I get a lot of emails from students doing a project on a photographer.

I'm happy to respond but, as much of the time the questions are the same, I have decided to post some of the previous questions and answers here so you can cut and paste them yourself.

If you have questions that are not covered here or in one of the other information sections (bio, cv etc) then feel free to email me and I'll do my best to answer them.

I'm sure there's no single answer to your question, but I'll briefly tell you how I went about it.

1. Start taking a lot of photos.
2. Enter plenty of competitions.
3. Set up a stall at the markets and sell your photos.
4. Set up a web site to sell your photos.
5. Hit the road and take more photos.

If the feedback from steps 2 and 3 aren't promising eg. you don't sell many photos at the markets, then either go back to step 1 or get a normal job.

As you're only 17 step 5 is probably not on yet, but I did go overseas at 18, and spent the next 10 years travelling and photographing the world.

In any case you will almost certainly need a real job as there's little money in landscape work, especially B&W. If you're really keen on photography, then find employment in a studio or other photographic establishment. Working in a studio is good training, but you have to photograph what you're told to, still there's weekends for landscapes, and you can probably borrow some good equipment.

The other option is to find a job in another field, not in a shop or something that requires weekend work, and hone your skills on the weekends and holidays.

I worked in computing while selling at the markets, the steady income certainly took the pressure off my photography as I didn't HAVE to make money.

I was born in Melbourne, 1954, grew up in various places and situations, ie.

• dairy farm, Sommerville (near Melbourne)
• suburban house, Mentone (in Melbourne)
• sheep/cattle farm Wolumla (South Coast, NSW)
• normal houses, Merimbula (South Coast, NSW)
• went to boarding school, Sydney
• kicked out of school, never went back (to school or any other institution of learning)
• went overseas by ship at 18
• bought camera in Panama
• got hooked on photography
• travelled around world until 1981
• worked as electronic engineer then computer nerd until 1998
  returned to photography part time, 1993
• had mid-life crisis, quit job, built weird motorhome and hit road, 2001

That's the last 48 years in a nutshell, not much when you say it quick.

What do you like about this career?
Almost complete freedom to photograph anything I like.

What did you do before you became what you are now?
Computing/electronics engineer.

What is your everyday routine as a photographer? (Of course without brushing teeth etc.)
Up before dawn looking for photos, middle of the day writing, scanning or relaxing, then out into the field again late afternoon. Back home after dark for a beer.

What don’t you like very much about your job? What is the most frustrating aspect of your job?
Carrying heavy equipment. Missing great shots.

What are two personal qualities which are helpful in this kind of work?
Fitness and of course the ability to "see" photographs.

How have changes or trends in society and the media affected your career?
They haven't, people like landscape/nature photography as much now as they always have.

What would be your next goal?
To sell more photos and set up the fulfilment side of the business (producing and shipping prints) to run without my intervention.

What is the current outlook for jobs in this field, and will this outlook may change in the future?
Plenty of opportunities but almost no money, partly because the public is not used to spending money on original photographs of rocks and trees, and partly because every man and his dog photographs rocks and trees.

Would you mind sharing exceptional experiences you had with me?
Sitting atop Mt Townsend or The Castle as the day fades. Spending the day with a pride of lions. Watching dolphins surfing.

Do you think the average pay scale for this position is appropriate for the level of responsibilities that are required? Can you explain why or why not?
Yes, the pay matches the responsibilities very well. There's almost no pay but also no responsibilities. I seldom do commissioned work, I basically wander around the country looking for good images, therefore I have no real pressure to produce anything on a given day. As mentioned above however there is also little remuneration for doing this.

How did you get into photography?
In 1972 I bought a camera in Panama to take happy snaps of my first overseas trip. Then got hooked.

What keeps you motivated and interested?
Getting new images, there's always another landscape and a better shot I can do.

What is your most satisfying project? Photographing African wildlife and having the story and photos published in Signpost magazine.

What equipment do you use?
See the equipment section.

Do you use any digital cameras/ editing?
Can't afford a good enough camera yet, also digital camera do not have wide angle lenses at present. I shoot film then scan the negs and use Photoshop to edit and print.

What is your favourite field and why? Thus, what inspires you to take the photos that you do?
These days it's landscapes, specifically B&W large format. I like being in the bush and trying to "capture" a little part of that on film.

What is your favourite place to take the photos in this field? Why?
Morton National Park (the Budawangs) and Kosciuszko NP because there is great scenery and bad weather (good for dramatic skies).

What keeps you involved with it?
Who knows, it's certainly not the money :-)

What is your most satisfying photo? (can I find it on your website?)
Probably "Tranquil Light", it's in gallery #2

Have you ever experienced any monumental failures? (Has a project, or the like, ever gone wrong?)
Four days in the Budawang ranges, about 20 sheets of film exposed and only one good image.

Is there someone who motivates and inspires you? Who? Why?
Ansel Adams, John Sexton, Bruce Barnbaum et al because of the shots they took/take.

What’s next for Rob Gray?
Travel around Australia for 10 years, hopefully building up a large and good body of work. Then maybe open a small gallery somewhere.

Have you fulfilled all your ambitions when it comes to your photography?
No, I'm neither rich nor famous.

Did you find the industry difficult to get in to?
No, just showed my photos to an employer.

How time consuming is your career?
A few hours a week taking photos, more spent scanning and a few more on the computer updating the web site. But then I'm semi-retired.

What advice would you give to someone trying to get into the industry?
Make sure you're doing it because you love taking photos, because the hours can be long and hard, and the pay's not good.

What is it about photography that inspires you?
Don't know, I just love taking photos and producing fine prints. I like the look of the results.

Do you think you can be taught to be a photographer or do you need natural talent?
You cannot be taught if you have no talent. If you can't "see" images then do something else. If you can then it's possible to teach you to refine that vision and to instil enthusiasm which is the next most important thing.

Do you consider yourself to be an artist? Why?
I suppose so, in as much as anybody who creates something is.

How you found expression in your work. How easy is it to find this expression? Does it depend on if you have had a lot of training or practice and take a "good" photograph, or is it more the emotions associated with the picture?
I just wander around looking for shots, pretty simple really. Training helps with the technical aspects but not with "seeing" images. You can either do that or not, although some environments like workshops help to bring out the creativity in people.

How is artistic photography different from all the other areas?
For one thing you don't have an immediate client that needs to be satisfied.
Naturally if you're trying to sell your images you still have "clients" but the feedback is not immediate, it may take you years to realise that people don't (or do) like your images.
With commercial work you know immediately.

What are it's boundaries?
None.

How much does photography mean to you?
A lot but you got to have a life as well. I used to eat and breath photography, these days I have other interests but photography is still the main one.

When you retire, how do you want to be best remembered?
As one of Australia's best landscape photographers.