[CK1]

you beat me to the punch. i was thinking about starting a thread like this. i will post my advice here and delete my other post.

1- Take pictures. like anything in life, practice makes perfect. you will know your camera, lenses, etc. start with friends, family, your dog, anything. that is your best time to experiment. don't experiment when you have an actual model because you are wasting her/his time. plus you will probably not get the images you want. if you want to try to experiment with a couple of extra shots, then by all means. but, for example, if you want to take underwater pictures, know that you have the right equipment for it and how to use it. reading the manual while the model is freezing is not good form.

2- build a portfolio. you know the difference between a guy with a camera and a photographer? the work they do. and what will have people thinking of you as a photographer is the work you show them.

3- when working with models. know what you are going to shoot. if its your idea, her idea, a combined idea. because you will be able to get better shots. you don't have to know every shot you want to get but having a general idea will help.

4- know and respect a model's boundaries. Models always know other models. because they work with them or because they talked about their work. if you get a bad reputation, it will be impossible to overcome. but if they speak highly of you, then you will have models coming to you.

That covers the basics of working as a photographer... even if its just as a hobby.