Other Training

Short (one day or weekend) workshops are also a great way to learn some new techniques. One fashion photographer who holds a one-day workshop charges about $400 per person to attend. Another high-end professional charges about the same per day for a multi-day class.

Workshops taught by professionals in the business run about $400 per day.

While you can find other workshops that cost less, or more, this is at least a good average to use when researching your options and determining the going rate.

Equipment

When it comes to equipment, the amount you can expect to spend is all over the place. A lot depends on the quality, speed and capabilities of the items you select. You can find an inexpensive digital camera for $300, while you can also spend several thousand on a professional option. In addition, lenses and lighting kits can each come in economical versions for a few hundred, or can cost you in the thousands for the higher end versions. Basically, you get what you pay for. People in the field suggest starting with the best quality you can reasonably afford, then working your way up to bigger and better things as your income and your need grows.

Several working professionals estimate that they spend between $1,000 to $2,000 a year on their equipment needs.

This is probably a good range to budget to get yourself set up initially, and then you can assume you may need to continue to invest this annually on upgrades and adding new equipment to stay current in the ever-changing world.

What You Can Expect To Make

Since it’s likely that you may have some steep student loans to pay and other equipment-related expenses to cover, you may wonder what you will make once you get out of school and start earning a living. Some magazines make beginning fashion photographers pay their dues by covering only your expenses, not your time, to shoot for them. But in return, you will get exposure and tear sheets, which can be valuable over the long-term. Other well-known fashion magazines will pay their unknown photographers, offering anything from a few hundred dollars up to $130,000 or more for a fashion spread. While this isn’t a field that will make you rich starting out, the good news is that the potential to make good money is there and better yet, if you love what you are doing, in the end that is what really counts.