To get photography work experience, try to begin preparing for it as soon as you can. If photography is a passion of yours and you pursue it even informally, it's likely that photographers looking for an assistant to learn the profession would consider choosing you. Learn all you can through articles, online tutorials or weekend workshops as well as in formal photography courses, if possible. Showcasing your best photographs on a website may help you get noticed for your talents if you promote the site. Volunteer to do the lighting for high school or college theater companies as well as to take photographs at friends' or family members' weddings or other special occasions.
Special occasion photography is typically always in demand, so that can be a good area in which to focus your efforts after you've learned the basic skills and experimented with taking different types of pictures. With a friend's or family member's permission, you may find that the professional wedding or other event photographer he or she has hired would be agreeable to having you tag along as a career shadowing exercise. You won't get paid, while he or she will, but the chance for you to learn professional photography tips and take your own photos can be priceless. If you place your successful photographs from the event on your website, you'll have a portfolio to show when you're applying to get photography work experience.
You may even want to start a blog about your passion for photography and what you learn through the pictures you take. Be sure that your writing is excellent and error-free though or it may ruin the look of your photographs for potential employers looking for an intern or assistant. You can do some research to find professional photographers in your area to ask about getting photography work experience. Many photographers provide on-the-job training in an internship or even a paid position. Giving a hiring photographer a link to your blog and gallery of photos you took may impress him or her and help you stand out from other candidates.
It's important to learn the technical side of the industry rather than just the creative part of capturing images on a digital or other type of camera. For example, learning about light meters, how to do equipment checks and understanding digital files and cataloging may help you get paid photography work experience. In addition to technical and creative skills, make a point to be organized, personable and hard working, as interpersonal ability in the field can all be beneficial toward obtaining future opportunities as a photographer.
