Owning a forum, I get to see some repeating patterns in the way people post. One that always intrigues me is the stay at home mum’s who join up and announce they are planning on becoming a professional photographer.

I often wonder what makes photography appear as a good profession for them to pursue when they have a young family. Those of us that know what goes into being a professional photographer, are very aware that it is demanding, time consuming, and hard enough when you don’t have children to attend to.

The market is over-saturated with photographers and it can be damn hard work, yet for some reason the ‘public’ perception is far removed from reality.

What makes the stay at home mum (and others) believe that a course and a DSLR will turn them into a professional photographer? We so often see these introduction posts and then within a week or two, they stop posting and we never hear from them again. Is that cause they have succeeded in setting up their business or is it that they have realised that being a professional photographer is not as easy as they thought it would be, and have moved onto another idea?

Is it AP's role to educate people in this regard? Is it a lack of research by the person seeking to take up photography as a career?

I am always happy to see someone succeed with the career choice they have chosen, but I find it concerning that photography obviously appeals as an easy career option, when the reality is far removed from that.