How to Build a Successful Career in Photography

Many people enter photography believing that success is primarily about talent, style, or owning the right gear, but working professionals know better. Sustainable photography careers are built on professionalism, preparation, and the ability to adapt to changing client needs. As commercial photographer Thomas Ingersoll puts it, “clients aren’t hiring a person—they’re hiring a business.” This distinction shapes everything from how photographers communicate with clients to how they manage shoots, teams, and expectations.

Clear communication and expectation management is central to that professionalism. Understanding who has creative decision-making authority and setting realistic deliverables all contribute to smoother productions and stronger client relationships. Thomas’s approach emphasizes leading the set calmly while under-promising and over-delivering—all habits that build trust and lead to repeat work.

Adaptability is equally critical. Commercial photography increasingly overlaps with video, motion, and larger production teams, so photographers that evolve with those demands remain competitive. Throughout his career, Thomas has succeeded by adjusting his skill set, hiring experienced assistants when needed, and acting as a curator and director rather than trying to do everything alone.

In today’s market, long-term success in photography depends less on isolated creative brilliance and more on the professional systems that support it.

Starting Out: Thomas Ingersoll’s Unconventional Path Into Photography

Like many creatives, Thomas didn’t begin his career with a clear plan to become a professional photographer. While studying a major he struggled to connect with, he took a single photography class and discovered and unexpected pull toward the medium. That experience shifted not only his coursework, but how he approached learning itself. Rather than following his original degree plan, he pursued photography classes wherever they were available through local community colleges, experimenting across styles and genres to build both creative and technical range.

What sustained that interest was a desire to understand how photographs are made, not just how they look. Thomas became deeply curious about how photographers shape light, use strobes, and adapt to evolving technology to achieve consistent results. That curiosity drove him to experiment across action, portrait, landscape, and event photography, forming a broad foundation that later proved essential when transitioning into professional and commercial work.

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From Low-Paying Gigs to Commercial Clients

Like many photographers early in their careers, Thomas began with work that paid the bills but offered limited long-term growth. Wedding photography provided an accessible entry point and solid experience, but it quickly became clear that it wasn’t the direction he wanted to pursue. As he learned more about the industry, Thomas became increasingly interested in commercial photography, which combines creative problem-solving with larger budgets, structured production, and repeat client relationships.

Breaking into that space was not immediate. Thomas spent two to three years walking into ad agencies, requesting meetings, and showing his portfolio. Most conversations went nowhere. Some meetings were polite, but noncommittal while others ended quickly. Still, the process helped him understand how agencies evaluate photographers and what commercial clients actually look for when hiring.

His first meaningful commercial opportunity came when a local gym discovered his work online and hired him for a $2,000 shoot which was the most he had earned on a single project up to that point. While modest by commercial standards, the job marked an important shift for him. It required assistants, tighter planning, and a more professional production mindset, reinforcing that photography at this level is just as much about logistics sand coordination as it is about creative output.

Not long after, those years of agency outreach paid off. An advertising agency reached out to invite Thomas to bid on a casino project, but unsure of how to price or structure the estimate, he leaned on his relationship with the photography community. Thomas was able to seek guidance from a peer with more experience in commercial bidding and with that support, submitted a proposal and landed the job: approximately $18,000 for five to six images. More importantly, the successful execution led to a long-term relationship, resulting in years of repeat work with the same agency.

That progression—from low-paying gigs, to small commercial jobs, to sustained agency relationships—illustrates how photography careers are often built. Growth came not from a single breakthrough moment, but from persistence, professional development, and learning how to operate within the business realities of commercial photography.

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Practical Advice for Photographers Who Want to Make a Living

As Thomas’s career developed, consistency became as important as creativity. Rather than relying on viral marketing or personal content, he adopted a deliberate approach to marketing his work. His focus stays on the projects he’s shooting and on those where his role is as a collaborator, using real-world examples as proof of capability. Early on, he invested time in understanding digital marketing skills, particularly social media and paid advertising, to help bring visibility to his business which still plays a significant role in attracting commercial clients.

Just as important was how that work was presented. Thomas learned that a single portfolio does not speak equally well to every audience. Different markets evaluate creative risk in different ways, and presenting the same work to all potential clients can create confusion rather than clarity. To address this, he’s tailored his online presence to match client expectations.

For example, Thomas Ingersoll’s client website emphasizes clean, commercial viable imagery suited to smaller, more risk-averse markets like Phoenix, where clients often prioritize reliability and brand alignment over stylistic experimentation.

Another version highlights more creative, artistic work designed for larger agencies and markets such as New York or Chicago, where originality and conceptual strength carry greater weight and competition between photographers is higher. This segmentation allows each audience to quickly understand how his work fits their needs without diluting his overall brand.

Together, these strategies reflect a broader principle: photographers who treat marketing and portfolio presentation as strategic tools rather than afterthoughts are better positioned to attract the right clients, command higher budgets, and build sustainable careers over time.

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What This Means for Aspiring Photographers Today

Thomas Ingersoll’s career makes one thing clear: sustainable photography careers still exist, but they are built intentionally. His progression from small, low-paying gigs to large commercial shoots wasn’t the result of viral exposure or sudden luck. It came from consistently delivering professional work, building trust with clients, and understanding how reputation compounds over time. As that reputation grew, so did the scale of the projects he was trusted to lead.

Professionalism plays a central role in that compounding effect. Clear communication, reliable execution, and respect for the collaborative nature of commercial work encourage clients to return and to recommend photographers to others. In an industry where repeat work and referral soften matter more than one-off projects, those behaviors become a competitive advantage.

Equally important is the role of education, mentorship, and community. Whether through formal schooling, peer networks, or professional communities, photographers who seek guidance and remain curious shorten the learning curve significantly. They make fewer costly mistakes, adapt more quickly to industry shifts, and gain insight that would take years to discover alone. Thomas’s experience shows that success in photography isn’t about finding a single right path—it’s about building the skills, habits, and support systems that allow a career to grow over time.

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Practical Takeaways for Photographers

Here are some takeaways from this enlightening interview with Thomas Ingersoll:

• Treat photography as a business: professionalism, reliability, and clear communication matter as much as creative skill.
• Market your work by showcasing real projects and client collaborations rather than personal content.
• Use digital marketing and local visibility to attract commercial opportunities.
• Tailor your portfolio and website to different audiences instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Seek out education, mentors, and professional communities to shorten the learning curve and avoid costly mistakes.

Build Your Portfolio With Us

If you are a high school graduate, you can study with experts in the industry by becoming a student with Sessions College. With various program levels available, students are able to build out their own education journey.

• Begin with the 24-credit Undergraduate Certificate in Digital Photography. Learn the fundamentals of using a DSLR camera and begin building a body of work along the way.
• Advance to a 72-credit Associate Degree in Digital Photography. Build advanced skills, learn to market yourself as a photographer, and finish with a guidance-backed portfolio.
• Complete your journey with a 120-credit Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Photography. Begin honing in on your style by creating projects based on what you’re passionate with feedback from instructors and then celebrate your graduation with a professionally published portfolio.

For information on more Live Events from Sessions College, visit our Sessions Live page.