Outdoor Photographer

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When it comes to outdoor photography, Jim Tallon of Phoenix, Arizona knows his business ... because it's been his business for the last 18 years. We believe him, then, when he says that it isn't hard for novice shutterbugs to break into freelance outdoor photo work. "I conservatively estimate that there are four to five thousand paying markets wide open to beginners," Jim maintains. "And all you need in order to start selling to these markets are a camera, a love of nature, and an eye for the unusual."

YOU CAN MAKE MONEY AS AN

On a chilly fall day, a flock of Canadian geese flies over our log cabin in Montana, honking loudly. I rush to the front porch to take a picture of the birds ... and later sell the shot to Field & Stream for $150.

On the shores of Lake Pleasant—near Phoenix, Arizona—I happen to spot some campers silhouetted against the setting sun. Again, I bring my camera into action ... and take a photo that sells to Kampgrounds of America for $200.

In southern Utah's Monument Valley, I step onto the centerline of a highway and snap a "scenic" shot of the pavement running through the red rock temples in the distance. This one later becomes a Firestone tire ad that appears in several top magazines, thanks to the New York photo agency that sold the photo for $1,500.

If you haven't guessed, I make my living selling pictures: I'm a freelance outdoor photographer. (I'm also a writer, but it's the photo work that really pays my rent.) Given a camera and film, I can park just about anywhere and survive.

I got into this business on a part-time basis 18 years ago because I sought freedom from the regimentations of our eight-to-f ive workaday society. When I "dropped out" in 1967 to freelance full time, I wanted more than anything to [1] enjoy the wonders of nature and [2] get paid for doing it. And thanks to my camera gear—I've been able to do just that. With the "tricks of the trade" I'm about to give you here, you should have quite a head start toward being able to do the same thing.

THE EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED

Naturally, you can't take—much less sell —pictures with a camera or lens you don't have. (On the other hand, you needn't rush out and buy every $200 photographic doodad that ever came out of Japan. I broke into this business with an absolute minimum of equipment ... and you can too.)

First, you need a camera. And unquestionably, the only kind of camera to buy is a 35-millimeter single-lens reflex with a built-in light meter. ("Single-lens reflex"—for short—refers to a lens and mirror setup that allows you to view, frame, and focus your subject while looking through the camera's main lens, rather than through a separate view finder.)

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