Saturday, May 24, 2008

Should You Become a Weather Photographer?

Do you enjoy the weather, namely the beauty of it? If you do, have you ever thought about becoming a professional weather photographer? If not, this is an opportunity that you may want to give a close look. In fact, it is an activity and career opportunity that many weather enthusiasts find fun and exciting.

When it comes to being a weather photographer, it is important to remember that you do have a number of different options. For starters, you can be a paid, professional weather photographer or you may prefer being an amateur photographer, for personal purposes only. With that in mind, you may be curious as to whether or not weather photography is right for you. When examining weather photography and if it is right for you, there are a number of important questions that you will want to ask yourself.

One of the questions that you will want to ask yourself is if you have a love for the weather. If you regularly find yourself tracking the weather, like your snow or rainfall totals, at home or if you enjoy finding amazing weather pictures on the internet, you may want to take up weather photography.

It is also important to examine the equipment that you do have or the equipment that you can buy. Many weather photographers rely on professional cameras, as well as camcorders to get the best shots and videos. With that in mind, it is also important to focus on your purpose for photographing the weather. If you are interested in working as a paid professional photographer, you may need more equipment.

Speaking of your goals, are you interested in pursuing weather photography as a career or just as a hobby? Although weather photography is a great career and it may also prove to be a profitable one, it can be difficult to break into. For that reason, even if you hope to become a professional photographer, you may still want to start out small. You can do this by treating it as a hobby first. This will ensure that you do not run into financial trouble when pursing a career as a weather photographer.

Another one of the many questions that you will want to ask yourself, when trying to determine if weather photography is right for you, is your ability to drop everything and run. What is amazing about the weather is that it is unpredictable. A simple thunderstorm can turn into a tornado producing storm in as little as a few minutes. If you are serious about working as a professional weather photographer, it is important that you have the ability, time, and freedom to do so.

As it was previously stated, a simple thunderstorm can unexpectedly spawn a tornado. This is one of the many dangers associated with weather photography. In fact, many weather photographers work with storm chasers. If you are interested in doing so, you need to be able to think quickly on your feet and be good at problem solving under pressure. Are these qualities that describe you?

By honestly and accurately answering the above mentioned questions, you should be able to determine if weather photography is right for you, either as a hobby or as a career. Should you decide that it is, be sure to have a plan in place before you head out into the field.

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