Fame

It's possible. You might be wildly famous. You could be like Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, or Richard Avedon and could spend your days creating cutting edge spreads for the world's top magazines, shooting daring campaigns for the hottest new brands, and snapping intimate portraits of movie stars, super models, and royalty. Then again, you might also randomly strike gold in your back yard.

The truth is that most people who try to be fashion photographers fail. No one has heard of them except for their co-workers at the seafood restaurant where they sling ninety-nine cent oysters at happy hour. There are, of course, fashion photography professionals out there working every day who never make it to the upper echelons of mega-stardom. So, while it's not impossible to run with the stars, don't count on it.