Education · 1 of 4

The path

Nothing here is required. This is the route most working photographers actually took.

1. 1

   Shoot constantly

   From now

   Friends, sports teams, events, anything. The only way to get good is volume.

2. 2

   School, or not

   0 to 4 years

   A two-year college diploma or a four-year degree such as Sheridan College's honours bachelor of photography, which runs eight semesters with a 14-week internship. Plenty of working photographers skip this.

3. 3

   Assist a working photographer

   1 to 2 years

   Carrying gear, setting lights, managing files. You learn the business side that no course teaches.

4. 4

   Build a portfolio and a niche

   Ongoing

   Weddings, food, real estate, sport, newborns, products. Clients hire specialists, not generalists.

5. 5

   Register a business

   A few weeks

   A business number, invoices, liability insurance, contracts and taxes. This is the part that ends most photography careers.