So you want to be a photographer | Brendon Cremer

Retail stores are making millions by selling the photographer dream in the form of entry level DSLR cameras and it is becoming harder to distinguish between the photography hobbyist and the professional photographer.

By Benno Stander

Professional equipment prices are soaring ever higher yet equipment is no gauge to go by since many of the weekend worriers of photography have more cash to throw at it than the person earning a living from photos. Now everyone is a photographer and hardly anyone gets to call it their job. We chat to Brendon Cremer who has made it as a professional photographer in one of the toughest fields of photography; wildlife!

Brendon who?

Over the past 10 years Brendon has shot magazine covers for various titles like Getaway, National Geographic, Australia Geographic and his work was also recently featured in the BBC book, Life Story. He has been a finalist in competitions like the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Nature’s Best Wildlife Photographer of the Year and he has won the Africa Photographic Awards Wildlife category for 2014. At the moment Brendon works for Africa Photographic Travel and facilitates photographic safaris all over Africa.

Professional Wildlife Photographer Brendon Cremer

How he made it?

According to Brendon a lot of it was luck and a lot of it is working hard. “I started by working in the hospitality industry all over Africa as a guide. This gave me all the opportunities I needed to take good wildlife photographs and photography has been a big passion of mine for a very long time. I don’t see myself as a guide who moved over to photography, I still see myself as a guide but one who has specialised in the photographic side of guiding.

How many people do what you do?

I know a lot of people who do what I do as a part time gig or on the odd occasion. But if you are talking about people who earn a living doing wildlife photography full time, I’d say there is only about ten people in South Africa who have made it work.

Most amazing locations you’ve worked at?

The thing about destinations is that some of them are really fantastic for very specific things. One place that is really very close to my heart is the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It’s just complete and true wilderness. There are areas where you won’t see another person for days and the wildlife of Botswana is amazing.

Best part about your job

Being in the bush! I grew up in the bush and it has always been a big part of my life. Being able to balance being out there and travelling a lot with being home in town with the family can get quite tough though. I also love teaching and sharing things with people. I’ve seen a lot of wildlife in my life but sharing it with someone who sees it for the first time is really something special.

Worst part of your job

The most difficult part of my job is probably the travelling and being away from home for extended periods of time. I have a wife and son at home and often miss them a lot. Getting to far-off and remote locations up in Africa can also be hectic at times and take a lot out of you. People love to romanticise about my job but let me tell you it’s not just fun and games every day.

Who is a professional photographer?

The term has become somewhat over used recently and some people think it refers to a photographer who is thought to produce a certain standard of work. In essence someone who is better than the average photographer. I think this is a misconception as the term actually refers to a person who is a photographer by profession and earns the majority of their income from photography.

How did entry level DSLRs and hobbyists change the profession?

It has turned everyone into a photographer! It is great that so many people want to learn and this in itself creates opportunities for me in terms of courses and training. But be warned, photography quickly turns into an animal and it is something you can really throw a lot of money at and before long you will realise that it’s nearly impossible to make back what you spent.

One thing I do really wish people would realise is that there are people out there that work really hard at photography and earn their bread and butter form it. Because everybody loves to see their photos in print, magazines nowadays don’t pay for images any more as they are inundated with images by weekend photographers. Hobbyists who dish out images make it really difficult for especially wildlife, sport and wedding photographers.

The price to pay

Equipment is really expensive and some of the lenses used for wildlife can shake your finances. To give you an idea of what sort of figures we are talking I can say this; when I do a safari with 6 people the combined value of the equipment is between R2 million and R3 million. So when considering photography as a career option keep in mind that you’d probably have to make that much before you can call it profit.

So you still want to be a photographer

It’s really about perseverance. The more you shoot, use your equipment and push the limits, the better you will become. The days of simply capturing what you see is coming to an end and you have to be able to use your equipment in a creative and artistic way.

On the flip side, it really is tough! Even my income is not solely generated from just shooting images and I have to do a diverse range of things to supplement it. Everything is photography related but it’s really hard and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. A lot of people have a passion for photography and enjoy doing it as a recreational activity. Then as soon as it becomes a job the passion dies and it becomes just another day at the office like any other job. I’ve seen it happen with many people. That light that was there just goes off.

Some of Brendon’s photographs: