Travel photography is one of the most oft-named areas of interest by photographers polled in my marketing workshops and classes. The allure is undeniable--it seems to be all about exotic places to visit and fascinating people to meet. While lots of photographers want to get into travel photography it's also one of the most competitive fields in free-lance...

Thanks to reader Robin Gaines for the inspiration for this column. To approach her question, we talked to several photographers about their solutions, including those who work in the wedding and portrait, nature, and high-end commercial world of photography.

New York City-based photo industry consultant Gaines wrote, "I am desperately trying to find a way to...

Judy Host (www.judyhost.com) only started her business 12 years ago but today you can find her working either in the home of a celebrity creating her award-winning portraits or in Africa documenting conditions in Rwanda and Uganda. By the time you read this, she may be in Ghana and Kenya or traveling to Cape Town, South Africa.

It is everyone's dream: leave the "day job" and get paid for what you enjoy doing. Due to the depth and breadth of the market, portraits are a particularly good area to start (or expand!) your photography business. Portraits are needed both in the consumer and commercial client markets. They can't be easily replaced with a generic stock photo. In this...