As Andrew and I traveled from wedding to wedding every weekend, we heard the same comments again and again.
“You really make a good living flying all over and attending weddings?”
“You make money by partying every weekend?”
“They pay you to have this much fun?”
Yep, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Who wouldn’t love working 25 to 30 days of the year, travel anywhere our clients chose to fly us into, and yes, spend our working hours at some of the best parties in town?
To me, that’s one of the highlights of being a photographer. But you don’t get that way by simply charging a small fee, and snapping a few photos of your neighbors’ kids. You have to choose that type of lifestyle. The lifestyle others will always envy, yet you can make a reality.
While you can travel with more traditional types of photography – portraits, weddings, commercial – there is another area that guarantees it. Travel photography.
To me, travel photography means exactly that – you travel anywhere you choose to photograph, and find a way to sell the images that you create along the way. You can do that by:
- Selling directly to magazines, publications, and publishers.
- Selling to stock or microstock houses.
- Become a fine art photographer, and selling your work to galleries.
- Or something in between.
How about creating your own book? Or working directly with a franchise to furnish each of their storefronts’ artwork? Want your own television show – Art Wolf makes a living photographing and creating a show around his travels.
First step – decide what type of photographer you want to be. Look to names that are already out there doing it, and study their direction.
Second step – become the best photographer possible. Study and practice all the time.
Third step – do it. Book your plane ticket, make your first travel plans, and connect with someone in the industry. You have to take the first step to get things done.
