Your Old Career Might Be the Beginning of Your Photography Career

Changing careers doesn’t mean starting over. Sometimes, everything you’ve done before becomes part of what makes you valuable behind the camera.

There is a photograph in my portfolio that reminds me of this.

Long before Learn Photography Canada, and long before I was making my living with a camera, I spent 15 years with Shell Canada. During those years I worked in service, sales and marketing. I learned about customers. I learned about business. I learned how important relationships are. And I became part of a community of people I respected and enjoyed working with.

Eventually, my career took a different road.

I became a photographer.

And it would have been easy to look at those 15 years and think that chapter of my life was now behind me.

It wasn’t.

Sometimes You Get to Go Back — Just in a Different Role

The image above is from a Shell Rotella magazine advertisement that I had the opportunity to photograph.

Think about that for a moment.

I had once walked through the doors at Shell as an employee. Years later, I was able to walk back through those doors with a completely different identity.

This time, I was the photographer.

The experience I had gained during those 15 years hadn’t disappeared. Neither had the relationships.

In fact, they had become an asset.

I understood the company. I understood something about its customers and its culture. I understood sales and marketing and what an advertising image was ultimately supposed to accomplish.

The camera was a new skill.

But I wasn’t starting from zero.

And neither are you.

Your Photography Career Doesn’t Have to Start With Strangers

One of the questions I often hear from photographers is:

“How do I find people who will actually pay me to take photographs?”

My answer might surprise you.

Before looking for a completely new community, take a good look at the community you already have.

Where have you worked?

What industries do you understand?

Who have you served?

What organizations have you belonged to?

Who already knows you, trusts you and knows the quality of work you do?

We sometimes become so focused on learning photography that we forget something incredibly important:

Photography is a skill that can be brought into almost every industry.

There Have Never Been More Ways to Use a Camera

When people think about becoming a professional photographer, they often immediately think about weddings, portraits or perhaps family photography.

Those are wonderful opportunities.

But they are only a small part of what is possible.

Businesses today have an enormous appetite for visual content. They need photographs for websites, social media, LinkedIn, advertising, annual reports, recruiting, internal communications, events, product launches, training materials and newsletters.

Manufacturers need photographs of their products and the people who make them.

Construction companies need project photography.

Restaurants need food and lifestyle images.

Real estate professionals need property photography.

Tourism businesses need destination imagery.

Transportation companies need photographs of trucks, drivers, facilities and the stories behind them.

Small businesses need headshots and social-media content.

Organizations need event photographers.

And increasingly, businesses need people who can create a combination of photography, short-form video and social content.

The opportunities are changing quickly.

And that can be very good news for someone considering photography as a second career, side business or new source of income.

Your Previous Career May Be Your Competitive Advantage

Imagine two photographers approaching a company in an industry you’ve worked in for 10 or 20 years.

One understands photography.

The other understands photography and the industry.

Which one might have the advantage?

Your years as a teacher could lead to opportunities photographing schools and educational organizations.

Your construction background could lead to architectural, industrial or project photography.

Your years in hospitality could open doors with hotels, restaurants and tourism companies.

Your experience in transportation might eventually have you standing on the side of a highway photographing a truck for a national magazine advertisement.

I know that last one is possible. 😊

The things you’ve learned matter.

The relationships you’ve built matter.

The reputation you’ve developed matters.

And the community you’ve spent years becoming part of matters.

Don’t Throw Away the Road Behind You

When we change direction in life, there can be a temptation to draw a line between the old life and the new one.

I don’t think we need to.

Maybe those years weren’t simply preparing you for the career you had.

Maybe they were also preparing you for the career you’re about to have.

When you pick up your camera and begin developing your photography skills, don’t just ask:

“Where could photography take me?”

Ask another question:

“Where could I take photography?”

Take it back into the industries you know.

Take it into the businesses where you already have relationships.

Take it to the people who already know your character and your work ethic.

Your current employer might someday become your client.

Your former colleagues might become the people who recommend you.

Your professional network might become your first customer base.

And one day, you might find yourself walking back through a familiar door.

Only this time…

with a camera in your hand.