There Are No Shortcuts To Becoming a Full-Time Filmmaker or Photographer
We’ve all seen the comments beneath social media posts by professional conservation filmmakers.
“Wow, living the dream! I wish I could just travel and film wildlife all day!”
“You get paid to hang out in beautiful places? Unreal. Jealous!”
Yes, the dream of becoming a full-time nature or conservation photographer, or a documentary filmmaker who tells stories about wild places and the species that inhabit them, is an intoxicating one.
But here’s the truth bomb that rarely makes it to social media captions: this path isn’t romantic. It’s rigorous.
It takes very hard work. Not just the kind that leaves your legs burning after a dawn-to-dusk hike carrying a backpack crammed with 40 pounds of gear, but the work behind the scenes, too. The grinding hours of paperwork (invoicing, receipts, getting releases signed, writing pitches, emails, etc), editing until midnight, and constant learning new techniques just to stay relevant in age where everything is evolving so fast.
And then there’s the bugs. Pulling dozens of ticks off your pant legs as you film is not exciting. You quickly learn it’s part of the routine.
Success in this field is not something you stumble into. You build it, piece by piece, through commitment. That means showing up even when the weather turns bad, even when you’re not sure the story will pan out, even when your bank account says “get a real job.”
It also takes personal growth. No matter how technically skilled you become, your ability to connect with others (human or animal) will ultimately define your storytelling. You learn to listen, observe, adapt. You get uncomfortable, confront your limitations, and expand beyond them.
This career is also one of adaptability. The landscape of photography and filmmaking is always shifting. Trends change, funding models evolve, and global events can reroute your entire project in an instant. Those who thrive aren’t just skilled; they’re nimble. They rework plans on the fly, pivot storytelling approaches, and keep finding ways forward.
At the heart of it all is a willingness to embrace change. You grow, and your work grows with you. The stories you told five years ago won’t be the same ones you tell now. Evolution is part of the process.
The videos you created for clients five years ago may no longer be the kinds of videos that clients want today.
The photos you sold to magazines years ago aren’t needed today because of social media’s endless supply of photographers posting their photos for free for all the world to see.
Any photographer or videographer moaning about the loss of business because a trend changed, is simply a photographer or videographer who didn’t manage a shift in the landscape. So the point is, if you can’t identify that changes are looming and/or adapt fast, you’ll be in trouble.
But perhaps most importantly, this path demands you be a lifelong learner. The field teaches you, if you let it. You learn the rhythm of wildlife, the pulse of ecosystems, the stories whispered on the wind. You learn from the people whose lives intersect with the land. You make mistakes. You recalibrate. You keep going.
There is no faking it in this work. You can’t “imposter syndrome” your way into a sustainable, meaningful career in conservation storytelling. Posting endless photos on Facebook or Instagram does not make you a professional photographer. It only makes you a Facebook photographer. And the last time I checked, there was zero pay for that hobby. Sure, you might bluff your way into a gig or two, or host a workshop or two, but the field, the audience, and the craft will catch up with you.
Authenticity isn’t a buzzword here, it’s currency.
If you truly want this life and career, know that it won’t hand itself to you wrapped in a ribbon or by piggybacking on others. It asks a lot. But it gives back in moments of meaning, in the feeling of being aligned with your values, in the knowledge that your work serves something larger than yourself.
- How We Film Conservation Stories - June 27, 2025
- Content Isn’t a Story - June 24, 2025
- Three New Conservation Documentaries in Production at WorkCabin Films - June 21, 2025
