One of the discussions I was having with some friends recently, was how everyone in the digital age seems to be a "photographer". Now most of you who know me realize I have a day job and photography is not the way I make my living. I love to shoot and I do it on my own terms without having to worry about making deadlines and dealing with someone else's idea of creativity. I honestly would shoot for free and do so at times for friends and projects that seem worthwhile. I'll spend my own money to fly down to Mexico to participate in the Ujena Jam, all the while giving my images to a company that has the rights to use them without compensation. I also realize I would not have the opportunity to choose from 60 or more models to shoot with, without that opportunity. Ain't gonna happen unless it's in some Hawaiian Tropic contest in a bar, using a harsh flash, with crappy backgrounds.

Anyway, it seems that with the advent of digital, everyone is a photographer. Strap on that big 600mm lens, whir the shutter to 9 fps and you're bound to capture an image, right? Rosanne and I recently attended Jazz Fest in New Orleans and I was amazed at how many fanny packs and Lowepro and Tamrac backpacks their were. Everyone had seemed to have a D70 or D200 around their neck. The great thing about the jazz fest, there is was no 2 song limit if you were shooting, just fire away like a machine gun and you capture that special moment.

Well I ran across Ken Rockwell's "How to go Pro" Article and let me tell you, it's not to encouraging to those that are looking for the glitz and glamor of a pro shooter.

A couple of tasty nuggets:

There are very few full time jobs in photography. The few out there are working at a photo lab or running the portrait booth at Wal-Mart.

According to Education Portal in 2002, the average annual salary of people employed as photographers was $24,040.

There are tens of millions of photographers. Photographs don't usually earn a business much money. Therefore there isn't much money there to employ photographers, and when there is, there are so many photographers who often will work for free that employers don't need to pay very much to fill the spot.

Photography is self-taught. Ansel Adams' only formal education came from working in a San Francisco photo lab one summer. I and everyone I know who does this for a living taught themselves. I read books and practiced.

It's nice to have a degree from a photo school, but costs more in money and lost career time than it's worth. If you have what it takes you can teach yourself faster. If you don't have the eye, no schooling will teach it to you.

An examination of Brooks's (Institute) records showed not a single 2003 graduate had even $50,000 of earning potential. Brooks reported that 45 graduates employed full time earned an average income of about $26,000. Let's see: average photographer earns $24,040, Brooks grad earns $26,000. You can make $1,960 more a year if you go to Brooks. Of course the average debt level of the people who got jobs and went to Brooks was $74,000 each. That means you might break even in 40 years. But wait - there were only 45 grads employed full-time, and Brooks runs about 300 students at a time and growing

Still want to be a photographer? Then go for it, just don't expect to become a Rock Star. But maybe you can shoot them.