These days, learning new skills is easy. Thanks to the internet, you no longer need a fancy college degree to learn a new skill, you can learn pretty much anything yourself from the comfort of your own home.

With such a world of learning opportunities at your fingertips, it can be difficult to know what skill to focus on. I’m here to put a case forward for photography. If you’re in the market for learning a new skill, I really think this is a great one to focus on. Here are 5 reasons why….

1. It can turn into a lucrative career

Most amateur photographers start out taking photos as a hobby. Many people just want to be able to take beautiful pictures that create lovely lasting memories in their photo albums – and that’s great.

However, it doesn’t have to be just a hobby. There are plenty of opportunities out there for amateur photographers to turn their hobby into a fulfilling career. For example, you could make a living as a wedding photographer, event photographer, journalist, offering Edmonton boudoir photo shoots to help people boost their confidence, or simply by selling your awesome photos on marketplaces. You can also start a blog and website to sell and promote your work online. Another way of earning money through photography is by selling your captures, like landscape or wildlife pictures on stock websites. But, you may need to learn the skills and techniques required for clicking professional pictures, for which you can check out a few landscape photography tips to ace your career.

2. It can help you to grow and monetize an Instagram account

Thanks to social media, everyone these days already seems to be an amateur photographer. Most of us spend a big chunk of our weeks snapping and uploading photos to Instagram, Pinterest, and other social media platforms.

The great thing about taking the time to learn photography is that it can really propel your social media game to the next level. By taking great photos, you could grow your Instagram account followers by thousands and potentially become a successful influencer.

Professional photographers that successfully grow and monetize an Instagram account can make money as they showcase their works.

3. It allows you to share your vision of the world

Aside from the above financial incentives to learn photography, it can also be fulfilling on a more personal level. If you’re a creative person, photography can be a great medium to explore your creativity and share your unique vision of the world.

Here’s one of my favourite quotes about photography that I think sums up this point well…

“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby a true expression of what one feel about life in its entirety.”

4. It can help you to be more ‘present’

Taking photos encouragess you to be more aware of your surroundings. When you’re actively thinking about potential photo-worthy moments, you’ll be more aware of the beauty of your surroundings.

For anyone that struggles to be ‘in the moment’ or to achieve mindfulness, photography can be a great tool to help.

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