Hi All - a good friend of mine suggested this site, so I came to say hello. I've been trying to build my business as a photographer for a little over a year now. I started out mostly focusing on portraits, but have opened myself up to other things now, such as events, headshots, and even real estate photos. I do a lot of volunteer work shooting children's theatre locally, and have leveraged that as networking to meet new clients.

Starting a business as a photog is tough, and the path is unclear at first. To get work, you really need to have a portfolio, and to build a portfolio, you really need some work. Figuring out that paradox is the first step.

Along the way I've learned a LOT about marketing and advertising, and maybe more importantly, about networking.

I don't have any "formal" training in photography, but instead attended the University of YouTube, and also followed some excellent books and other sources of learning. Not a day seems to go buy that I don't spend some time trying to learn something new, or trying to employ a new technique or style that I've learned about.

The bottom line is that I love photography. I still have a "day job" to help pay the bills, but I hope someday that I won't need it. I would really much rather be behind my camera, working face to face with clients, and putting my artistic mark on the photos that are produced.

Nice to meet you all.

-Todd