food look as tasty in a photograph as it does in real life, perhaps even more so in the photo editing-stage.

To be able to make it as a professional photographer and to begin to sell your services, you have to have a portfolio, and becoming a photographer’s assistant is a great way in achieving this, the bonus is that you also get to understand how they run their business and the equipment they use.

There may be certain rules and stipulations that come with each photographer; some may not pay you for use of your photographs, even if they are sold to a customer or client. Others may have rules when they are working, perhaps not taking photographs when they are, as it can distract them.

Always chose a photographer that you aspire to be like. If you want to start you own wedding photography business, you should search through various websites and find a wedding photographer whose work you love, and preferably a wedding photographer who has created a successful business.

There’s no wrong way to become a professional photographer, but the most common first step is becoming a photography assistant, and there are plenty of opportunities out there if you search hard enough.

Events occur constantly, whether it’s a wedding, a christening, a school play, a football match or a birthday party to name a few. And each event can make for a great bunch of photographs, especially if the right photographer is selected.

Many photographers class themselves as an ‘events photographer’ but aren’t all photographers ‘event photographers? Some will argue that every photograph has recorded an event. This makes choosing an event photographer quite difficult, and a documentary photographer could provide the exact photographic service you are looking for.

Usually for a wedding photographer individuals will search for someone who only photographs weddings, and that’s fine but for more casual events like a birthday party, you may just be looking for someone to accurately record or document the event through a set of images. This is where a documentary photographer comes in. It’s not to say that their pictures will be bland, that isn’t the case at all, but a photojournalist or a documentary photographer will not stage images or set up shots, which can make the event feel a lot more comfortable.

Another benefit in choosing a documentary event photographer is due to the fact that the images will not appear fake. By this I mean from excessive editing. Usually, a documentary photographer or photojournalist will follow a set of ‘moral guidelines’, and one of which tends to be not to manipulate images to the point of falsification, and your final results will appear real, and representative of the event.

Wedding photographs are some of the most sacred photographs an individual can have, and the downside is that they are out of your control, so cooing a good wedding photographer is essential.

Firstly you need to know the type of photographer you want, whether it’s someone who stages photographs, involves backdrops, or someone who acts as a fly on the wall and records the day’s events without attempting to have an influence (a documentary wedding photographer).

Now your search is narrowed, there are many capabilities a wedding photographer needs. One thing, perhaps the most obvious, is a professional camera, such as an SLR, where lenses can be changed so photographs vary.

Their editing skills must also be checked out, find out what software they use, and ask for ‘before and after’ examples. No photograph is going to come out perfect, so editing is vital, aspect may need to be changes, and they should possess the skills to make those changes, whether it’s removing a distraction, bringing out colour, removing red-eye, and so on.

Their portfolios should vary, no two images are the same, and a good photographer can be flexible and photograph in different ways using different techniques.

They should also be just as interested in your wedding as you are in their work. A good wedding photographer will have questions to ask, and their passion will show. Remember to take your time when choosing a wedding photographer; those images will stay with you for life.