Snapping photos is fun, as it brings out your creativity and presents a unique way of how you view your world. It is a hobby anyone can do and enjoy, but if you want to turn your photo-taking hobby into well-paying love labor, there are things that you need to learn and be ready for.

While there are so many phone photography hacks that you can do on your device to improve your hobby, being a professional photographer is a different thing. If the tips you have seen from TikTok videos work out for your selfies and portraits, then that is good, but no matter how advanced smartphone camera lenses, they cannot compare to professional equipment.

It was not until the late 2010s that smartphone cameras were made to be better and more powerful. For instance, if one remembers, the iPhone 5 in 2013 didn't have the same powerful lens as what the market has now. It only operated with a single lens that functions as both wide and macro.

So, if snapping photos is your hobby and you think you are good at it, perhaps it is time you switch with the big guns now, but before you do, this article would tell you everything you need to start with your photography gig. Here are some of the tools and gear you need.

The right camera equipment
As mentioned, even if the phone photography features are constantly evolving, some subjects and views hit differently when captured using a digital single-lens reflex camera or a mirrorless one. Let's focus on the prior.

A digital single-lens reflex camera, or more known as DSLR, is commonly used by photographers in different fields of the job. For fashion photographers, nature and animal photographers, street photographers, and even photojournalists, a DSLR is a versatile camera that can be personalized depending on the photographer's needs.

If the photographer wants a timelapse shot of the northern lights, they can easily mount a DSLR on a tripod, replace the kit lens with a 50 mm one, manually adjust the settings, wait, and voila. You then have Aurora Borealis on canvas. It is the reason being a phone photography enthusiast is still far different from when you have the right equipment and array of lenses to capture breathtaking photos.

A list of prospects
When you have the equipment and the right lenses, you can practice and maybe earn. Who's to say, but you? To do this, you need a list of prospects, and it does not necessarily mean people. You need to have a list of photography goals that you want to try out and perfect.

If you want to try out fashion photography, you need a subject and muse to achieve the perfect shot. If you want to be a respected photojournalist, you need a prospective event or place to take photos with a deeper meaning. Lastly, if you want to book events and start earning, a list of potential clients is a good start. From there, word of mouth can fall into place; if not, you can advertise your services on social media platforms.

Flexible storage options
After taking photos, what's next? Do you delete them the same way you do with your selfies? You work with your raw files and see how you can improve as a photographer and during the editing stage.

Professional photographers do not submit unedited raw photos to their clients and present them with a NoFilter hashtag. They work on their shots, blending colors properly, removing unwanted elements, and more. It is not cheating. It is akin to an editor checking a writer's article before publishing.

Thus, photographers need large storage, not to mention for distribution processes. Photographers deal with numerous files, excluding their own, which can get mixed up with other files. Hence, some prefer to upload their shots to online cloud storage for photos and send the link to their clients. This way, saving and distribution are easier and more efficient than ever before.

The personality
Somehow, the media has portrayed photographers as silent and mysterious characters to add more depth to the story. However, that is not and should not be the case. A photographer should be a people person that can socialize and direct his subject towards his vision. A photographer should make an uptight family smile on a portrait without being awkward and intrusive. Even nature and animal photographers need to be natural professionals with animals to get the right shot.

If snapping photos make you happy, and you know you are up to these challenges. There is no harm in trying. Life is too short to be limited only to our smartphones. It is time you put it down and get yourself a nice camera, and start doing what you love.