I’ve learned that it takes more than just being decent at what you do, in order to make a living at it. I would guess that being able to take good photographs, even though that is an absolute MUST, is nowhere near the top of the list.
You have to be good at time management. People want to schedule portrait sittings and you have to know your schedule and how much time you have.
You have to be able to calculate your expenses and know what cash flow means. You can be competetively priced but losing money because you present your photos in nice looking envelopes or albums.
You have to be good at marketing. I still haven’t gotten a clue on this one folks. I make sure to let everyone know I’m in the business of taking pictures, and I show them off every chance I get but I’m not reaching the right folks.
You also have to be able to sell. Even though all my friends and co-workers know I’m really into photography and that I take decent photos, I have sold very few.
So many more things to learn…