How to Become a Professional Photographer: The 3 Lenses You Need

Become a Professional Photographer 3 Lenses You Need

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Photography Business Institute
Photography Business Institute

Wondering how to become a professional photographer? If so, you might not be 100 percent sure which equipment you need.

Your budget is tight, so you can’t just go out and buy everything.

So where do you start?

I talked to Tony Corbell about this subject, and he discussed the equipment topic at length. He says you do need a few great lenses (and a professional camera to go with it, of course.)

But why? Because you don’t have to replace them! You’re going to keep these—and even though you’ll upgrade your camera body over time, these are going to be by your side for a long, long time. Whether you decide to go new or second-hand, there are lots of great options available.

Neither of us is into the Nikon vs. Canon debate, but we talked about the three different types of lenses that any professional photographer needs to have.

The three lenses

  1. A 16-35 mm lens

Great for: Creating an interesting look in different environments with wide-angle shots and super up-close subject matter.

  1. A 24-70 mm lens

Great for: Day-to-day use within family and child portrait photography. Deemed the “workhorse lens” for many, it provides a good range of close, mid-range, and distance shots. This is typically the stock lens that comes on your camera.

  1. 70-200 mm lens

Great for: Professional use when producing high-quality images. This is the “Big Daddy” lens that often helps distinguish hobbyists from professional photographers and provides vast depth of field.

As you practice with your different lenses, you’ll begin to notice which ones work best for the different types of work you produce. But these three are a good starting place as you begin to transition from hobby to professional photographer.

But aside from these three lenses, there’s obviously other equipment you’ll need, too—and Tony has lots of other insights he’ll be sharing on this subject in our Hobby to Jobby telesummit on Tuesday, February 24th.

The event is free and features all kinds of different topics and information you need to take your part-time gig and turn it into your full-time job.

Stop letting your photography only be your side job. You can make it as a pro! Learn how to become a professional photographer in one day. Sign up now!

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