I recently received this email:

Like in most other areas, there are shortage of people who want to become professional photographers.  The Orange County market is at least relatively healthy (compared to other parts of the country), and there are a number of opportunities for Orange County Photographers to find work.

That said, becoming a successful photographers is not unlike becoming a successful actor; there are quite simply too few jobs for the many people who are interested in becoming professional photographers.  Under the best circumstances, only perhaps the best 5-10% will be able to make a sustainable living in the field, and only a few of those will reach the levels that we define as highly successful.  To be successful as a professional photographer in Orange County (or anywhere else), she has to have a combination of strong technical skills, great artistic vision, a savvy sense of business, and a huge amount of drive.

If she doesn’t want to be a photographer more than anything else in the world, then chances are she will be happier in another profession.

The wedding and portrait market (especially for Orange County Photographers) generally has more opportunity than the commercial market (magazines, ads, and other forms of photography that promote products and services).  There is simply more work.

I’d encourage your daughter to take some extension classes or workshops before she graduates to really get a feel for what professional photography is like.   I don’t know if there are any options in Orange County, but in Los Angeles you can look at the Julia Dean Workshops, UCLA Extension, Art Center at Night, Santa Monica City College, and you can always consider sending her away for a week at the Santa Fe Workshops.

I hope that I’ve been of some help, and wish your daughter the best of luck at whatever she may decide to pursue.

Mark Robert Halper