Important facts

• There are many factors that go into becoming a portrait photographer.
• Lighting, posing and location play huge roles in capturing a portrait alone.
• There are options between working for other companies(like JCP or Target studios), other photographers who need assistants or branching out on your own as a freelancer.
• When you work for someone most things are decided for you (what your job description is) but when you work for yourself there is a lot of work to be done. when you work for yourself you have to give it your all otherwise your business will not be going anywhere
• when you're self-employed you have to set up appointments and go to them. You have to own your own equipment or be able to rent it when you need it. You have to advertise yourself. You have to photograph and edit your own photographs or pay someone else to edit them for you.  You have to go out and find people to photograph because the clients will not always find you.
• A college education is not a requirement but is highly recommended because it's never a bad idea to improve on your skills. 
• If you do not wish to attend college, you can always get a job assisting a professional photographer to learn all that you need to know or get some type of internship with a photo company to learn all the basics and more
• A typical work week for a portrait photographer can vary depending on your appointments, any editing you may have to do, any advertising you may need to do, equipment you have vs what you need and so much more. 
• Your work week may change based on a clients schedule, wants and/or needs.
• Pricing structure may vary as well based on what you value your time, equipment usage, the material you are giving away as well as how many photographs your client needs or wants.
• Pricing structure will also vary regardless of whether you are self-employed or work for another person. If you work for another person or company than the pricing may be fixed based on hourly, for the whole day or based on any packages they may offer.
• According to the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) the average annual income is $40,280 for a photographer. You can make anywhere from $9.00 an hour to $36 dollars an hour. 
• Different organizations you can join include ASMP (American society of Media Photographers), PPA (Professional Photographers of America), PPGNY (Professional Photographers of Greater New York),  and WPPI (Wedding Portrait Photography International)
• The purpose of these organizations is for networking and getting yourself out there. It's to educate yourself on your legal rights and so that you have a community that will stand up for you if your rights as a photographer get violated.