how do I get recognized as a photographer

Hi Alpha,

I am not a photographer but I will offer my advice as someone who has some experience in getting a career in a creative industry.

1. Use social media - this is a great way to promote yourself - you can put your pictures on a social media site like Instagram to get more exposure. You can also include your details so people can get in touch if they like your work and would like to offer you a job
2. Decide what kind of photography you really like - do you like to photograph people, landscapes, events? By deciding, you will know what you need to pursue - maybe you can become an event photographer
3. Develop a portfolio - pick your best work and put it as part of a portfolio that you can show to potential clients or share with people on a website. This will help people understand what your work is like and get in touch with you

I hope these few bits of advice helps!

1. Start selling yourself online. The more you do it, the more you get used to doing it and then the more confident you will become.

2. When you post photographs on social media, rename the titles of the image file to keywords relevant to the subject of the photograph (dont leave them as DSLR name/number) and make sure you add your name into the title too. Use hashtags in your post text. For instance, landscapephotography eventphotographs portraitphotography ;etc

3. Enter photography competitions. Google them. There will be lots. Dont be afraid to enter the popular competitions, as well as the more local ones. Entering is good the experience for you.

4. You need to stand out from the crowd; learn your craft. Look at professional photographers work: what makes their work unique, what makes it stand out from everyone else's photographs.

5. Consider a photography course to improve your work, understand the market for selling photographs online, learn more about the photography industry.

6. Consider uploading your work online to showcase it and sell it. Upload your work to FlickR, Fineartamerica, etc. And because your work is uploaded online, it will be globally accessible.

I hope some of this helps.

You’re going to have to invest some time and patience into an online portfolio Wordpress is good for this sort of thing. Pick your best work and don’t get lazy and never update your portfolio... you can also take pictures and put them on Instagram but they shouldn’t be nearly as good as the ones in your site.

Hi Alpher D.,

You must have a desire to become a photographer, which is a great thing. In order for you to get recognized by others, you should take a lot of photographs and create a nice portfolio to display your work. You may want to consider to attend networking events to connect with photography companies and other photographers so that you can show off your portfolio and discuss about your experiences as a photographer. Make sure you have business cards and take your camera everywhere you go.

The photographs you clicked need to be seen:

1. Find websites that may want to display your work. Realise that the websites don't have to be photography-related to show your images.
2. Use the Creative Commons license.
3. 3. Make your photos useful.
4. Create a Blurb book.
5. Talk to your local paper.
6. Business cards for your website.
7. Social networking.

Hi Alpha,

Well, I'll begin with I am a photographer. Although I am comfortable shooting most anything a client requests, I have been primarily shooting sports the last five years. You do not indicate an interest in a specific genre of photography or if you're interested in being a professional,

So, I'll give you some general suggestions that might lead to recognition. You can use social media like Facebook and Instagram to generate interest. Enter photography competitions, maybe a local business will let you display some of your images, shoot for your school newspaper or yearbook, join a photography club, put together a portfolio and create a Facebook page such as; Alpha Photography.

That should get you started. Best of luck.